Help needed, i am trying to trace any information about John Edward Walker (he is the fifth from the left standing on the left wing of the attached photo) who served with 514Squadron at Waterbeach sometime between 1942 and 1945. His son is curious as to where his father went on missions etc but is now no longer able to ask for himself due to his father passing away some time ago.
Any pointers in the right direction would be helpfull.
(Ive already been on the 514 Squadron website)
By: Toddington Ted - 15th March 2010 at 21:47
No, but its interesting that there appear to be no guns in the front turret. What are the 2 white rings in the perspex nose? Were they part of an IFF system? I seem to remember something about a mechanism to stop bomber steams shooting each other down or am I totally up the creek with this one?
By: kev35 - 29th November 2007 at 11:43
Hi, Rob.
It seems we’re both from the same neck of the woods.
Now, the photograph clearly is dated 1945 which gives you a positive indication that he was with 514 at Waterbeach at the end of the war. I confess I can’t make out any detail of the individuals in the photograph.
Does your friend know what aircrew role he played? The Operational Record Book (ORB) which can be found in the national Archives at Kew is the ideal place to start your search. It should hold details of when he was posted to the Squadron and then all the operations on which he flew. Will also give targets and the names of the rest of the crew.
Alternatively, your friend could apply for his Father’s Service Record. There may or may not be a £30 charge for this, possibly not as he is direct descendant, but these records will list all the detail of his Father’s Service. This will include where and when he joined, training, OTU, HCU etc., all before the eventual posting to the Squadron for operations. Ideally, you could do with his Service Number, but failing that just supply all the detail you can have such as units served with, date of birth and anything else you might consider helpful in pinpointing the right man.
The address to write to in the first instance is:
PMA (Sec) IM16,
Room 5,
Building 248a,
RAF Innsworth,
Gloucester,
GL3 1EZ.
Hope this helps. If you think I can help further, just PM me your phone number and I’ll give you a ring.
Good luck.
Regards,
kev35
Sign In
November 27, 2007 at 9:11 pm