RAF Hemswell Association Forum... "Where are they now...?"  and other topics

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Regretfully due to the forum being 'Hacked' it willbe Offline for a while

Jeffery has received a considerable amount of correspondence asking if the Association is able to post messages seeking information on lost friends and collegues. In reponse to that we have installed a Forum on to the website. Anyone can view the items within the Forum but to post replies or create new topics it is neccessary to complete the simple registration process and then simply "Log In" each time you wish to use the Forum.

Topics can be as varied as you wish and are not restricted to "Where are they now".
To return to the main site from the Forum click the Association logo that you will find at the top of the forum pages.
[As per the one below]
SOME OF THE MESSAGES SENT TO JEFFERY
ARE REPRINTED BELOW
John Bateman has been researching the RAF history of his 61 Squadron uncle, P/O Cyril McCulloch Bateman RAFVR 65498 (promoted from Sgt 968336 7/4/41), who was KIA 26/27th June 1941 in one of the early ill-fated Manchesters (L7304 QR). The aircraft was lost on a raid on Kiel and all the crew are buried in Kiel War Cemetery, they were: F/O Webb, P/O Glover, Sgt Woodruff, Sgt Woodward, P/O Bateman, Sgt Haslemere. John would be delighted to hear from anyone who knew his uncle and also, he has copies of 61 Squadron’s ORB from 31-8-40 to 30-9-40 along with the pages on the day they went missing (26/27-6-41) and would be willing to supply copies if any ex-61 Sqdn member is interested. The contact address is John Bateman, 7 Rue Bletterie, 17000 La Rochelle, France or e-mail to john.bateman@wanadoo.fr

Thomas Hurn is interested in Bill Boyd who flew as a Flight Engineer in Roy Roffe’s 150 Squadron crew, the crew finished their tour with the trip to Berchtesgaden, followed by a couple of ‘Manna’ trips. Bill was a close friend of Thomas’s uncle and a good friend of the whole family and Thomas has his log books etc. and is interested in learning more about Bill’s time at Hemswell in 1944/45. Anyone with information should contact Thomas Hurn at Lower Farm, Tattersett, Kings Lynn PE31 8RT. (Ed: The name of Bill Boyd is familiar as it appears within the Venables item on page 19 of the summer 2002 Journal, in fact he was best man at the wedding of Elizabeth and Bill Venables. Elizabeth and her two sons, Alan and Brian are all current members of the Association, as is another member of the same crew, Frank Clitheroe).
Kevin Bending sent the following e-mail: “Earlier this year I discovered the Commonwealth War Grave of S/Ldr Charles John French Kydd DSO DFC, he is buried in the churchyard of a local church. I have an interest in Bomber Command and decided to research S/Ldr Kydd and also to restore his somewhat neglected grave. I have discovered that he died on 23rd June 1941 of injuries received when his aircraft crashed during a training flight on 21st June; at the time he had been serving with 207 Sqdn at RAF Waddington since November 1940. I have now established that prior to that he completed 33 Operations with 61 Squadron at Hemswell from the beginning of the war until October 1940, was awarded the DSO and DFC and rose from F/O to acting rank of S/Ldr during that time. I have not been able to establish the deeds that earned him the awards but this will be the subject of future research. With this in mind, I wonder if your Association or any of its members has any information or recollections about S/Ldr Kydd that could assist me in broadening my knowledge. At some time in the future I hope to submit my findings to my local newspaper in order for his memory to live on.” Replies to Kevin at: camel64uk@aol.com or by letter to the editor please. (Ed: The following items appear in Hemswell Station Records: - 10-6-40 F/O C J F Kydd granted the acting rank of F/Lt while filling a ‘F/Lt Flying’ vacancy in 61 Sqdn; 4-7-40 Acting F/Lt C J F Kydd granted the acting rank of S/Ldr while filling a ‘S/Ldr Flying’ vacancy in 61 Sqdn; 30th August 1940: - Awards – His Majesty The King, on the recommendation of the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief has approved the immediate award of the Distinguished Service Order to 37505 F/O (Acting S/Ldr) Charles John French Kydd. There is no record of his award of the DFC and it is possible that he won this prior to being posted to Hemswell)
John Kane is researching his brother Patrick’s life and wonders if any member remembers him as an Air Gunner with 170 Squadron. Patrick Kane was lost with all the crew on the night of 7-8th March 1945 on a raid on Dessau, the crew were: F/O Fuller, Sgt Austen, Sgt Hart, F/Sgt Moore, F/Sgt Johnson, Sgt Dixon, Sgt Kane. Their Lancaster ME418 TC-V was one of two 170 aircraft lost that night with fourteen young lives and by coincidence, the second Pilot/FE of the other 170 Lancaster, ME388 TC-H, was also named Fuller, although there is no evidence of a relationship with the skipper of TC-V. Anyone with recollections of Patrick should contact John Kane at 2 Beecholme, Post Street, Godmanchester, Huntingdon PE29 2QU, tel: 01480 353748.

Martin J Patton is looking for anyone with knowledge of the loss on the night of 21/22nd August 1940 of 144 Sqdn Hampden P4360 or who knew any of the crew. The crew were: P/O Angus Robson DFC, P/O David Leslie Wingate, Sgt Hunter Chambers and Sgt Arthur Alexander Wilmot.


Sgt Hunter Chambers, the Wop/AG, shown here in an early photo, was Martin’s uncle. He was a Belfast man who joined the RAF before the war. Chorley’s ‘Bomber Command Losses for 1939/40’ states they were lost without trace on an operation to Mitteland Kanal and are all commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Moyle’s ‘Hampden File’ adds: - missing, barge lift on Mitteland Kanal and gives the duty as bombing Rothensee. Elsewhere in the book the following interesting comment is added: -

“Losses in summer and autumn of 1940 include some of the most experienced Hampden crews and attacks were made against such targets as concentrations of barges intended for the invasion of England e.g. P1183 Le Havre, P4371 Calais, P2121 Antwerp, L4097 Ostend, X2922 Boulogne and P4360 Mitteland Canal”.

It is not often appreciated that these attacks on invasion barges were all part of the Battle of Britain and contributed to Hitler’s decision to cancel the invasion. Martin, who would be grateful for any scrap of information, can be contacted via e-mail: <j.patton@virgin.net> or by letter to 35 Ward Avenue, Bangor, Co Down, N.I. BT20 5HP.
Keith Robinson saw the Hemswell article in ‘Aeroplane’; he is researching into the history of S/Ldr Leslie Scott Lawrence DFC of 61 Squadron, who was shot down in Hampden P4336 on the night of 9/10th June 1940. The operation was “bombing Ruhr railways” and they were shot down by flak near Krefeld-Verdingen on the west bank of the Rhine. S/L L S Lawrence; F/O J R Guthrie; Sgt J Fraser; Sgt H Davies are buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Keith already knows a great deal about Leslie “Bill” Lawrence, such as he had a bulldog named Pluto who became 61 Sqdn’s mascot; he was a keen rugby player and played inside three-quarter for Twickenham RFC and lived at 33 Sion Court, Twickenham before joining the RAF in 1935. The purpose of Keith’s letter is to ask if any of our members knew him either as fellow aircrew or as his groundcrew. Keith says: “I have a collection of memorabilia relating to Bill Lawrence including the posthumous DFC he never saw, a photograph of his grave, the telegram received by his poor parents informing them of his death together with letters of condolence. All heartbreaking stuff really and it brings home to me what it must have been like for those back home as well as the combatants; on 10th of June each year I always have a glass of whisky and make a toast to his memory. I have tried in vain to put a face to the history and would very much like a photograph of him either individually or as part of a squadron or crew picture and will willingly pay any developing costs incurred.” Info should be sent to Keith Robinson at 1 Benbeck Grove, Tipton, West Midlands DY1 1NP or <keith@robbie44.freeserve.co.uk>
Richard Price asks if anyone remembers his father Flt/Lt (later S/Ldr) G R Price who flew from Hemswell with 109 & 199 Squadrons in the 1950’s, he continues: “I believe he was Station Adjutant at one time and G/Capt Johnny Searby was Station Commander. We lived at 12 OMQ in what is now called Lancaster Green and I attended RAF Hemswell school until I was eight and remember a couple of families – the Bells, the Nunns and the Blundells; my elder brother John and sister Ann would remember more. We left in 1957/58 when my father was posted to Waddington with 83 Squadron where he died in February 1959.” Any responses can be sent direct to Richard’s e-mail address at kingwilliam@crewekerne.freeserve.co.uk or to his postal address at The King William Inn, Barn Street, Crewekerne, Somerset TA18 8BP.
Lionel Gospel is looking for info concerning his father, 0533462 Sgt F R Darby at Hemswell in 1940; he was a regular and was still in the RAF when he died in his early fifties in the 1970’s. Lionel’s father may have attained the rank of Sgt later; his service records from RAF Innsworth have been applied for, but were not available before this item went to press. If anyone can offer information or useful clues, please contact Lionel at: - `Trenance’, Bolingey, Peranporth, Cornwall TR6 0AS. Tel: 01872 572876.

Mrs Pauline Brumpton (see new members) is trying to trace Flt Sgt (Mech) Leslie Dobson and family (two sons and a daughter), who were on the station around 1949-53. Leslie was eventually made up to W/O and had an interest in small-bore shooting. The family attended Pauline’s wedding, but later lost touch. Any information would be appreciated and should be sent direct to Pauline at 39 Ings Road, Kirton-in-Lindsey, Gainsborough, Lincs DN21 4BX.

Mike Alexandra is trying to trace the history of his brother, Flt/Lt George Peter Alexandra (known as Peter), pilot of 170 Sqdn Lancaster NN739 TC-Q, one of thirteen Lancasters lost by Bomber Command on the night of 3rd/4th February 1945. Chorley’s “Bomber Command Losses of WW2” gives the following info: - “T/o 1633 Hemswell to bomb the Prosper benzol plant at Bottrop. It is known that all crewmembers were taken to the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, but their graves could not be identified when the permanent grave markers were placed. Names of the crew are listed as F/L G P Alexandra, Sgt C A Matthews, F/O B J Q’Regan, F/O N P W Pedersen, Sgt P H Malkin, Sgt A McSkimming, Sgt R F Niles. F/O Pedersen was of Danish extraction.” Mike has successfully researched Peter’s earlier RAF career particularly his period of training in 1942 at Falcon Field in Arizona, but has nothing about his time with 170 Squadron and would welcome any information members may have. Mike adds that he knows that the aircraft crashed on Gelsenkirchen railway station and he has visited the grave at Reichswald Forest, but he would like if possible to contact someone in Gelsenkirchen who may recall some details of the crash – any ideas anyone? Contact with Mike can be made by e-mail to: malex@onetel.net.uk or by post to: 1 Oak Crest, Bawtry Road, Doncaster DN4 7PJ.

Mrs Irene Vaughan is looking for anyone who knew her uncle F/Sgt William Horler of 150 Sqdn who was lost with all the crew of Lancaster NN743 over Essen on 12/13th December 1944. Chorley’s `Bomber Command Losses for 1944’ records that the aircraft was hit by flak and burst into flames, crashing in the target area with its bomb load intact. The crew are listed as F/L Devereau, Sgt Ward, Sgt Cross, F/S Noble, F/S Horler, Sgt Mills, Sgt Macnamara. F/S Horler has no known grave and his name is recorded at Runnymede, but his six comrades are buried in the Reichwald Forest War Cemetery. These were the first casualties sustained by 150 Sqdn since rejoining the ranks of Bomber Command in November 1944, following nearly two years in Algeria and Italy. `Bomber Command War Diaries’ account of the raid states: - “12/13th December 1944 ESSEN. 540 aircraft – 349 Lancasters, 163 Halifaxes, 28 Mosquitoes of 1, 4 & 8 Groups; 6 Lancasters lost. This was the last heavy night raid by Bomber Command on Essen (though two day raids were still to come in 1945) During the post-war interrogations of Albert Speer, Hitler’s Armaments Minister, he was asked which forms of attack were most effective in weakening the German war effort. After referring to the effectiveness of daylight raids and some of the `Oboe’ Mosquito attacks, Speer paid a compliment to the accuracy of this raid on Essen: “The last night attack on the Krupps Works, which was carried out by a large number of 4-engined bombers, caused surprise on account of the accuracy of the bomb pattern. We assumed that this attack was the first large-scale operation based on `Oboe’ or some other new navigational system.” A report from Essen shows that, besides the industrial damage caused on this raid, 696 houses were destroyed and 1,370 seriously damaged, and 463 people were killed.” Irene, who lives in Norfolk, is now an associate member of our Association and would appreciate hearing from anyone who knew, or knew of, her uncle; any info should be sent via Jeff Goodwin.

Lieuwe Hofstra sent an e-mail informing us of a new Dutch internet site about Vredenhof Cemetery on the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog, where soldiers, seamen and aircrew from both world wars are buried. Lieuwe says “… The site location is http://www.nationaalpark.nl/schiermonnikoog/vredenhof.html and on viewing it, a list of all military graves can be found including several from Hemswell, such as Grave 16 Alan Wilson aged 18 of 144 Squadron, one of the fifteen Hampden crewmembers who died on 29th September 1939. Waclaw S Michalik and Kaziemierz Kapa in grave nos. 77 & 78, both 301P Squadron, lost on 22/23 June 1942 in Wellington Z1345 GR-D. Also in grave no.79 is "Unknown Sergeant - Polish Airman" and he could be another member of the same crew.
  
James Goold, known as Jim or Jimmy survived the war and his sister Mrs Eileen Paton wrote to Paul Vale’s ‘Can you help’ column in the Express-on–Sunday and said: - “Jimmy was a W/Op on Lancasters at Hemswell and I believe he completed two tours of Ops, he sadly died about 10 years ago and some of his crew travelled to his funeral. I didn’t have the presence of mind to ask for their addresses at the time; I would have liked to have got in touch with them. I visited RAF Hemswell when I was only 14 years old and went to the local dance hall with Jimmy and his crew.”
If anyone recognises Jimmy, Eileen from Stanmore would like to hear from you through the editor of Ermine Link.
Rod Richards has given me a list of names from Station Workshops and wonders whether any of them are known to current members of the Association; they are: - SAC Derek Stacey, Ground Equipment Fitter from Swindon – he and I went to many speedway and grasstrack meetings on his 350cc Ariel motorcycle. J/Tech Dennis Poynton from London I think, a ‘Chippie’ and the owner of a lumping great shaft-driven Sunbeam motorcycle weighing over 5cwt with seats like comfy armchairs. SAC Ray ‘Geordie’ Fawcett, Painter and Doper and a good sign-writer. Ray decorated the living room of our rented Chalet Bungalow when Ann and I married on the 13th of February 1960 and went to live off camp at North Carlton. Cpl John Derrick, a Winchester lad and a real smart ‘Chippie’ who replaced Dennis. He rode a BSA Goldflash motorcycle and married his girlfriend Lizbeth on the same day as we married in 1960. SAC Ron Scott from Glasgow I think, an exceptional Lathe Turner who had done his apprenticeship with John Brown’s Shipbuilders on the Clyde. Lastly SAC Mick Stevenson, Coppersmith/Sheetmetal worker and another motorcycle owner, this time a BSA Blackflash; he used to enter the inter-services hobbies & crafts competitions and with some success too. Info on any of the above-named should be sent via the editor of Ermine Link.
Magnus Lowenstein from Sweden is seeking information and contact with members who have connections with the Handley Page Hampden, both pre-war and WW2 service. Magnus is writing a book (Hampden Fate in Sweden WW2) about three Hampden aircraft that crashed in Sweden. Only one of the three was lost from Hemswell and that was P2090 QR-R of 61 Sqdn that took-off from Hemswell on the night of 26th/27th September 1940 to attack the “Scharnhorst” in Kiel Harbour. The aircraft was reported as hit by flak and subsequently destroyed in a fatal crash-landing near Oresund, Sweden. Hemswell records the crew as Pilot – P/O R P Earl, 2nd Pilot – 42708 P/O W D Hermon, Wop/AG – 744969 Sgt D Sinclair, Wop/AG – 642147 Sgt J C Williams. P/O Earl, an Australian, is buried at Kviberg and the other three rest in Halsingborg (Palsjo) Municipal Cemetery. The other two aircraft, AE436 PL-J of 144 Sqdn (after its transfer to Coastal Command) and P5304 UB-H from 455 Sqdn, were both lost on 5th September 1942 in transit to Russia. These two squadrons were sent to Vaenga near Murmansk following the disastrous fate of Convoy PQ17, which lost 22 of its 33 merchant ships with their cargoes of war equipment bound for Russia. Out of the total of 32 Hampdens flown out by the two squadrons on the 5th of September 1942, only 23 arrived safely. (Ed: all responses to this should be sent direct to: Magnus Lowenstein (Hampden fate in Sweden WW2), Hallonstigen 10, S-86033 Bergeforsen, Sweden or e-mail to: magnus@leocut.se
Margaret Rogers (ex-WAAF Margaret Holstead) from Leeds was a Teleprinter Operator in the Signals Section at Hemswell from 1945-47 (see entry in new members section under daughter Christine Smith’s name). Margaret would like to hear from anyone who remembers her and in particular Connie Burns, who was with her at that time and who eventually went home to Edinburgh.
Malcolm Keith McIntosh was the bomb-aimer in F/O O’Callaghan’s 170 Sqdn crew and extracts from his logbook begin with Duisberg 21-2-45 and continue through the raid on Kiel 9/10th April when the pocket battleship ‘Admiral Scheer’ was hit and capsized, and both the ‘Admiral Hipper’ and the ‘Emden’ were badly damaged; to Bremen 22-4-45 plus five ‘Manna’ trips. Malcolm or Mac as he was known, survived the war, lived and raised a family in New Zealand and died in 1968. The following e-mail was recently received from Mrs Faye Portman: “Can you help us find out about our Dad? We, his daughters, have just seen a documentary on TV of a bombing raid over Germany and believe we saw footage of our Dad in a Briefing Room. We think the film was taken by H I Cozens and clips of this film were used in the footage of ‘The Air War over Germany’ an episode of ‘War of the Century’; is there any way we can see more footage of Cozens’ film as we really think it’s Dad! Any help would be appreciated.” To cut a long story short, Faye was advised how to get a copy of the film in New Zealand and after viewing it, she sent this e-mail: “I just wanted to let you know that we have received our copy of ‘Night Bombers’. What an amazing video and a wonderful insight to our generation who could not even begin to imagine what you all went through at Hemswell. We have wonderful footage of our father in the Briefing Room. The camera pans over his Captain, then another crewmember, then focuses on him very clearly for quite a few seconds, he is using a ruler to draw a line on what looks like a map. We cannot believe our good fortune to have found this wonderful family record; our children can now visualize a grandfather they were never lucky enough to know. Is there any way we can find the names of his crewmembers, or would those records be lost now? (Ed: The answer to the question is no, they are not lost, they are in Squadron Records held at the Public Records Office at Kew under ref: AIR 27. Unfortunately, however much I want to assist, it’s impossible for me to undertake detailed squadron searches in addition to my more general research covering the 30-year history of Hemswell. Perhaps one of our 170 Sqdn members can supply Faye and her family with some personal details of her father’s time at Hemswell; Faye’s e-mail address is: <port@xtra.co.nz> and her home address is: Mrs Faye Portman, PO Box 6, Carteret, New Zealand.)
Klifton Snow from Athlone Co Westmeath has been researching details of RAF men buried in his local Cemetery and is enquiring about Sgt W M Hewitt who died with the rest of the crew of 61 Sqdn Hampden X2979 on the night of 16/17-10-40, target Merseburg. By coincidence, the loss of this aircraft is recorded in the F540 extracts included in this edition of the ‘Ermine Link’. Klifton sent in a photo of the gravestone from which I see that Sgt Hewitt was known as Billy and was 20 when he died; also named on the gravestone is Billy’s sister Joy, a nurse who ‘died at duty 25.12.42’. If any member has any memories or in particular a photograph of Billy, please make contact direct by e-mail to: Klifton.Snow@heatmerchants.ie
Mrs José Ridley sent in this photo (too long to scan in one piece) of 170 Sqdn at Hemswell in June 1945. Her husband Alexander Stuart Ridley who died in 1990, is in the back row third from the left in the top half of the picture; he was an Observer. José and Stuart met in the late ‘40s in Nigeria, where they lived for the next 21 years and she knows little of his RAF life. José says: “I should like to have known more.”
 
The end!

Regards, Jeff