Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

Hi Braf – sorry to take so long in answering. If you send me your e-mail address, I may have something of interest to you. That information and more.

[email]snapper35@hotmail.com[/email]

Belgians of 609 Sqn

Hello Snapper,

Thank you for this additional information.
I’m trying to compile a list with all Belgian claims (destroyed, probable and damaged) obtained during WW2. Do you have some information about claims made by the Belgians of “609”

Thank you in advance,

Braf

Thats right, AFC. A typo!

13 Nov 1945. Air Force Cross (Dec AeM No 107 / 28.11.45)
“This officer is a flying instructor, who has served with No 9 and 12 Groups for the past 13 months. He has been at three OTU’s carrying out gunnery training. Squadron Leader Dieu is an exceptional instructor who carries out his duties with great energy and, as a result, training at the OTU’s has been benefitted considerably.”

Also:

11.10.45 Officer of the British Empire (Order of the British Empire?)
05.02.1957 1939-1945 Star
05.02.1957 France and Germany Star
05.02.1957 Atlantic Star
05.02.1957 Defence Medal
28.12.1960 Medaille de la France Liberee

And plenty of Belgian awards (too many for this time of night!)

S/Ldr (01.04.1945) Giovanni Ernest Fernand Dieu was discharged from the RAF 01.10.1946 with a Me109F (27.09.1941) and Fw190 (08.03.1942) as probables (Both in Spitfire VB AB975).

And from F/Sgt Bob Walling’s (A 609 Erk-boss) diary:

“Oct 3rd. One escort job to Ostend. No action. P/O Dieu (Mr God) taxied into Van in ‘U’ and crumpled the tail and fuselage – a/c written off. Reckon all taxying accidents are just plain carelessness.”

Giovani Dieu

Hello Snapper,

Just to mention that Giovani Dieu was awarded a AFC (28 November 1945) and not a DFC.

He was born at Chatelineau (Charleroi), 12 August 1907. Pupil of 49th promotion, he gained his wings on 31 May 1928 with the rank of Corporal.
He joined the 1st Regiment Aéronautique Militaire, was Adjudant at the 3rd Regiment Aéronautique Militaire and Lt at the Flying School when War broke out. He escaped to England when Belgium capitulated and joined the RAFVR (RAF ID N°81633) on 1st July 1940. He took part at the Battle of Britain with 236 Sqn. He was then posted to 609 Sqn. Further career saw him posted to the Belgian Flying School and later on to the the Belgian Section of RAF at Eaton Square, he attained the rank of S/Ldr.
After the War he joined the Belgian Air Force. He died at Woluwe-St-Lambert (Brussels) on 26 October 1978.

Regards,

BRAF

RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

Thanks for that BRAF – I may well say hello to himsoon. I am currently working on something with these pictures, (can’t say what, but watch this space!) but I am also rather obsessed with Six-Cent-Neuf (ever since building a model Typhoon in Pinkie Starks markings and reading ‘Under the White Rose’ by Frank Ziegler). I have basically all the books authored by 609 members (via www.abebooks.com ) and am researching the squadron for fun. It’s kind of good to have a focus for my interest – I went from Typhoons to humans, so I guess it’s more ‘alive’ for me now!

Well, must go to bed now. Night all!

RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

Hi Snapper,

Real good pictures you got there !!!
I Think my BAHA-Friend Cynrik De Decker, can provide you a lot of information about Belgian members of 609 Sqn. You can reach him at this E-mail adress : demaalsteen@pandora.be

p.s. I’d like to thank my friend Allan Hillman for showing me this Discussion Board

regards,

Braf

RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

This may also be of help:

http://ibelgique.ifrance.com/baha2/Webpages/baha_masters.htm

(It’s amazing how you find bits by accident, don’t you think?)

RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

Giovanni Dieu DFC was with 609 Squadron From August 1941 – Aug 1942, having been in 236 sqn in 1940 during the Battle of Britain, and moving to 245 sqn afterwards. He got a 190 in March 1942.

Here’s another site with Gonnay mentioned:

http://users.belgacom.net/prosvdb/angleterre.html

Pic 1: Francois De Spirlet, Giovanni Dieu, Danny Barber, Roger Malengreau, Biggin Hill.

Pic 2: Francois De Spirlet, Frank ‘Ziggy’ Ziegler, Bob Wilmet, Giovanni Dieu, Jean Offenberg, Roger Malengreau
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RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

Hi BRAF

Thanks for the extra info, I had no idea about his escape from France and this has enlightened me.

I’m gradually building a profile of this airman.

Kind regards

Ian Le Sueur

RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

Hello Ian,

Some further information about S/Ldr Henry “Moustique (translated : Mosquito)”Gonay DFC :

– Gonay engaged the Aéronautique Militaire Belge on 30 November 1931. where he he joined the 67nd Promotion.

– After the French Capitulation, Adjudant Gonay together with Phillipart ( 6 Kills during BoB,213 Sqn, KIA 22 August 1940 ), Buchin (1 Kill BoB,213 Sqn,KIA 15 August 1940 ) and Giovany Dieu AFC ( 1 Kill, survived the war) escaped via Bayonne onboard of the “Koningin Emma” (translated : Queen Emma) and arrived in Great Britain on June 23, 1940. He enroled the Belgian Forces in UK and voluntered to the RAFVR on July 1, 1940.

– His high skill as pilot saw his transfert to the Franco-Belgian Flying Training School at Odiham on October 23, 1940, as insructor.

– His Ranks :

Aéronautique Militaire Belge :

Corporal pupil pilot 31 May 1932
Corporal Pilot 24 May 1933
Sergeant Pilot 31 July 1933
1st Sergeant Pilot 21 December 1935
Adjudant Pilot 26 December 1938

RAFVR :

P/O 12 July 1940
F/O 12 July 1941
Acting F/Lt 28 September 1941
F/Lt 12 July 1942
Acting S/Ldr 31 August 1942

– DFC Citation (Posthume 2 July 1944):

Squadron Leader H. Gonay has completed 138 operational sorties and has dislayed outstanding ability, courage and determination which have contributed largely to the successes achieved by his squadron. Squadron Leader Gonay has destroyed one enemy aircraft and damaged further three. He also sunk a 100 ton support vessel.

Hope this match your demand

Braf

RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

Now that I look, the name on the back of the card looks like Witmeur – could this be the chap? Doesn’t tie in with wartime bomber pilots, but there is a pic on this webpage:

http://home.clara.net/clinchy/a3.htm

Have seen your site before BRAF – a VERY good and informative site. My interest is with 609 Squadron, and your write-up of ‘Duke’ De Monceau is very good. In fact, the info I found on Gonay is from your site. A thoroughly excellent resource!

RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

Hello Snapper,

I think that it isn’t Emile Witman but Emile Witmeur you’re talking about.
He wrote a book :
Contact Enlevez les cales – E. Witmeur D/1980/2916/03 1980 318 P.

He was member of the Aéronautique Militaire Belge before War. If I can remember an artical that I read some years ago,he lost his way on a flight due fog during the phoney war and landed near the Rhine in Germany. He was arrested for spionage and his aircraft confiscated. After official excuses from the Belgian Government, he was liberated. During the war he was member of the resistance and helped the Americans to get Bierset Airfield Operational in 1944.

I’ll check for further details over here in Belgium.

You can find some information about Belgian pilots on my site, who were member of 350 (Belgian ) Sqn in WW2. : http://home.pi.be/~braf/Sqn350/

BRAF

RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

Still no joy with Emile Wittman. My contact said that the one person of his acquaintance he thinks MAY know does not have e-mail. But I would not hold out too much hope. I think fighter pilots are a bit easier to track down. Might take a while to get a reply, and I think it will probably be negative. Have you tried the Belgian embassy / MOD / etc? They may help. Good luck.

RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

With the lead you’ve given me !!! “The Dog” Never Mind

I also use ABE and are searching for the book as we speak.

Ian

RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

The dog?

I imagine there should be some info in the book about Emile, but I have given away my spare copy, and I have no time to read it at the moment (I am on “Rendesvous with Fate” by Cheval Lallemand, and read Lonely warrior a couple of months back). Try www.abebooks.com for secondhand books – I get all of mine through that. Bonne Chance.

RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

Hi Snapper

I’ve seen this photo before but never knew where it came from, now I have a lead thanks to you.

The dog will be happy !!!

Ian

RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 21-10-02 AT 08:39 PM (GMT)]I’m afraid I don’t recognise anybody in the pictures. Sorry. That’s 1 success out of 3 so far! Oh boy.

Hang on, isn’t that Blakey out of on the buses on the end? Er, i’ll get my coat…..

RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

I?ve also got a Belgian pilot to ask about. My uncle – Bill ?Tommy? Tucker – worked at Supermarine in Southampton right through the all the Spitfre marks and into the production of the jet fighter prototypes at Hursley Park. He died earlier this year, aged 90, and I have some of his pictures from his time at Supermarine.

One was taken at Chilbolton after the war, when they were working on the Belgian Air Force contract for Mark XIVs. It shows the hand over ceremony to a BAF delegation of a Spitfire he had just signed off for flight. I can remember him telling me that one of the BAF officers spoke English as he had been in the RAF during the war, while the others just spoke French.

In the attached picture, my uncle is centre right wearing the long overcoat. I have managed to identify the BAF officer next to him as F/O Van de Wale, who served with B Flight, 349 (Belgian) Squadron during the war, and is in a Squadron picture featured in Hugh Smallwood?s book ‘2nd TAF Spitfire’ about the history of ML407 (Carolyn Grace?s Tr9).

I have sent the picture to a couple of people in Belgium to see if I could discover anything more about this officer, or whether the others could be identified as well, but have had no response. If anyone can help put names to any of the faces in the picture (English or Belgian), I would be grateful.

The only Spitfire picture I have been able to find of this batch is SG108 (IQ-V), which served with the Fighter School at Koksijde in a silver and yellow scheme, but as the final part of the code is cropped off on the picture it is impossible to identify the Chilbolton aircraft for sure unless someone also has information on this.

YR
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RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

Aha, as if by chance, extreme right is Gonnay on the occasion of receiving the Belgian Croix De Guerre. From the hardback edition of “Lonely Warrior” (the diaries of Jean Offenberg)by Victor Houart.

Thems the breaks eh?
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RE: Belgian Pilots flying with the RAF

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 20-10-02 AT 09:57 PM (GMT)]I have an Emile Jacquemin…..Tiffy pilot.

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