Raymond Terence Salvoni was born in the December quarter of 1922, (Windsor Vol.  2c Page 706), the son of Lawrence James & Charlotte M. Salvoni (nee Baker), who had married in the March Quarter of 1916 (St.Geo.H.Sq.Vol. 1a, Page 1146). The district St.Geo.H.Sq. is an alternative name for St George Hanover Square, and it spans the boundaries of the counties of Middlesex and London.

I believe that Lawrence Salvoni, Raymond’s father, was in WW1, I found his Medal Card and perhaps that is where he met Charlotte Mary when he was in the Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex) Regiment, (Regimental Number: G/86132).

I believe that there were at least 3 other siblings, as I found some births registered with the mother’s maiden name of Baker from 1916, when Phyllis L. Salvonii was born in the September Quarter (Windsor Vol.  2c Page 791) and then Lawrence C.G. Salvoni in the December Quarter of 1919 (Windsor Vol.  2c Page 847) to Maurice L. Salvoni in the June Quarter of 1928. (Windsor Vol.  2c Page 723).

I believe that Lawrence James Salvoni had been born in the June Quarter of 1895 (Worcester Vol.6c Page 303) and it looks as though perhaps Lorenzo anglicized his name to Lawrence as on the BMD Registers his name was Lorenza James Salvoni.   He is seen for the first time in the 1901 census in the household of Charles & Louisa Clements living at Beckford, (2 houses before Jubilee Cottage), Gloucestershire.  Charles, 41, is an Agricultural Labourer born in Conderton, Worcestershire.   Louisa, 40, had been born in Malvern, Worcesteshire.   They had a son Harry Clements, age 15 and a Poultry Keeper (Assistant), while Lawrence, SALVONI, was described as a nephew, age 5 born in Worcestershire.

I researched to find out why Lawrence James would be in this household and it appears that his father Lorenzo Salvoni, born in Italy, circa 1873, was in a Mental Hospital in Powick, Worcestershire from the 28th October 1911 to the 8th March 1945, on his death, so poor Kathleen Salvoni, (nee Taylor), his wife of 16 years, in 1911, was left to look after her children, so therefore Louisa Clements, (nee Taylor), I believe was Kathleen’s sister and took Lawrence to help out, subsequent research shows that the Clements family was his designated Guardian in the School Admissions books, in Beckford C. of E. School, Gloucestershire, as ,I believe, was also to Margery (Margherita?) and William, Lawrence’s siblings.   If anyone would like to find out more about this family, please get in touch with the website.

The 1911 census shows Lawrence Salvoni living at Beckford, Tewkesbury, Glos., still with the Clements family.   Charles Clements was now 51, he was a Garden Labourer, born in Anderton, Worcestershire.   His wife, Louisa Clements had been born in Malvern, Worcestershire and was 52 years of age.   She tells us that they had been married for 25 years and 1 child had been born to them, but sadly, died.   This must have been Harry who was on the 1901 census, but I cannot find his death.

The 1921 census gives us a little insight into Lawrence James & Charlotte Mary Salvoni’s family after their marriage in 1916.   However, I cannot find Lawrence James Salvoni, just Charlotte Mary and 2 children.   They are living at 1, Melbourne Cottages, Sunninghill.  Charlotte Salvoni tells us that she is married and 25 years and 5 months old and was doing ‘Home Duties.’   Phyllis Louisa Salvoni is 6 years old and Lawrence Charles George Salvoni is 1 year and 9 months old, all had been born in Sunninghill, Berkshire.

The next time we see Lawrence James & Charlotte Mary is on the 1939 National Register, taken on the 29th of September 1939.   They are living at 8 Crossways, Mancot Royal, Queensferry, Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales.   This source gives the dates of birth and their occupation.   Lawrence was born on the 14th of April 1895 and he was a Carpenter, Charlotte’s date of birth was the 5th January 1896 and like most married women without a job, was doing “Unpaid Domestic Duties.”   There is also a closed or redacted record, which may have been Maurice as he was born in 1928.

I also found Lawrence James’s father, Lorenzo, on the 1939 National Register, still in the Worcester County & City Mental Hospital, Powick, Near Worcester, Upton-On-Severn, Worcestershire, England, his date of birth was given as only 1873 and he was a Farm Labourer.

Raymond Terence is not on the family 1939 National Register, he would have been about 17 years old then, so he may have already enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, any help gratefully received about his early years.

Raymond had met his future wife and in the March quarter of 1943, he married Florence Dora Haines in a Civil Marriage or Registrar Attended Ceremony in Chester (Cheshire West ROC/95/167) and they had a son, Raymond L. Salvoni, in the March quarter of 1944, his birth was registered in Hawarden (Flintshire (Mold) HAW/58A/31).

However, he was to find himself in the midst of war and his award of the Distinguished Flying Cross was in the London Gazette dated the 27th of June 1944, page 3042.  The King has graciously pleased to approve the following awards: – Raymond Terence SALVONI (155198) R.A.F.V.R. 640 Squadron.  https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36584/supplement/3043

So, he must have been with 640 Squadron for a while, before he was posted to 35 Squadron, and this is the squadron the Charles Kenneth Fielder, whose name is also on this War Memorial and also Connah’s Quay & Shotton’s too, was in when he was killed in a plane crash in Belgium, please click on the link to read his story.

Eventually he did get to 35 Squadron, and I have the Operational Records and they show that he was on other missions.  I extracted page 17 below.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8411086

Page 17-  Night of the 14th/15th PB.684 (B) Primary Visual Marker – Up at 20.02 – landed at Exeter 03.41. This was the flight that Raymond Terence died. The raid was from Graveley* against Merseburg/ Leuna**    The next sortie was on the night of the 16th/17th January 1945, with the rest of his Crew flying again in TB.369 (J) as a Primary Visual Marker with F/O A.H.J. Pidgeon taking his place and also F/O C.J. Etheridge replacing F/O R.M.Weller, it must have been bad for the crew that saw Raymond lose his life.    SEE ALSO PAGES 7, 9 and 12 for his other Missions in January 1945 before his died.   If anyone wants copies of the Operational Records I downloaded please get in touch with the website.

Incidentally, I traced the Crew of PB.684 (B) and nearly all of them died, on the 8th of March 1945 in a raid over Germany.   I have made notes of the Crew if anyone wants them.

*https://masterbombercraig.wordpress.com/post-war-raf-career/graveley-35-sqdn/

RAF Graveley – No.35 Squadron.  It seems that they were a Pathfinder Group and flew Halifax 11s, MK 111’s and Lancaster I & IIIs aircraft.  As Bomber Command developed the new Pathfinder Force (PFF) Graveley would find itself a major player.   (Extracted from the above.)

** https://www.398th.org/History/Articles/Remembrances/Ostrom_Merseburg.html

Merseburg…Dreaded Merseburg – This Target Would Prove Costly To The 398th

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8411085

Extract from the above:-

35 Sqn..P.F.F.   Operation Records Book. – January – 14th January 1945

Graveley

Two aircraft attacked targets at GREVENBROICH:  there was some haze, but no cloud and the attack appeared to be accurately delivered.

Thirteen aircraft took part in an attack on MERSEBURG LEUNA.   Though conditions were difficult, the attack seemed most effective.   All the aircraft were diverted to EXETER owing to bad weather over base.   Aircraft “B” was hit by a bomb from a friendly aircraft over the target area; the rear turret was smashed and later broke away taking with it the body of the rear gunner, F/O R.T. SALVONI, who, it is believed, was probably killed by the impact of the bomb.

So very sadly it seems that Raymond was killed as a result of a very unlucky accident by what might be called, “Friendly Fire.”    The Rear Gunner was always in a very vulnerable position on these raids.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tail_gunner

A tail gunner or rear gunner is a crewman on a military aircraft who functions as a gunner defending against enemy fighter attacks from the rear, or “tail”, of the plane. The tail gunner operates a flexible machine gun emplacement in the tail end of the aircraft with an unobstructed view toward the rear of the aircraft. While the term tail gunner is usually associated with a crewman inside a gun turret, the first tail guns were operated from open apertures within the aircraft’s fuselage, like in the Scarff ring mechanism used in the British Handley Page V/1500 (a 1918 aircraft), and also, in the most evolved variants of this type of air-to-air anti-aircraft defense, they may also be operated by remote control from another part of the aircraft, like in the American B-52 bombers (an aircraft first introduced in 1955 but still in service).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Bomber_Command_aircrew_of_World_War_II

RAF Bomber Command aircrew of World War II

Please see https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/video-gallery/video/8532

Halifax Bomber Rear Turret

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/video-gallery/video/8532

Extracted from https://tailendcharlietedchurch.wordpress.com/halifax-bomber/halifax-aircrew/

TED CHURCH – TAIL END CHARLIE

7 – Rear Gunner – The Rear Gunner, and his job is arguably the most dangerous, and certainly the coldest, the most lonely & isolated, of any Halifax Crewman. His Parachute was stowed outside the Armoured Doors that shut him in a cold cramped position until the end of the Mission, his only human contact was that of the disembodied voices of other Crew members over the Intercom. He was here for how many hours the mission took. The call to Bale-out was ‘Abracadabra Jump, Jump! Abracadabra Jump, Jump!’.  It sounded silly, but it had one advantage. It couldn’t have possibly been misunderstood. Nevertheless, it was often not used, and the Order was given in plain language.  On hearing the command to Bale Out, the Rear Gunner opened his armoured doors at the rear of his Turret, reached back for his Parachute and clipped it onto his chest harness. He then swivelled his Turret right round until the open doors were facing outwards, then did a backward roll out into the Night Sky above a hostile country.  This was, of course, presupposing that his Parachute had not been burnt or shot to pieces, that he was still able to turn his Turret to the escape position, and that the centrifugal forces exerted by his out-of-control Bomber would have allowed him to make these necessary moves.

Raymon Terence’s father Lawrence James Salvoni was to die, and his burial is in the St. Deniol’s Church Parish Registers – Burials – Page 24 No. 186 Laurence(sic) James SALVONI, 14, Crossways, Mancot Royal, 21st November 1961 age 66 (Service in Church, Internment in Cemetery.)  J. Graham CANHAM?

His mother, Charlotte Mary Salvoni remarried in the December quarter of 1964 to Oliver Ellwood, (Hawarden Vol.  8a Page 913) as her death at age 82 years, in the December quarter of 1978 is recorded as Charlotte Mary Ellwood, her date of birth coincides with the date of birth on the 1939 National Register. (Delyn, Inferred County: Clwyd, Vol. 24 Page 368).

I believe that Florence Dora Salvoni* may have remarried in the December Quarter of 1946 in Chester, in a Civil Marriage or Registrar Attended marriage (Cheshire West ROC/99/82) to Walter R. Boughen.

*nee HAINES

Raymond Terence was much loved by his family, and they made sure he would be remembered by adding his name to the War Memorial.

Addendum

I was contacted by a member of the Salvoni family, Darren Salvoni, who was able to confirm my research and add so much more, here below are the information he added.   Many, many thanks to Darren.  Sadly Florence Mary was to suffer more heartache.

“Morning Mavis

Raymond Terence Salvoni was born on 13th October 1922. He lied on his military records stating he was born in October 1921. He enlisted on March 12th 1940 at Padgate. Initially he was a batman but went on to qualify as an airgunner achieving the air gunner badge on 2nd January 1943. He married on 16th January 1943. He was posted to 158 squadron 31st July 1943, then subsequently there at the formation of 640 squadron 7th January 1944 31 sorties completed between the two squadrons only four of these with 640, the last one landing back at RAF Leaconfield on the Morning of March 8th, 1944, my father Raymond was born that day. He then went to a training unit until 1st November 1944 when he joined 35 squadron KIA 14/1/1945.

His father Lawrence James did serve in the Middlesex Regiment and was also awarded the Imperial Service Medal for services to the air ministry on 3rd June 1960.

Raymond T Salvoni’ Grandfather, Lorenzo was committed to the lunatic asylum in Worcester 1911 dying there on my father’s 1st Birthday 1945. Lorenzo was married to Kathleen, and they had 7 children, Kathleen was killed on September the 8th 1916 in an accident, she was run over by a horse and cart in Worcester. The horse had bolted while pulling the milk cart and Kathleen was killed, the horse standing on her and the cartwheel passing over her chest, her last words are recorded as “Oh god help me “!    Kathleen’s half-sister had some of the children I am eagerly waiting for this year’s census release to find out more regarding the whereabouts of the other siblings. My son was born on the 100th anniversary of Kathleen’s death, his middle name is Lawrence and my youngest’s middle name is Raymond.

I have fished out the emails regarding Raymond’s possible resting place. I only have the emails on paper now not saved, they are from 2012.

The information comes from the investigation carried out by a German gentleman, Christian Koenig. A contact of his Ulf Diener discovered information in Merseberg war diaries. Russian military command had requested information regarding allied soldiers buried within the region. The county of Merseburg replied, five of these soldiers were associated with the raid of January 14th, 1945. They were assumed to be American, there were no American aircraft in that area that night. The five airmen were buried as unknown war dead at a cemetery in Oeglitzsh, south of Merseburg.

These 5 men were excavated by the Americans on November 10th 1946 and buried again at an American war cemetery in France.

I don’t know where however I will now write to the American Battle Monuments Commission to discover, if possible, where this may be.

The marriage that you mention, was bigamist, Walter Boughen confessed to being married with four children the day after he married Florence. She made him turn himself in to his commanding officer and ultimately the police.

Raymond’s brother Lawrence C G Salvoni served during the war in the Cheshire regiment, serving in France, Italy, Africa etc he continued to serve in the army for several years, he passed away in 2009 aged 90.

Best wishes

Darren”