Does anyone recognise this photo? Need help identifying, please

Inspirational

Yes a sad end to the trail all too often repeated as the years pass. But can i say well done to everyone involved .Truely you are all be congratulated on your dedication in an era of self interest .

Well done Jo.

A sad end to the search.

Moggy

Seems that I have some more news! I tried the phone number given above a few times at random intervals over 10 days or so but got no reply, so I resorted to good old fashioned snail mail.

I got back home from holiday this weekend and found an email from Colin Bailey, the son of SqnLdr Bailey.

Here’s what he says about his Dad (I’ve edited out the more personal details):

“Dad (who is the short chap standing in the middle of the group, and who retired as a Wing Commander) survived the War and remained in the RAF until 1954, serving in Air Traffic Control. He was an active local councillor and the family lived for nearly sixty years in Barton Mills.

Dad lies at Enborne near Newbury, which is where he died in a nursing home, sadly suffering from Alzheimers.

Dad was for many post-war years the owner of a cafe and petrol filling station called the Suffolk Punch at Red Lodge near Newmarket. He had worked up through the ranks of the pre-war RAF, starting at the lowest level and eventually serving extensively in the Middle East as an armourer. He first met Mum in Cairo.

Dad’s flying and bombing exploits are all on record. As well as winning the DFC and the AFC, he was twice mentioned in Dispatches for his courage when bombing over Germany. He is thought to have achieved, as a Lancaster pilot, the deepest daylight penetration of Germany made by any RAF plane in the war.”

Colin included his address so I will be returning the picture to him. I asked if he knew the others in the crew, to which he replied,

“Checking the back of my own photo, I’m afraid that I found no names of the crew-members, although Dad’s short note says “Graveley, 1944″ (Huntingdonshire), which was the station from which Dad flew on his Pathfinder missions. I understand there to have been Australians in the crew.”

So there we are; mission accomplished! Thank you to everyone who helped along the way. Isn’t the Internet great?

That is good news. I’m pleased a result has been forthcoming.

Well done futureshox – you found your crew! This is the first time I saw this after the good news so sorry if it’s a bit late 🙂

In Strine perhaps; but hopefully “fora ” in the English Dictionary.

The Molesworth avtar was chosen for a couple of reasons. One of them was spellink.

and often forii

In Strine perhaps; but hopefully “fora ” in the English Dictionary.
Hi James! 🙂
Still a wonderful story.

Stunning result.

There are many who degenerate the web, and often forii such as this (sometimes with just cause) but then something comes along like this which make it worthwhile. Something that almost certainly wouldn’t have happened without the web.

Terrific. Well done all those that helped.

This is a really wonderful thread.
Many thanks to all contributors.
Andy

Just to let you know, I’ve tried calling SqnLdr Bailey at the number provided both last night and this morning, but there is no reply and no answerphone. I will keep trying.

futurshox

Happy to be of assistance. You are to be commended for recognising the value of the photo and for going to so much trouble to put things right. Allan Vial accepts your gracious offer of a print. I’ll send you a PM with the details.

As the phone book entry includes his DFC I’d guess it might be 😉

Moggy

Gosh, you guys are quicker than me. I looked on BT’s phone book and didn’t see him. Thanks for the PM, Ashley. I’ll phone him after work as soon as I can, I’m so keen to know if it’s the same chap!

Yup, he’s in the phone book. I hope he’s still with us.

Moggy

Yes he does, Jo, I will PM you details.

Wow, how very excellent! Ron, thank you so much for showing it to Mr Vial and thank him also for providing all that information.

I would be very happy to provide a high-resolution scan or a print of the picture for relatives who wanted a copy.

Now, I wonder if Squadron Leader L. S. M. Bailey lives/lived in Bury St Edmunds? Let me see…

Fantastic, well done.

Great news, just goes to show how well this forum works, and the wealth of information we all have. Well done.

Result!

I showed the photo to Allan Vial, DFC, OAM, OPR [Pol] President of the Path Finder Force Assn in Australia and he has asked me to post the following on his behalf:

I knew the crew well, specially the Wop.

The Aircraft is a Lanc IIIc from 35 Sqn PFF. operating out of RAF Base Graveley. Photo taken about late June 1944.

The RAAF guy, FLTLT Alan Marriott DFC,(Aus # 403675) now long deceased, was a very close friend of mine (war and post war), from Kempsey in Northern NSW. I am still in regular contact with his widow, who was a member of the WAAF., and his family. I will send them a copy of what is on the search ‘screen’. Alan and Peg were married in England whilst he was still on Ops. Alan trained as a WopAG in Aust and Canada and had two years as a WopAG, flying in Coastal Command, before coming to 35 Squadron PFF as a Wop in May 1944 This was after the crew completed 10 days of specialised training at Pathfinder Navigation Training Unit at RAF Warboys. (PFNTU). All were awarded the Permanent Award of the Pathfinder Badge after they left 35 Squadron PFF. They were a Master Bomber crew.

The skipper was a FLTLT at this time, but ended up as a SQNLDR on 35. SQNLDR L S M Bailey DFC* AFC MID, The crew did 42 Operations when on 35 Sqn. Their time on Coastal Command was rated in hours and I do not have that.

I can place all of the crew. in the photo. However, I would need to go back into my 35 Sqn operational records to get their names correctly spelt. That takes time.

The writing on the back is by Squadron Leader L. S. M. Bailey DFC* AFC MID.
I have no idea where he lives.
He was never listed on the membership of the 35 Squadron Assn. in the UK.
Alan Marriott has been dead for about 15 years.
I have emailed the details to Alan’s widow.