Hmm… curly one! Ross McNeil’s PoW lists has a

Hewitt S W B 1168511 RAF

at ‘357’, or Stalag ‘Kopernikus’ at Torun, Poland, but no other information. I see you have been following this one up for a while; is this the source of the service number you quote, or have you confirmed this independently?

ETA:- It seems that in mid-44, the PoW’s from Stalag XXA, or 357 Kopernikus, were moved from Torun to Stalag XIB at Fallingbostel/OERBKE

According to the lists in AIR 78/75, this service number belongs to Stanley William Bert Hewitt

If you can get to TNA, his liberation questionnaire should fill in the gaps:- it will be somewhere in WO 344/142/2.

HTH,

Jeff

While visiting Bletchley Park I have clearly overheard visitors telling each other that the panels explaining the first capture of Enigma machines are incorrect, because BP displays say it was RN personnel who captured it first, but the visitors ‘know‘ it was first captured by USN because they ‘remember seeing it “on TV” somewhere…‘

Ah, U-571 (link). I remember a mate and I going to visit another mate who was living and working on his own in a small town in the depths of winter, years ago. We went out and had a meal and a couple of beers and then, given the lack of other entertainment options, went and watched that film in a multiplex cinema about the size of a postage stamp. I think we were the only ones there, which was just as well – a genuinely laugh-out-loud awful film. Hilariously bad. If you think the description sounds bad – it’s even worse. :highly_amused:

…moving on, using Ross McNeil’s PoW lists on RAF Commands gives us
L3 6303 Lyng J J J/25542 RCAF
L3 5976 Anderson L L 431 MZ529 J/18158 RCAF 27/04/44

L3 is the camp number – in this case, Stalag Luft 3 at Sagan and Belaria. The first number is their PoW number. And you have both their service numbers in case they come in useful (J/xxxxx). Released PoWs were asked to complete a form on liberation, and I think these two should have reports somewhere in WO 344/192/2 and WO 344/7/1 at the National Archives.

For the Evaders, there is an index of MI9 records from their debrief when they returned to the UK here http://www.conscript-heroes.com/MI9-01.html

3323 2509 (-) F/O Wesley R Knowlton RCAF 431 Sqn Halifax MZ529 FTR Montzen Apr 44 – sheltered in Belgum until liberated Sept 44
3326 2976 (-) P/O Donald Harrison RCAF 431 Sqn Halifax MZ529 FTR Montzen Apr 44 – Mission Marathon

The first number can be looked up at the National Archives in the series WO 208. In this case, references WO 208/3323 and WO 208/3326 respectively. You are looking for reports 2509 and 2976 in those files. The reports are a form that summarises the events leading up to the loss and their subsequent escape. These often end with ‘from this point I was helped on my journey’. There is also a second, ‘secret’ part that goes into detail about exactly what that help is. This may be found in WO 208/5583, using the same report numbers.

Hope this has turned up something new for you.

Jeff

They should be glad they don’t live in rural NZ, because when the Vollys turn out, *everyone* knows about it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDssA_C4B58&t=1m37s

(seriously, turn the volume on your speakers down or you’ll terrify the cat)

A terrifying, haunting sound in the middle of the night when you’re a wee fella!

ETA: apologies for thread drift, but these people are all over the world and have been for years. “Really, sir? You bought the farm downwind of the piggery, and now you want to complain about the smell?”

Hi SNAFU,

According to Mr. Google:-

214 Middle East Flight
Wellington IC T2873
Op. Delivery Flight

Source given: Gunby/Temple, RAF Bomber Losses in the Middle East and Mediterranian

HTH,

Jeff

Regarding BA676 – burning smell in the cockpit, apparently.

http://www.thebasource.com/british-airways-b767-300er-g-bnwx-ba676-heathrow-technical-return/

Also reported in the Daily Heil…

Hi there,

I don’t know if this helps, but it appears that your man was from Wilson County, Texas, and enlisted on 07 Aug 40. More info here.

Hi Matt – no worries, time was marching on and the light was fading. Hopefully the other matters were a success and we’ll hear more about them in due course. It was really good to finally meet some people and put faces to names – all we need to do now (all?!?!?) is turn it into an aircraft! Regarding P7056 it is a best guess – I’m sure Bob’s log book would have cleared it all up immediately, but that almost certainly went the way of all the others in the 1960s. I don’t suppose George Wood still has his log book?

Regarding the propellers, I was going by Niall’s book, which mentions proposed use of Rotol props with a wider pitch range – if they could make them fit the Peregrine’s output shaft. The part of me raised on #8 wire and ‘she’ll be right’ wonders if they could have machined a collar or sleeve to make up the difference!