Coastal Command June 1942

[Alex Smart]

COASTAL COMMAND
June 1942

3/. Spitfire PR.IV - 1PRU - R7037.
4/. Blenheim IV - 254 Sqn - Z6027.
5/. Hudson I - 320 Sqn - T9286.
6/. Beaufort I - 5(C) OTU - AW306.
8/. Hampden I - 415 Sqn - AT237.
9/. Hudson I - 1(C) OTU - N7307.
9/. Hudson III - 6(C) OTU - V9020.
11/. Sunderland I - 201Sqn/95(?)Sqn - L5805 - (lost in October'42 ).
11/.Sunderland I - 4(C) OTU - P9604.
12/. Blenheim IV - 404 Sqn - Z6175.
12/. Hudson V - 500 Sqn - AM658.
13/. Beaufighter Ic - 235 Sqn - T5006.
13/. Hudson V - 407 Sqn - AM711.
15/. Beaufighter VIc - 235 Sqn - X8078.
16/. Blenheim IV - 404 Sqn - V5765.
18/. Beaufighter Ic - 248 Sqn - T3326.
20/. Beaufort I - 217 Sqn - DD959.
21/. Sunderland III - 10(RAAF) Sqn - W3999.
21/. Beaufort I - 217 Sqn - W6502.
21/. Beaufort I - 217 Sqn - DD996.
21/. Hudson III - 407 Sqn - FH346.
24/. Beaufort I - 5(C) OTU - L4459.
24/. Beaufort I - 217 Sqn - L9826.
25/. Hudson V - 1(C) OTU - P5147.
26/. Hudson V - 206 Sqn - AM762.
26/. Beaufighter Ic - 235 Sqn - T4761.
26/. Hudson III - 320 Sqn - T9435.
28/. Sunderland I - 204 Sqn - T9041.

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello,

COASTAL COMMAND
June 1942

11/. Blenheim IV - 5(C) OTU - V5571.
26/. Anson I - 280 Sqn - AX649

Col.

[Alex Smart]

Thanks for the additions Col.
Most welcome.

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello,

COASTAL COMMAND
June 1942

9/. Whitley V - 77 Sqn - BD195

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/archiv...p?t-13987.html

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...9654-of-77-Sqn

Col.

[Sunderlandfan]

Hi Col Bruggy. I have an interest in Coastal Command No. 10 Sqn, after recently purchasing Corgi's Limited Edition W3999 Sunderland. I like Corgi's detail a lot (I'm not a Corgi employee), and when I looked into the history of W3999, I was saddened to learn of its tragic end in the Bay of Biscay, with all crew lost. Going on rafcommands.com yesterday, I saw an earlier 2018 Forum entry of the crew manifest, which unfortunately was missing Flt Lt Maurice Judell (Pilot). (See Ref: ADF Serials-Sunderland.) My Uncle Earl Atkins flew with 257 Burma Sqn, (Sir) Stanford Tuck as his Flight Leader, and our family received a touching letter of condolence from him after Earl was lost over the North Sea, Feb., 1941. I will always admire the courage of the servicemen and women, and learning about them through these Forums, and the stories presented by Corgi and others, with such excellent and fitting tributes to their service. I am so grateful for all of the resources available to us, to help us remember them.
Sunderlandfan

[Sunderlandfan]

Hi Col Bruggy

Along with Corgi's (Limited Edition) Short Sunderland W3999, came a description of W3999's last op:
21 June 1942 Sunderland W3999 was attacked by an Arado Ar-196, while carrying out a search for the crew of a Wellington A of 172SQN, Coastal Command. W3999 was forced to land on open water, and crew of a 58SQN Whitley observed the Sunderland explode, then disappear under the water. With no survivors visible, crew was reported killed. The survivors of the Wellington were rescued the next day.

Below is the full crew manifest for W3999:

466 FLTLT Maurice Leopold Judell (Pilot, Captain)
30251 FLGOFF Jacques Victor Adolphe Hazard (1st Pilot, Free French)
405394 PLTOFF Cosmo Clive Chataway (2nd Pilot)
401596 PLTOFF Bruce Napoleon Gilbert (Nav)
11065 A/SGT Phillip Mervyn Benison (1st Fitter)
19034 AC1 Thomas Dorney (2nd Fitter)
3846 SGT Edward James Taylor (1st Wireless Op)
405419 SGT John Valentine McLean (2nd Wireless Op)
11931 LAC Robert George Willis (Rigger)
405093 SGT William Lawrence Winterflood (Air Gunner)
4089 LAC Francis William Tipping (Armourer).

With thanks to ADF Serials - Sunderland (adf-serials.com.au)

I did come across a tribute to W3999's 1st Pilot Flying Officer, 2nd Ltnt Jacques Hazard (FF), in the Poole Flying Boats Association newsletter (link below). Hazard had quite a flying history as the Newsletter shows, and was serving with the RAF in Sqn 10 as a Free French Officer. I'm not sure if he was copilot on the fateful day, but I can't begin to imagine the courage it took to fly into the Bay of Biscay, a place German U-Boats called the Valley of Death. If you have any further information or photo/links you could pass along to me of W3999 and its crew, it would be greatly appreciated. I have found individual photos of Judell, Benison, Chataway, Gilbert and Hazard but no complete crew photos, or photos of W3999 itself.

http://www.pooleflyingboats.com/2015...ing%202015.pdf