| Admitted to: Shiel Hospital, Ballyshannon. RAF Hospital Halton (14/08/44). |
Date of Injury: 12/08/1944 |
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|---|---|---|---|
| D.O.B/Age when admitted: 26/1/1921 (23) |
Cause of Incident: Crashed in Sunderland due to engine failure. |
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| Transferred to QVH: 11/11/1944 |
Injuries: Scarring to face and head |
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| No. of Operations at East Grinstead: 1 |
IDENTITY CARD
This is to certify that the patient mentioned below and whose description is stated hereon is the authorised holder of this Identity card.
| Forename: Martin Alexander |
Surname: Platsko |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Service No: J24784 |
Nationality: Canadian |
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| Awards/Honours: --- |
Patient Unit: 422 Sqn |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Profession: --- |
Patient Rank: Fg Off |
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| Death: 03/12/2011 |
Age at Death: 90yrs |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Rank: |
Dr Unit: |
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Notes:
Known as 'Al'.
Platsko was second pilot in a Sunderland Flying Boat, taking off from the base at Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, to fly a mission over the Atlantic. The aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing due to a failure of the starboard engine, and ended up in a bog. Platsko jettisoned much of the full fuel load, and fire spread from the engine to the rest of the plane. Three died and the others sustained multiple injuries.
We've been looking through our collections, and discovered this 1972 photograph from the East Grinstead Observer, o…