Tracing Capt Gerry Durrand, Atlantic Ferry pilot

[robstitt]

Returning to the towing of Hadrian FR579 by Dakota FD900 from Montreal to Prestwick over June 23 to July 1, 1943, I’ve now received the RAFFC aircrew assignment cards for five of the six airmen involved, as follows:

Dakota tow aircraft FD794 (training) and FD900 (ferry flight): Pilots Flt Lt William Sydney Longhurst and Flt Lt Charles William Halliwell Thomson and, for the ferry flight only, radio operator Harold Gordon Wightman. Cards for flight engineer Plt Off R.H. Wormington could not be located.

Hadrian FR579 'Voo-Doo': Wg Cdr Richard Godfrey Seys and Sqn Ldr Fowler Morgan Gobeil, RCAF.

Strangely, there is no reference on Sqn Ldr Gobeil’s cards to him being involved in the training flights or the towed ferry flight to Prestwick. However, an article he contributed to the Canadian Aviation Historical Society Journal in 1976 and various other accounts and references leave no doubt he was the co-pilot of the Hadrian.

According to his assignment cards, Wg Cdr Seys undertook ‘Special Duties Glider Training’ in Hadrian FR579 with Wg Cdr Longhurst and crew aboard Dakota FD794 on April 22, 1943, flying from Montreal to North Bay, Ontario, and return.

The same combination subsequently departed Montreal for Stephenville, Newfoundland, on June 27, leaving for Goose Bay the following day. A local flight at Goose Bay followed on April 28 with a return leg to Montreal on April 29.

Seeking over-water experience, and perhaps combined with a degree of flag-waving, they departed Montreal on May 4, 1943, for a round-robin flight that took in Atlanta, Georgia, Nassau in the Bahamas, Richmond, Virginia, Washington and Newark, New Jersey, before returning to Montreal on May 9.

Seys then flew Dakota FD862 to Iceland and back prior to Hadrian FR579 ‘Voo-Doo’ and Dakota FD900 departing Montreal on June 23 at the start of the ferry flight to Prestwick, as documented in post #38.

There’s an interesting article here which fills in more details, notably about challenges faced during the ferry flight itself: https://ingeniumcanada.org/channel/a...s#author-block

Robert

[paulmcmillan]

Plt Off R.H. Wormington is

565835 Robert Henry WORMINGTON (49283) RAF Commissioned 2nd Oct 1942.

[paulmcmillan]

do we have full crew for Catalina: FP159 ?

[robstitt]

That’s all I have, Paul. Alas, there's no surname/aircraft serial cross-index for the aircrew assignment cards.

Likely four RAFFC personnel: captain Gerrand, co-pilot, flight engineer and radio operator.

Robert

[robstitt]

Robin:

Reading Gobeil's detailed account of the crossing, the first reference to meeting up with Catalina FP159 is for the leg from Greenland to Iceland. This was the second long over-water leg so they may still have joined up around Goose Bay for the leg to Greenland and he just doesn't mention it.

"As arranged, we met our Catalina flying boat over the sea at 5,000 feet at the mouth of the Igaliko Fjord."

Robert

[paulmcmillan]

Wing Commander Richard Godfrey Seys #34130
Later with AFC and DSO

Name
Richard Godfrey Seys
Birth
25/01/1912 (25 Jan 1912)
Death
03/1991 (Mar 1991) Hastings and Rother East Sussex England


Harold Gordon Wightman was known as Gordon Wightman and he was from British Columbia

[paulmcmillan]

https://ingeniumcanada.org/channel/a...-was-pointless

They were H. Gordon 'Gordy' Wightman, a civilian radio operator from Canada,**



H. Gordon Wightman Radio Signal VE5XU. Regina, Saskatchewan.

Passengr List 1943 Says Aged 30


Name: Harold Gordon Wightman
Arrival Date: 8 Dec 1943
Birth Date: abt 1913
Last Permanent Address: Canada
Other Last Permanent Address: Ft William
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Ethnicity/ Nationality: Irish
Port of Departure: Gourock, Scotland
Port of Arrival: New York, New York, USA
Ship Name: Queen Elizabeth
Search Ship Database: Search for the Queen Elizabeth in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database


Name: H. Gordon Wightman
Birth Date: abt 1913
Birth Place: Canada Fort William Ont.
Gender: Male
Race: Scotch (Scotish)
Nationality: Canadian
Arrival Date: 18 Apr 1937
Arrival Place: Ketchikan, Alaska, USA
Age: 24

Name
Harold Gordon Wightman
Birth
29/03/1913 (29 Mar 1913) Thunder Bay Ontario Canada

Name
Harold Gordon Wightman
Parent
Herbert; Annie
Birth
abt 1913
Death
22/11/1992 (22 Nov 1992) Regina

[robin bird]

thanks again

[Martin Gleeson]

Hello all,

A few hours ago a brand new ten-minute video about this glider crossing appeared on YouTube from Mark Felton Productions. It is titled 'The Transatlantic Glider - A Hair-Raising WW2 Mission'. Mark Felton produces many of these short films, often covering obscure subjects. This video has much footage not directly concerned with this mission but also some of the crew and 'Voo-Doo'. Well worth having a look at.

Regards,

Martin Gleeson.

[robin bird]

Will do Martin