RAF Promotions

Some of you who looking in on another Aviation website else where on the intraweb, may have seen that I have had some recent success. After 8 years of searching in vane, I have finally made contact with the family of Sqd Ldr Geoff Warnes DFC DSO..

Warnes was not famed for anything other than possibly being the first fighter pilot to wear contact lenses and being one big part of my ongoing (and faltering) research into the men lost in action around the Channel Islands.

263 Sqn lost 3 Sqn Ldr’s around the Channel Islands, Robert Woodward in November 1942, his replacement Geoff Warnes in February 1944, and his replacement (Belgian) Henri Gonay in June 1944.

I am in contact with Woodward’s family, and have made contact with Gonay’s, but for 8 years I have not been able to find anyone related to Warnes, other than a distant cousin. That is until this week.

Warnes was a big Yorkshireman, born in Leeds, who learnt to fly with the Yorkshire flying club under the tutorage of one James “Ginger” Lacey. The day after war was declared Warnes volunteered for the RAF as a pilot. But his initial application to the RAF for pilot training was rejected due to poor eyesight, however a bit like Bader (lets not go there) he persisted, and after a few more tries, a short period on a barrage balloon, a period as a flying instructor and the fitting of contact lenses, he was accepted for a refresher course as a fighter pilot and served with 263 Sqn (on and off) from 1942 through to his loss in February 1944.

I have mentioned his loss before, but as a re-cap. 22 February 1944, Warnes led 2 flights of Typhoons on a Rodeo to the Normandy peninsular, unfortunately this proved fruitless and he opted to take a route home via the Channel Islands to see if there were any seaborne targets of opportunity. 8 miles north west of Guernsey, Warnes engine cut out, as he was transferring fuel tanks. He radioed his companions that he was going to ditch. He was seen to land in the Channel, but appeared to be having problems getting to his dinghy. On seeing this one of his subordinates, P/O Robert Tuff (Australian) called up to say that he was going to bail out to assist their CO. Despite orders to the contrary Tuff turned his aircraft over and dropped out and into the Channel. Neither men were seen again.

Peter Brothers was in 10 Group operations that day, and ordered an air and sea search for the two airman and another 263 Sqn airman Robert Hunter who had stalled and gone in, in his Typhoon. Unfortunately the weather was too rough for the ASR Walrus’s and the navy considered the rescue attempt to be too close to the French coastline to risk their ships. The airmen were therefore lost. In any case their chances of surviving long in the cold Channel waters in February were slim.

In true Air Ministry style, the opinion in the higher echelons was divided, some thought that Tuff should have been awarded a posthumous VC (more likely GC), others thought he should receive a court martial for the destruction of one of his majesties aircraft. Tuff did get a mention in despatches, such is war.

As a result of this result and my initial contact with Warnes family I have a query:-

If an officer was notified of his impending promotion, but was then subsequently lost in action before the promotion was formally confirmed, would there be a record of this anywhere?

According to Warnes family he had been notified that he was to be promoted to Wing Commander, but unfortunately before this was confirmed he was posted missing.

I’ll give an update in due course, if anyone is interested?