A month to month record of events, focusing mainly on Aircraft and Aircrew losses, also including in addition a summery of other events related to the airfields history.
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An advanced party of 75 R.A.F. personal arrived at R.A.F. Wing to occupy the Airfield on the 17th November 1942. Like all airfields Wing at this time also had a satellite airfield that was situated at R.A.F. Cheddington.
Group Captain J.N.D. Anderson arrives to take command of R.A.F. Wing Airfield.
F/O W R H Whitting R.A.F (Killed)
Sgt J H G Garrick R.A.F. (Killed)
Sgt J M Hall R.N.Z.A.F. (Killed)
Sgt R C Williams R.A.F. (Killed)
Sgt A N Young R.N.Z.A.F. (Killed)
Took-off 2345 from RAF Graveley. Shot down circa 0130 by, it is thought, Hptm Werner Streib, I./NJG1 and crashing at Middelberg (Noord Brabant), 16 Km West of Eindhoven, Holland, where all are buried in the Woensel General Cemetery. Both R.N.Z.A.F. crew members had been attached from 27 O.T.U.
F/S E J Ford DFM R.A.F. (Killed)
P/O D C August R.A.F. (Killed)
W/O D W Caswell R.A.F. (POW)
F/S F F Barker DFM R.A.F. (Killed)
F/S J Thompson R.A.F. (Killed)
Took-off 2315hrs from Graveley. Thought to have fallen victim to Lt Niklas, 6/NJG1, crashing in the vicinity of Venlo (Limburg) Holland, where those that died have been interned at Jonkerbos War Cemetery. F/S Ford and F/S Barker gained their DFM's on the 24th of October and 2nd of September 1941 respectively, while serving with 9 Squadron in the case of the former and 103 Squadron for the latter. W/O Caswell was taken into captivity with quite severe burns and wounds caused by cannon shell splinters.
W/O F G Hillyer R.A.F. (POW)
Sgt D H Fletcher R.A.F. (Killed)
P/O A C White R.A.F. (Killed)
Sgt D S B Vincent R.A.F. (Killed)
Sgt H L Smith R.A.F. (Killed)
Took-off at 2305hrs from Graveley. May have fallen victim to the guns of Oblt Patuschka, 4/NJG2, crashing at Alem in the Province of Gelderland, 14 km West-North-West of Oss (Noord Brabant), Holland. Those who died are buried in Uden War Cemetery.
Sgt J J Dixson R.A.F. (Killed)
Sgt Scroggie R.C.A.F. (Inj)
Sgt Green R.A.F. (Inj)
Sgt Broadhurst R.A.F. (Inj)
Sgt B B Camlin R.A.F. (Killed)
Took-off 0019hrs from Graveley. Crashed 0435hrs while making an emergency landing in a field near Soham Flower Mill, some thirteen miles North East of Cambridge, Sgt Dickson and Sgt Camlin where buried in Beck Row St John Churchyard at Mildenhall, while those who were extracted alive, from the overturned bomber were taken to R.A.F. Hospital Ely.
Formed on 15th January 1942 at Wing Buckinghamshire, 26 O.T.U. had enjoyed a remarkable good run of fortune until this particular night. Akin to all the training establishments, 26 O.T.U. had fielded a mixture of screened and all pupil crews, mustering twenty in total. On this night 30th/31st the unit suffer its first losses when four of its Wellington aircraft failed to return, with 15 airmen killed, 3 injured and 2 interned as Prisoners Of War.
Sgt K Edmonds R.A.F. (Killed)
F/S K B Utman R.C.A.F. (Killed)
Sgt B H Edye R.A.A.F. (Killed)
Sgt G Horner R.A.F. (Killed)
F/S R I Derry R.C.A.F. (Killed)
Took-off 2259hrs from Graveley carrying 600 gallons of fuel and armed with a 500lb GP bomb, 6 SBC, each holding 90 x 4lb incendiaries. Crashed circa 0130hrs near Antwerp, where all are now buried in Schoonselhof Cemetery.
Frequently Used Sources used in Support and illustration of Society Remembrance site pages
Organisations :
I.W.M. (Imperial War Museum) C.W.G.C. (Commonwealth War Graves Commission) P.R.O. (Public Records Office) (National Archives) N.A.A. (National Archives of Australia) The Air Forces Memorial Runnymede Panels (WW2Talk) Chilton Aircraft Preservation Society Archives (David King & Alexander D King) Booker Aircraft Museum Archives, (David King & Alexander D King) Aircrew Remembrance Society Archives
Publications, Authors, Records, Reference works, Press & Press Photography :
Bomber Command Losses (W.R. Chorley All Volumes) Fighter Command Losses (Norman L. R. Franks All Volumes) Air-Britain Serials, Individual Aircraft Files & Publications, Ai-Britain, Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939-1945 (Ray Sturtivant, I.S.O. with Mick Burrow) After The Battle Publications The Blitz Then And Now Volumes 1,2 & 3, The Battle Of Britain Then And Now, The Battle Of France Then and Now, (Editor Winston G. Ramsey, Assistant Editor Gordon Ramsey) Bomber Losses Middle East & Mediterranean (David Gunby & Pelham Temple) Coastal Command Losses (Ross McNeill,) The Nuremberg Raid (Martin Middlebrook), The Source Book (Ken Delve) Mighty Eighth war Diary (Roger A. Freeman) The B-17 Flying Fortress Story (Roger A. Freeman) Daily Telegraph (Harry Flower War Correspondent), Kent Messenger, Planet News, Fox Photos,
Aviation Artist & Profile Illustrators:
Robert Taylor, Mark Postlethwaite, Adam Tooby, Robert Tomlin, Simon Atack, Roy Grinnell, Gerald Coulson, Nicolas Trudgian, Keith Aspinall, Iain Wyllie, Ivan Berryman, Darryl Legg
Individual contributors & Historians:
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