Letter from the Air Ministry to W Coling
Title
Letter from the Air Ministry to W Coling
Description
A letter signed by Charles Evans of the Air Ministry advising Mrs W Coling that her son, Sergeant Eric Coling, is missing following a mine laying operation. Enquiries are being made, through the International Red Cross Committee, to trace Eric.
Creator
Date
1943-10-11
Language
Format
One page typed written letter
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
EEvansCColingW431011
Transcription
GERrard 9234
TELEPHONE NO: [deleted] HOLBORN [indecipherable word] [/deleted]
TRUNK CALLS AND TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS:- {“AIR MINISTRY”, LONDON.
AIR MINISTRY,
P. 409278/3/43/P.4.A.2.
[deleted] ADASTRAL HOUSE,[/deleted]
[deleted] KINGSWAY W.C.2 [/deleted]
(Casualty Branch)
77 Oxford Street,
London, W.1.
11 October, 1943.
Madam,
I am commanded by the Air Council to express to you their great regret on learning that your son, Sergeant Eric Frederick Coling, Royal Air Force, is missing as the result of air operations on the night of 29th/30th September, 1943, when a Lancaster aircraft in which he was flying as air bomber set out on a mine laying operation over enemy waters and was not heard from again.
This does not necessarily mean that he is killed or wounded, and if he is a prisoner of war he should be able to communicate with you in due course. Meanwhile enquiries are being made through the International Red Cross Committee and as soon as any definite news is received you will be at once informed.
If any information regarding your son is received by you from any source you are requested to be kind enough to communicate it immediately to the Air Ministry.
The Air Council desire me to convey to you their sympathy in your present anxiety.
I am, Madam,
Your obedient Servant,
Charles Evans
Mrs. W. Coling,
3 Croft Avenue,
Altofts,
Normanton,
Yorkshire.
TELEPHONE NO: [deleted] HOLBORN [indecipherable word] [/deleted]
TRUNK CALLS AND TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS:- {“AIR MINISTRY”, LONDON.
AIR MINISTRY,
P. 409278/3/43/P.4.A.2.
[deleted] ADASTRAL HOUSE,[/deleted]
[deleted] KINGSWAY W.C.2 [/deleted]
(Casualty Branch)
77 Oxford Street,
London, W.1.
11 October, 1943.
Madam,
I am commanded by the Air Council to express to you their great regret on learning that your son, Sergeant Eric Frederick Coling, Royal Air Force, is missing as the result of air operations on the night of 29th/30th September, 1943, when a Lancaster aircraft in which he was flying as air bomber set out on a mine laying operation over enemy waters and was not heard from again.
This does not necessarily mean that he is killed or wounded, and if he is a prisoner of war he should be able to communicate with you in due course. Meanwhile enquiries are being made through the International Red Cross Committee and as soon as any definite news is received you will be at once informed.
If any information regarding your son is received by you from any source you are requested to be kind enough to communicate it immediately to the Air Ministry.
The Air Council desire me to convey to you their sympathy in your present anxiety.
I am, Madam,
Your obedient Servant,
Charles Evans
Mrs. W. Coling,
3 Croft Avenue,
Altofts,
Normanton,
Yorkshire.
Collection
Citation
Great Britain. Air Ministry, “Letter from the Air Ministry to W Coling,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 14, 2026, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/collections/document/40643.