Gladiator serial

What does the DFC citation say? He was gazetted for it (as an Acting F/Lt) on 23 July 1940 and it is a General Citation

Shepley

There’s a pub in Totley, Sheffield, called “The Shepley Spitfire” – near to the village where the Shepley’s still live I think.

I believe the family raised the nominal sum required for a presentation Spit in memory of the three named in the message above

Hi,

I have had a closer look at the 247 Sqn Glad HP-B. The serial is N2308 not N2306, typo error on the caption. So I think it rules that out for a 16 Sqn machine.

Alex

Hi Alex, Have you tryed to contacting the Family ? I know the Shepleys have a lot of information. If you want to P.M me, I could give you their E-mail address if it helps, but I will check with them first.

Cheers
Rob…
www.152hyderabad.co.uk

Hi Geoff,

From what I have read 16 Sqn had at least one Gladiator on strength. This was N2306 UG-R (Flying Units of the RAF, Alan Lake). In the old RAF Serials N1000-N9999 it does not have a fate for N2306. It was simply with 605/615 squadrons.

Tom Spencer’s Gladiator Warpaint also mentions that 16 Sqn had a Gladiator on strength, possible an ex-615 Squadron machine that was evacuated from France. In the book there are two photos of N2306 one without codes and the other showing it wearing the markings of 247 Sqn. The caption of the uncoded photo states:

‘Gladiator MkII N2306 was a survivor. Having served in France with 615 Sqn it was evacuated and joined 16 Sqn as shown here, later coded UG-R. Later still served with 239 Sqn before being used as a personal hack’

The photo showing it in 247 Sqn markings states;

‘The only Gladiator squadron with RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain was 247 Sqn to which N2306:HP-B belonged in August 1940.’ The only part of the code you can really make out is the letter ‘B’.

Francis Masons book states that N2306 was flown back to Lympne by Fly Off Aitken of 16 Sqn, this unit taking possession of the Gladiator on reserve strength with the codes UG-R. Mason also states that another Gladiator was taken over by 16 Sqn and was coded UG-D. The aircraft was possibly N2304. He then goes on to say that these two aircraft went on to 239 Sqn in September 1940. N2306 remained uncoded and N2304 decame HB-G.

I wonder if the photo of N2306:HP-B is actually N2306:HB-B of 239 Sqn.

Does this get confusing or what?

Okay this still does not answer my original question. Does anyone have the newer version of the RAF serials L1000-N9999 and could look these two aircraft up for me?

Does anyone have better photos of N2304 and N2306?

The Hectors that dropped supplies at Calais were from 613 Sqn. I have a number photos of 613 Hectors and Lysanders for an article I’m working on.

Alex

I’ve looked through Norman Franks’ ‘Air Battle Dunkirk’ but Shepley is not listed in the index, nor is there any mention of him in the main text for the 31st May, nor are either he or 16 Sqn in the losses listed for the 31st.

I’ve just looked in an article in the latest issue of ‘Battle of Britain Remembered’ from the Battle of Britain Historical Society listing other family members of The Few who lost their lives during the war.

Listed there is RAFO FL/Lt George Rex Shepley DFC who on the 31/05/40 was ‘killed whilst serving with No 16 squadron trying to re-supply troops at Calais.’ He was 28 years old and the brother of Douglas Clayton Shepley who was killed during the Battle of Britain, whilst serving with 152 sqn, on the 12/8/40, and of Jeanne Shepley an ATS volunteer nurse who died, aged 25, in the sinking of the SS Yorkshire which was sunk by U-37 on the 18/10/39. Both Douglas and Jeanne have no known grave.

At the time (May 1940) 16 sqn had Lysanders. Could the Gladiator have been borrowed? or was he flying a Hector? I believe these were used to drop supplies to Calais.

Geoff.