P/O E.D Levens 195 Squadron recovered from the sea.

[Steve Smith]

Hi,

Flying Officer Edward David Levens, Pilot, RAFVR was killed onNovember 23rd 1944 while serving with No.195 Squadron.

The Squadron ORB records that's body was recovered from the sea by a B.P.C - Can anyone explain what a B.P.C is ?

TIA


Steve

[CZ_RAF]

Steve my first thought was British Patrol Craft. But when learning he is buried in Belgium, so it may be Belgian Patrol Craft?
But it is just a long shot... I hope some one will be able to give you more precise answer.

Pavel

[Resmoroh]

Slight possibility?
Buffalo Patrol Craft? (USA CG-100 Class). Don't know where Levens was picked up - or if any Buffalos got to the ETO? But I do remember hearing the word Buffalo used by BBC War Correspondents (Maxted, Vaughan-Thomas) during the Walcheren operations towards the end of WW2. If I'd been asked to bet some of your money, I would have said "an amphibious vehicle (similar to a DUKW)".
HTH
Peter Davies

[Alain12]

Hello ,

P/O Levens Lancaster crashed in the Northsea sout-west off the island of Walcheren Netherlands , he washed ashore at Blankenberge Belgium and is buried at the CWGC at Koksijde.Son of Jessie Elizabeth Levens, and stepson of Sidney Butler, of Kensal Rise, London.

Regards
Alain12

[RecklessRat]

Hi Steve,
Some judicious googling led me to a post on WW2talk about Blankenberge - and the reply linking to a officer who received an OBE. Hugh Halliday has him here with unit "2nd Tactical Air Force Base Personnel Centre"

Hope this helps,
Jeff

[Resmoroh]

Steve's original Post used the phrase "a B.P.C.". That indicates, to me, that it was one, singular, item, rather than "a Centre" which would/could be a collection of buildings which might (or might not) have some device capable of recovering corpses from a maritime environment (or its edges?).
HTH
Peter Davies

[RecklessRat]

Hi Peter,
I referred back to the ORB, link here (page 26):-

"Bomb Load 1 x 4000, 16 x 500. Primary target Nordstern. Missing, no news. Since {heard} that body of F/O Levens recovered from sea by B.P.C. and buried at Blankenberge on 24th November. No further news of the remainder of the crew."

I interpreted this to mean a unit, presumably a local one to Blankenberge. All speculation on my part, of course.

Another possibility I considered was a 'Beach Protection Craft BPC 4', which seems to have been a sort of MGB or landing craft with a battery of Bofors guns.

Regards,

Jeff