Sergeant Trevor Barkley Boyd (1145139) served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during World War Two. He was the son of A Edgar Boyd and Margaret Jessie Boyd of Greenisland, Co. Antrim.
He died on 23rd February 1944 aged 22 years old on B-24 Liberator BZ951-Y with RAF No. 1673 Heavy Conversion Unit. The crew was on a bombing raid to Sinde, Burma when the plane exploded in mid-air. The Liberator took off from Salbani, West Bengal, India at 1750hrs on 23rd February, joining 2 others of the Squadron in a mission to bomb Sinde, Burma.
The target lay on the west bank of the Irrawaddy River, a few miles south of the town of Prome. Boyd’s crew released their bomb-load on the target but gave no wireless transmissions back to base. After the explosion, a large search got underway focussing on areas around the Bay of Bengal.
Discovery of the crash site
In June 1946, RAF No. 5 Searcher Team found the wreckage on an island in the Irrawaddy River near the village of Kyun-U. A local man reported witnessing the plane approaching the island already on fire. It crashed into trees on the island around 2030hrs on 23rd February 1944. He led the team to what remained of the wreckage. Japanese authorities had removed the engines after the crash.
Nearby the crash site lay 4 graves. The first contained 5 badly burned bodies, the 3 others contained the body of an airman each. The remaining 2 crewmen remained unaccounted for. On 23rd December 194r, No. 42 War Graves Registration Unit visited the site but they could only find 1 grave. He was reburied in Section 3, Row G, Grave 8 of Rangoon War Cemetery. His headstone states:
An airman of the 1939-1945 war, known unto God.
Remembering the crew of Liberator BZ951
| Last Name | First Name(s) | Rank | Role | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allitt | Robert Edward | Flight Lieutenant | Pilot | RAF 40594. Distinguished Flying Cross. |
| Beatey | Thomas Atkinson | Warrant Officer | RAF 1104751. Killed aged 28 years old. | |
| Boyd | Trevor Barkley | Sergeant | RAFVR 1145139. Killed aged 22 years old. | |
| Fletcher | William Kenneth | Sergeant | RAFVR 1601738. | |
| Fraser | Francis James | Flight Lieutenant | RAFVR 66511. Killed aged 25 years old. | |
| Houghton | Raymond Douglas | Flight Lieutenant | 2nd Pilot | RAFVR 109364. |
| Nelson | David | Flight Sergeant | RAF 533351. Killed aged 26 years old. From Larne, Co. Antrim. | |
| O'Donnell | Ernest William | Pilot Officer | RCAF J/86852. | |
| Richardson | Herbert Arthur | Flight Sergeant | RAFVR 517958. Killed aged 29 years old. | |
| Merriman | Sydney | Flying Officer | RIAF 1791. Killed aged 21 years old. |
Trevor Barkley Boyd has no known grave. His name is on Column 435 of the Singapore Memorial, Singapore. Sergeant David Nelson of Larne, Co. Antrim was also on board Liberator BZ951 on its final flight.
Cemetery/memorial reference: Column 435.