Hello,John, sorry to have taken so long to get back to you, but life is becoming so hectic those days… Haven’t time to achieve all the things I want to do…
About the SKNNER/WHITEHEAD crash, I’m translating back in English my notes in French taken at Kew. So the words are not exactly what they are in the O.R.B.. I used to do this during my first visits at the PRO (now NA), now when I have to take hand-written notes, I copy them directly in English, so I can forward them to other people exactly as they were typed.
AIR 27/181 No.13 Sqn O.R.B.
6-12-39
At 10:00 hrs., HM King George VI discusses with Squadron personnel stationed at Douai.
At 11:05 hrs., F/L SKINNER and LAC WHITEHEAD crash 2 miles south-west of Mons-en-Chaussée. LAC WHITEHEAD is killed outright. F/L SKINNER is severely wounded and brought to Mondicourt. The plane is a complete “write-off”.
F/L SKINNER died of his wounds during the night 6/7.
LAC WHITEHEAD is buried on the 7 at 14:30 at Péronne. F/L SKINNER is buried on the 8 at 14:30 at Péronne.
F/L GRAHAM takes over “A” flight left vacant by SKINNER, from 9 December 1939.
P/O BORG-BANKS arrives on 16 December 1939 at 18:00.
P/Os A.J. SIMPSON and A.J. DAY arrive on the 18 December at 18:00, coming from Andover.
On 2 March 1940, “A” flight is moved to Douai : F/L GRAHAM, F/O BUNDOCK, P/Os SIMPSON, BORG-BANKS and BELLERBY.
On 4 March 1940, P/O BORG-BANKS takes 14 pairs stereo for the 1st Corps.
On 16 May 1940 P/O Thomas Humphrey BORG-BANKS (pilot) and LAC Walter Francis LAWES (air gunner), from No. 13 Sqn, based at Douai-La Brayelle, during a recce mission over Belgium, notice German bombers and decide to attack them. Their Lysander is hit by return fire and they crash near the “rue de la gare” in Vieux-Condé, near Valenciennes, in northern France. They are still buried in that village. Post-war, a street was named in their honour “rue des anglais”
From various research, O.R.B.s and compilations :
19 May 1940 : same info as Henk about P/O Ralph Henry CLIFFORD (pilot), from No. 26 Sqn, buried in Neuvilly, and LAC Frederick Lawrence BETTANY (air gunner), buried in Landrecies. They were flying Lysander Mk II N1290.
Still on 19 May 1940 : P/Os John Alfred PLUMB and Leonard John OLDACRES from No. 4 Sqn (base at Lille-Ronchin ALG) were practising circuits at Lille-Bondues airfield when the pair of Lysander was attacked and shot down by Bf-109Es from 2(J)./LG2 (Oblt Friedrich von Wangerow and Lt Werner TISMAR) at about 10 o’clock. Hurricanes from No. 87 Sqn based at Bondues took off and pursued the Bf-109s, and Oblt von Wangerow was shot down and crashed near St Amand. The two air gunners were LACs Clarence BUTTERILL and Ronald James THORNTOW. I’ve never been able to determine the composition of the two crews. It seems one of the Lysanders crashed in the Fives area in Lille, and I can only presume the other crashed in or near St André. This would explain why the 4 airmen are buried in St André cemetery. No. 4 Squadron for May records were lost.
On 21 May 1940 : F/L Richard Hatt « Hat » GRAHAM (pilot) and P/O Reginald Edmund Compton BUTTERWORTH (air gunner), took off from Clairmarais (St Omer) where a flight of No. 13 Sqn was detached, to deliver a message to another airfield near St Omer. After take-off a formation of 3 German bombers was seen over St Omer and attacked. The German bombers fired back and the pilot tried an evasive action, but as he was flying too low, he crashed in a valley. The air gunner had been killed by a bullet before the crash. They had been at school together. “Hat” GRAHAM was an Army captain detached in the R.A.F.., flight commander in No. 13 Sqn since December 1939. Both are buried in St Martin-au-Laert, just north of St Omer.
P/O Terence John Frederick DAVEY (pilot) and LAC James Henry GILLHAM (air gunner), from No. 4 Sqn, took off from Clairmarais aboard Westland Lysander Mk II P9064 TV-_ at the same time than F/L GRAHAM from No 13 Sqn for a reconnaissance mission. They too observe German bombers (3 Dornier Do-215s) which were bombing St Omer and attack them. They were hit by return fire and their Lysander crashed near Zudausques. The funeral took place in the afternoon in the cemetery of that village.
On 27 May 1940, No. 26 Sqn casualties during a supply drop to Calais, were :
P/O James Henderson DEAS (pilot) and LAC John Alexander BOLTOW (air gunner), took off at 09:35 hrs. from Hawkinge. Their Lysander crashed near the dike at Calais.
P/O Ernest Elliott HOWARTH (pilot) (New-Zealander) and Sgt Terence McLOUGHLIN, took off at 09:35 hrs. from Hawkinge and crashed near Calais in Lysander Mk II L6863 (s/n quoted from Errol MARTYN’s « For your Tomorrow ».
These 4 airmen are buried in Calais-sud.
P/O Herbert Dixon DIXON (pilot) and LAC Daniel McLellan NIMMO, are buried in Sangatte (les baraques) (just west of Calais).
28 May 1940 : F/L William Roy CLAPHAM (pilot), M.B.E. and Sgt Roy Ernest BROWN, No. 16 Squadron, are lost during a tactical reconnaissance off Gravelines. In fact, they crashed in St Momelin (north of St Omer, very much inland indeed) aboard Lyander Mk II P1720. They were initially buried in St Momelin, near the crash site, but in 1945 their graves were moved to the St Omer (Longuenesse) Souvenir Cemetery, because the bridge over the canal, near their crash site, had to be rebuilt.
I’m too looking for further details for some Lysander casualties, like LOCK or HENDERSON
At last, do you know that COGHLAN’s log-book still exists ? It’s kept at the National Archives at Kew, under the reference AIR 4/17. I had no time to check it Thursday when I was there, but perhaps will you be able to see it by yourself. I’m also interested in the A.H.B. information about COGHLAN.
Hope the above is of little help to you.
Cheers
Joss, from France
JossLeclercqATaol.com
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