This pilot had an ‘interesting’ career in the RAF !
Easy to get the bare bones of his service by a little googling…
CHARNOCK, Harry Walpole
Number 147902
Rank Flying Officer, Flight Lieutenant
Nationality British
Born Chorley, Lancashire, 20 June 1905Decorations DFM (1942), DFC (1943), Belgian Knight in the Order of Leopold (1947), Belgian Croix de Guerre with Palm (1947)
Notes Commissioned on graduation from RAF College Cranwell, December 1925; cashiered by General Court Martial for low flying, December 1930; re-joined RAFVR as NCO pilot, September 1939; re-commissioned January 1943; relinquished commission, January 1955; died 24 May 1974
But can anybody supply any more details about this pilot ?
By: bazv - 8th January 2014 at 19:33
Thanks for posting Tom – I have sent you 2 x PM’s !
rgds baz
By: bazv - 7th January 2014 at 20:15
Hi Tom – that would be great,it is not for important research you understand,I just stumbled over his brief details whilst searching for something else and his looked like an ‘interesting’ RAF ‘career’,I will pm you my phone number/email address – but I am usually working away during the week so no quick replies.
rgds baz
By: Tom_W - 7th January 2014 at 16:59
Hello Baz,
Harry used to fly Chippies here at Booker and was quite a character from what I’ve heard! He was ‘on rest’ in 1944 at AFDU at Wittering and was pretty busy from what I can tell testing MKXIV Spits etc. I know his Son, Tim, if you like I can put you in touch? I also have scans of his logs after his time in Tunisia when he lost his earlier logs. I believe he was friends with ‘Jas’ Storrar as he used to tell a tale regarding Storrar’s Yak-9.
Cheers, Tom
By: bazv - 4th January 2014 at 07:51
And in a little coincidence/comparison : )
Two junior officers on the same page of ‘Flight’ magazine !
Both Cranwell graduates…
One of them is court martialled for low flying and cashiered – the other writes off his aircraft and is invited to stay in the RAF on a ground job !
At the top of the page is a certain DRS Bader !
Down the page under RAF Intelligence is HW Charnock !
I dont know if the direct link will work – if not it is Flightglobal 1930/1063
Flight magazine Sept 5 1930
and reads
HW Charnock to No1 sqn Tangmere
By: bazv - 4th January 2014 at 05:58
Does anybody have any info on his post war service ??
rgds baz
Edit…
Found this Gazette reference…
The period of service of Flying Officer H. W.
CHARNOCK, D.F.C., D.F.M. (147902), is extended
by three years with effect from 31st Jan. 1952.
By: bazv - 4th January 2014 at 05:57
And also…
Harry Charnock was born on 20th June 1905 in Chorley, Lancashire and joined the RAF in 1923, he received his commission after training at Cranwell in December 1925 and was posted to 32 Squadron. In August 1930 he was posted to 1 Squadron but on 12th December 1930 he was Court Martialled for low flying and appears to have left the RAF. On 5th September 1939 he re-joined the RAF and posted to 64 Squadron in the rank of Sergeant. Following this accident to K9903 he was later posted to 19 Squadron in October 1939 and awarded the DFM on 7th April 1942. The citation reads..
“This airman has displayed great skill and courage in air combat and has destroyed at least 4 enemy aircraft. He has, on occasions, led his flight, and his high standard of morale has set an inspiring example.”In August 1942 he was posted to 72 Squadron and went overseas. After receiving his commission on 12th January 1943 (to P/O on probation (emergency)) he was awarded the DFC on 26th February 1943 but no citation has been located. It is believed that he was injured in action in 1943 and later posted to 222 Squadron in July 1944 but was injured in a car crash before the end of the war. He rose through F/O (12th July 1943) to F/Lt (12th January 1945) and was posted to 41 Squadron before the end of the war. He continued to serve in the RAF Post-War and reliquished his commission on 1st January 1955. He died in May 1974.
By: bazv - 4th January 2014 at 05:56
I did eventually find a little more about this pilot…
Obviously a little older than the average sgt pilot : )
Harry joined the RAF College at Cranwell in January 1924. He was commissioned in December 1925, and joined 32 Squadron on 16th.
On 18th August 1930, he was posted to 1 Squadron at Tangmere. On 12th December he was cashiered by order of General Court Martial for a low-flying offence.
On 5th September 1939, Harry rejoined the RAF and was posted to 64 Squadron at Church Fenton as a Sergeant-pilot.
On 6th December 1940, he crashed Spitfire K9903 during a routine patrol. Although he was unhurt, the aircraft was a write-off.
In October, he was posted to 19 Squadron at Fowlmere.
On 11th November, he claimed a Bf 109 destroyed.
During his time with the squadron, he claimed two further victories; a Bf 109 on 21st July, and another on 7th August 1941.
Harry was awarded the DFM on 7th April 1942.In early August, he was posted to 72 Squadron, which moved to Gibraltar in November, and on 16th it moved on to Algiers where it began patrols the next day. Between 25th November and 18th December, he claimed a FW 190 and four Bf 109s destroyed, and a probable Bf 109 destroyed. His run ended when he was shot down himself on 18th and landed in enemy territory. He bribed an Arab to lead him to the British lines, where he went to a base hospital.
He was commissioned in January 1943 and awarded the DFC on 26th February, returning to the squadron on 17th March.
After a rest Harry returned to Britain and joined 222 Squadron in July 1944. Two days after, he was injured in a car accident and did not return to operations until 1945, when he was posted as Flight Commander to 41 Squadron at Volkel, and was released from the RAF on 24th November, as a Flight Lieutenant.
Harry Charnock passed away on 24th May 1974.
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July 1, 2013 at 10:43 am