Charles Frank Horace Wiessner (1912–1943)
Charles Frank Horace Wiessner (1912–1943)
Second World War Roll of Honour
Charles Frank Horace Wiessner was born at Greenwich on 29 December 1912, the second son of Charles Wiessner, a pastry cook and cake manufacturer, and Marie (née Mayer) Wiessner of 65 Blackheath Road, Greenwich, later of 42 Lewisham Road, London. He was educated at the Roan School for Boys in Greenwich before matriculating at Downing College in 1932. He studied Natural Sciences towards a medical qualification for three years, rowing for the College in the 3rd Boat in his first term and in the 2nd May Boat in his final term in Easter 1935. After leaving Cambridge, he completed his clinical training at Middlesex Hospital, qualifying MRCS LRCP in 1938 and MB B.Chir in 1940. He was married at Greenwich in 1939 to Josephine Ethel Cumberledge, and they lived at 71 Shelford Road, Trumpington. He spent a short period in general practice in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, before enlisting in the armed forces.
Charles was commissioned as a Flying Officer in the Medical Branch of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on 21 March 1941 and was promoted to Flight Lieutenant on 21 March 1942. He was appointed as the Medical Officer to No. 62 British Commonwealth Air Training School, a flying instructor training school based at Tempe near Bloemfontein in South Africa. On 11 December 1943, Charles Wiessner took off with Lieutenant Patrick Ellis SAAF in Harvard Mk IIA 7085. The aircraft crashed near Bloemfontein following the loss of a wing while undertaking a loop during aerobatics, killing both men.
Flight Lieutenant Weisser was killed on active service on 11 December 1943, aged 30. He is buried at Bloemfontein (Hamilton) War Cemetery in South Africa and is also commemorated on the war memorials at Trumpington, John Roan School and Lewisham United Reform Church.
Image
Downing College 2nd May Boat, 1935 (DCPH/2/3/2/15). Charles Weissner rowed at 5 in the boat, although unfortunately we don’t know where he is in this photograph.
