The Airmen's Stories - P/O A F Vokes

Arthur Frank Vokes was born in Birmingham on 2nd June 1918, the son of Frank Charles and Elsie Vokes.

He worked as a bank clerk there. He joined the RAFVR in May 1938 as an Airman u/t Pilot and did his flying training at 6 E&RFTS, Sywell. On 11th September 1939 Vokes began a flying instructor's course at Sywell and completed it on 17th October. He was subsequently called up and sent to No.1 ITW Cambridge.

On 18th November he arrived at 15 FTS Lossiemouth and left there on 9th April 1940, completing his training at 8 FTS, Montrose. He then went to No.1 School of Army Co-operation at Old Sarum and was commissioned. Vokes arrived at 5 OTU, Aston Down on 10th June 1940 and after converting to Spitfires he was posted to 19 Squadron at Fowlmere on 23rd June.

He damaged a Do17 on 9th September, probably destroyed a Me110 on the 15th and shared a Me110 on 15th November. He was appointed 'A' Flight Commander on 20th June 1941.

On a low-level attack on shipping in Rotterdam harbour on 28th August, the squadron lost its CO, S/Ldr. WJ Lawson, and the 'B' Flight Commander, F/Lt. W Cunningham. Vokes took temporary command of the squadron.

He was killed on 6th September 1941. He had taken off in Spitfire IIa P8166 at 15.50 from RAF Coltishall, Norfolk, on a ferry flight to the satellite airfield of RAF Matlaske. The visibility was poor and the cloud base extremely low. F/Lt. Vokes dived through the cloud at too steep an angle and was unable to flatten out after breaking cloud at low altitude. His aircraft crashed into a field, and bounced into woods near RAF Langham, Norfolk. 

Vokes was 23 and is buried in St Mary's churchyard, Great Bircham, Norfolk.