Morning All,

Here is another photograph of Flying Officer RAAF Harvey Lade (3rd from right) and his crew at 1658 Heavy Coversion Unit, Riccall, Yorkshire in December, 1944. He went there after Church Broughton.

The plane is, of course, a Halifax Mk. 3.

Regards,

Patrick.

Try abebooks.com. There are two copies of Journey listed in Australia. No Moon Tonight is available as well. I can photo-copy the relevant sections of the books for you but the originals are well worth acquiring!

Atcham, thanks for that.

I finally managed to get hold of a copy of ‘No Moon Tonight’ but I’m still trying to get hold of ‘Journeys Into Night’ both by Don Charlwood of course.

I also managed to get hold of ‘Strike Hard, Strike Sure’ by Ralph Barker and ‘Enemy Costguard’ by Guy Gibson V.C. I’m reading them both at the moment.

Kind Regards,

Pat.

Dear Patrick,

Some answers re the AM Form 78 for Z4693.

1. Illegible, but would normally record the aircraft being taken on charge at a Maintenance Unit
2. Looks like “Abbotsinch” – an RAF airfield in Scotland used by both RAF and Fleet Air Arm as a storage and maintenance depot
3. 47 Maintenance Unit at Sealand. This was also the home of the Aircraft Packing Depot which dismantled and crated aircraft for overseas shipment.
4. The aircraft is en route to Middle East. Presumably by ship, but possibly flown via the Takoradi route. The card doesn’t really give a clue either way.
5. Aircraft is on strenght of RAF Middle East 18/9/42
6. Allotted to Far East, but allotment later cancelled and aircraft taken back onto the books of RAF Middle East. (Note: in the months immediately after Pearl Harbour a lot of shuffling of aircraft and units from Middle East to Far East was planned since it was felt to be quicker to ship from ME to India than from home)
7. Struck off charge, but this too later cancelled (possibly this entry is a mistake since it is dated later than 8
8. On strength RAF Iraq Command
9. Still in Middle East 31/1/43. This may be one of the periodic census of aircraft carried out.
10.Struck off charge in 1945, but I’d wager it had gone long before then.

As I mentioned in one of my posts on the Key Forum, these cards for aircraft that went overseas have much less detail on them than those for aircraft remaining at home. Apparently there was a parallel set of cards held locally in overseas commands, but these have not survived.

I shall be going to the National Archives next week sometime and, if time permits, I’ll go through the 260 Sqn Ops Record Book to see if the incident depicted in the photo is mentioned. That might give us a date, cause and possibly the name of the pilot involved. The aircraft would almost certainly have served with other Squadrons during its time in the Middle East. Z4692 and Z4694 for example, served with 73 Squadron, and this one may have too.

Hope this helps

Best regards

NiallC
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Niall,

I did try replying with your e-mail address but I had a ‘mail delivery system’ error.

I just wanted to say many many thanks for your input and generosity.

Regards,

Pat.

Niall,

Many many thanks for your input and advice. I am a mere amateur compared to you guys only having started any real research in the summer of last year. But through information gleamed from this site and through messages elsewhere on the internet I would like to think that I have at least gone some way in contributing to the documenting of history as it happened some 60 years ago.

Kind Regards,

Pat.

Also,

I could with some guidance as to the best places to look for information on the Operational Trainings Units that formed part of Bomber Command during the war.

Pat.

Afternoon All,

The research is still going great guns. I have received copies of the airfield drawings when 75 OTU was stationed at Gianaclis via the RAF Museum in London. I have also received drawings for the ex airfield where I currently work at Dove Valley Park in Derby, which would have been RAF Church Broughton (details of this research are in the other thread of mine).

Anyway, as I have mentioned before, I have received many replies from people who had relatives that served and even replies from several veterans also.

My latest contact is a chap called Bruce Evans who served with the RAAF and trained on Baltimore’s. Actually he is trying to find out if his skipper, Gordon Latter-Stapley is still with us. He lived in Burns Crescent, Tonbridge, Kent. It has been well over 10 years since he was last in touch with him. He is hesitant to write to that address after so long.

The following is an extract from one of his e-mails:
I was in the RAAF but under the Empire Air Training Scheme initiated early in the war. Many of us were mixed up with ‘odd bods’ from all parts of the empire. Some Squadrons in England were almost if not entirely made up of Australians. I served with one of our most famous, 460 Squadron, (Lancaster’s) at Binbrook, Lincs for a short time after D day. I had the unforgettable experience of two trips in a Lancaster.

I was a W/O when I was discharged on Jan 2, 1946 (3 weeks before my 21st birthday). The three other members of our crew were all RAF. The navigator was a London Bobby from Hammersmith and the gunner was from Kensington. I am not sure what Stap’s (Gordon Latter-Stapley) rank was on demob. Shortly after VE Day, all Australians serving in the European theatre were ordered home and our crew was split up. I was sent to a transit camp, back at Shallufa where we languished in the desert for 5 months before space could be found for us on a troopship. I did not have any contact with the others for over 22 years when the secretary to the Agent General for Victoria, who also served in the RAAF in UK, tracked Stap down for me when I was on a visit.

My log book shows that 46 Course at 75 OTU commenced on 26/02/45 and ended on 4/5/45. The (GR) indicating a General Reconnaissance Course is crossed out and NAR for Night Armed Reconnaissance written in ink. I was not aware that it had only been established two weeks at that time.

Last year, I joined the Odd Bods (UK) Association. This organisation was setup to cater for blokes like me who were mixed up with others from all over the Commonwealth and not in distinctly Australian crews. At the dinner, I sat with the half dozen ex 460 Squadron who are still airborne.

A couple of years ago, there was a notice from an A/G who crewed Baltimore’s from the US to North Africa wanting to know if anyone had flown in any of the numbers he specified. I was able to tell him where one was at the end of the war in Europe. It seems eerie now that all those aircraft and facilities like those at Binbrook were just abandoned when the war was over. As far as I can find out, there are no Baltimore’s in existence.

So my question is this – Is he correct in thinking that there are no more Baltimore’s in existence?

He was delighted when he viewed my website and saw the 2 Baltimore pictures that you guys here have been so good in identifying for me.

I would like nothing more than to be able to tell him, well actually there are and here are a couple of pics and/or links to websites.

As ever, your help and assistance is most appreciated.

Regards,

Patrick.

Unbelievable, I thought I’d just give google a whirl and what do you know I got a hit on Wellington X3941 !!!

http://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/1939-1945×3941.htm

Regards,

Pat.