2019 marks the 75th Anniversary of the Death of AC 2 Kenneth Raisbeck

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John Raisbeck son of British Cadet Kenneth Raisbeck standing next to his fathers grave marker with floral wreaths and flag of England

A.C.2 Kenneth Raisbeck, who is interred at G.A.R. Cemetery. Kenneth left his home in England weeks before his son was born and was killed in a training accident before he was to receive his RAF wings. 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of his death and John, ‘the son that Kenneth never met’, shared his story of finding answers about his father’s death.

John has been on a life long journey to find information of his father and his accident, and just recently with the help of Phillip Blair, The Oswego Museum and Historical Society, Ken’s death certificate has been found, as well as the actual field of the fatal crash site where he lost his life.

In his presentation, John covers Ken’s life as a young man growing up in his home town in Northern England, his migration south after the effects of the Great Depression of the 1930s and his family life prior to volunteering to join the RAF during WWII. It will also include Ken’s embarkation from the UK to USA, his arrival in Miami, his training program and social life, right up to his ultimate tragic accident south of Oswego Kansas.

John’s intriguing story tells us how he managed to find out such detailed information from old family archives and how he tracked down ex comrades from Miami, Oklahoma British Flying Training School #3 and other local American institutions, in order to learn more about the Father, he never met.

John tells the story of his Father Ken, who lost his life in a flying accident on 26th June 1944, whilst learning to fly at No 3 British Flying Training School, Spartan School of Aeronautics, Miami, Oklahoma.

His talk covers Kens life as a young man growing up in his home town in Northern England, his migration south after the effects of the Great Depression of the 1930’s and his family life prior to volunteering to join the RAF during WW2 Over the years, John has taken an avid interest in researching the missing links during the last months of his Father’s life, from when he enrolled into the RAF and up to his untimely death when he was only 26 years old.

His research covers Ken’s embarkation from UK to USA, his arrival in Miami, his training program and social life, right up to his ultimate tragic accident south of Oswego Kansas.

Johns intriguing story tells us how he managed to find out such detailed information from old family archives and how he tracked down ex BFTS comrades and other local American institutions, in order to learn more about the Father, he never met.

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John Raisbeck, Son of Kenneth Raisbeck Visits the Crash Site

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