Hi Stormbird

Thanks for what you have typed so far – I appreciate it, especially as you say that you have MS. Note you have left us in “cliff-hanging” mode waiting for more!! 🙂

Look forward to the remainder of the tale, plus hope your mate can manage to scan the photo from the Sun Herald.

cheers

Allan

p.s. I am another poofy 10 finger typist – who has had carpal tunnel problems with both wrists – now rectified (I hope!!) 🙂

p.p.s. surprised Oscar Duck hasn’t picked up on this thread as he owns a Spitfire XIV flown by Tony Gaze

Here is another Bomber crew who have been traced

The crew of an RAF Halifax bomber shot down in 1944 will be buried with full military honours in Berlin on 1 September 2005, sixty-one years after they disappeared.

The remains of the crew were found at Torgau, south of Berlin, two years ago amid the wreckage of their aircraft – Halifax LW430. The aircraft was one of 72 shot down during a 1000-bomber raid on the German capital on 24 March 1944.

Halifax LW 430 took off from RAF Leconfield, North Yorkshire at 1906 hrs. It was to prove the second worst night of losses Bomber Command suffered during the war. Unexpected high winds blew the formation far off course and night fighters, along with heavy ground fire, took their toll. LW430 crashed in flames in a field at Torgau, some two hours drive south of Berlin.

The aircraft and its crew lay undisturbed until September 2003 because excavation of World War II crashed aircraft was effectively prohibited during the Cold War. Then a German team from the “Arbeitsgruppe Vermisstenforschung” (Missing Persons Research Group) discovered the wreckage during a dig on 27 September 2003.

They recovered the remains of at least five of the crew although it has not proved possible to identify them individually. Local people then revealed that two of the airmen had been buried at Annaburgh Churchyard nearby.

The likely site was exhumed in May 2005 but nothing was found. The MOD believe it probable that two of the crew are buried somewhere in the cemetery. Sue Raftree, casework officer with the RAF Casualty Section said:

“A number of bodies are discovered every year, often as a result of building excavations. Often identifying the air crew is very difficult. Although RAF members were given tags, they were made of plastic and were often burned or thrown off. In this case it was quite easy because we could identify exactly which aircraft it was.”

Relatives of the seven aircrew have been traced and many will attend the funeral service in St George’s Church, Berlin, and at the graveside in Berlin Military Cemetery on the morning of Thursday, September 1 2005. The previous afternoon they will attend the unveiling of a plaque at the crash site by the man who led the recovery operation, Herr Jens Bechler.

The crew of LW 430 were Pilot Officer William Collins McLeod, the pilot (from Glasgow); Sgt Norman Leslie Cooper, navigator (Taunton); Sgt Sidney William Wheeler, air bomber (Bristol/Swindon); Sgt John Charles Burdett, wireless operator/air gunner (Basildon); Sgt Angus Phillip Webb, flight engineer (Whitstable); Sgt Jack Northwood Boston, air gunner (Bideford, Devon); Sgt Ronald Archibald George Turner, rear gunner (Monks Risborough, Bucks).

Hello Mark

Nice photo anyway – regardless of when it was taken – nice to see something of the ground echelon as they get left out of some many photos, and I can never get enough photos of them for personal reasons.

If it has been repainted it could have been by the time they reduced the size of the stripes to under fuselage (even if not showing in this one) – so most probably France late August or Belgium in early September. Pity we cannot make out anything other than MJ or we could check M&S to work out the time-frame.

Can you drop me a PM to let me know the Squadron No’s in the photos you hold, in case you have anything relevant to my 125 Wing project?

cheers

Allan

Spitfire crash in Switzerland

Hi Ant

Not my wish to offend anybody – just got back in to read your message and to see that Flood has edited it now. (thanks Flood).

The link was sent to me from a friend in Switzerland – and I looked at it before posting the link on and, although grim, is no worse than seeing the aftermath of a suicide bomb in London on a bus recently, or everyday in downtown Baghdad.

And before anyone thinks I am callous I have been very close to two IRA bombs in London (Old Bailey in 1973 and London Bridge in 1992) and saw the results afterwards.

cheers

Allan

Corsair at Yeovilton + Robert Hampton Gray VC

It is a great pity that on the 60th anniversary of a VC being won by a Corsair pilot it was not mentioned on the BBC news to accompany the excellent reports on the restoration.

On August 9, 1945, as the second atomic bomb fell on Nagasaki, the air war against Japan targets continued unabated. For the second launch of his day, Robert Hampton “Hammy” Gray led two flights of Corsairs against airfields in the Matsushima area, northern Honshu. There was little enemy activity; a first strike from Formidable had left the targets in ruins. Since Gray was briefed for the secondary target of naval ships at nearby Onagawa Bay, he decided to attack.

The other flight members recall him saying he was going in, and peeled off to follow him in the high speed run. As Gray levelled out his Corsair, it was blasted with cannon and machine gun fire. The aircraft was set on fire, and one of his 500 lb. bombs was shot off. He then steadied the aircraft, and aimed his remaining bomb. This bomb hit the ocean escort vessel Amakuza below the after gun turret, exploded the ammunition locker, and blew out the starboard side of the ship. Amakuza rolled and sank immediately.

Gray continued flying but brief seconds later his burning aircraft rolled over, hit the water at high speed, and broke up. Gray was killed, becoming one of the last Canadians to die in combat in WW2. Despite the shock of losing their leader, and in spite of the order to make only one run at each target, the remaining pilots conducted two more successful attacks on the target Japanese ships.

Hammy Gray was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on August 31, 1945 for “determination and address in air attacks on targets in Japan on the 18th, 24th and 28th of July 1945.”

On November 13, 1945 Hammy Gray was posthumously awarded the British Commonwealth’s highest medal for valour, the Victoria Cross. In part, his citation read: “Lieutenant Gray has consistently shown a brilliant flying spirit and most inspiring leadership.”

Deepest condolences to his family and friends – his comments on this board will be missed by me

16 Squadron RAF is at the NA

Hello Peter

AIR 27/225 gives 16 squadron RAF Jan 40 – Jan 45 – AIR 27/230 is 16 squadron SAAF – so it is definitely there, you just gave up too early !! 😉

AIR 27/225
AIR Records created or inherited by the Air Ministry, the Royal Air Force, and related bodies
Division within AIR Records of the Royal Air Force
AIR 27 Air Ministry and successors: Operations Record Books, Squadrons
Subseries within AIR 27 No. 16 SQUADRON
Subsubseries within AIR 27 Appendices

cheers

Allan

Bodney / Asch

Hi BlueNoser352

Nice photos – pity it isn’t a bit more accurate “Major George Preddy the 8th USAAF top scoring P-51 ace (27 victories) was based here until his death 25/12/44. In December 1944 the Group left for Asche in France and later moved to Chievres in Belgium, arriving back at Bodney on 13th April 1945.”

I always believed that George Preddy was already operating from Y.29 when he was shot down on Christmas Day, in a “friendly fire” incident, having arrived there on 23 December.

Y.29 Asch is just south of Y.32 Ophoven, and they are both in Belgium. Dad has a personal involvement with Y.32 and was linked to Y.29 Asch by telephone to maintain USAAF and RAF liaison in January 1945.

cheers

Allan