221 Squadron loss, c.February 2nd 1944?

[wwrsimon]

Hello

Can anyone help me with an ID for a 221 Sqn Wellington, lost on (or just before?) February 2nd 1944.

I've got the crew as follows, but need confirmation:

F/O Johnson - rescued
F/Lt George Suttie Hogg 205814V - rescued but died February 4^th
F/O Geoffrey Frederick OWEN 144613 - killed
F/Sgt Warky (?) - rescued
Sgt George William SMITH 1385335 - killed
Sgt Henry MILLER 1049364 - killed
Sgt James MacREADY 1037656 - killed

Ditched in Adriatic - 2 survived

Many thanks

Simon

[vrajm]

Hi Simon,

F/O or F/Sgt Johnson? F/O Jolicoeur, RCAF flew with this crew several times before Johnson. ORB has A. Johnson, but probably it is

R147978 Howard Gordon JOHNSON (J88983)

https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries...?pid=168873998

F/Sgt Warky (?) - T. (?) Wo/arley

Regards

Mojmir

[wwrsimon]

Hi Mojmir

My crew list came from a post from 2013 here:

http://users4.smartgb.com/g/g.php?a=...5-2b&m=all&p=1

"Information required - 221 squadron
31.1.1944 aircraft "P" crew FO Johnson, FL Hagg [sic] PO Owen, FS Warky, & Sgns Smith, Millar [sic] and Macready - ditched in Adriatic - 2 survived (further aircraft dropped dingy to them) others lost. Squadron and Station logs."

I got the full/corrected names for MacReady, Miller, Owen and Smith from the CWGC website, and this entry:

http://www.rafcommands.com/database/...niq=Wellington

Regards

Simon

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello,

Something to think about:

No.221 Squadron.

Main Equipment.

Vickers Wellington XIII (Sep 1943- Aug 1945)

HZ593,Q; HZ604; HZ707, D; HZ780; HZ865; J; HZ974, E; JA145, Z; JA179, P; JA206, Z; JA272, W; JA318, A; JA412, S, later P; JA568, N; ME895, H; MF263, F; MF356, B; NF465, G; NF592, U.

See:
Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft.
Rawlings,John D. R.
London:Jane's Publishing,1982.
p.150.

and...

337 Vickers Wellington Xs and XIIIs delivered between June and December 1943.

JA179 - 303 FTU/ 3 OADU/ 303 FTU/ 3 OADU/ 221 - SOC 30.5.46. Corrupt entry?

See:
Royal Air Force Aircraft JA100 - JZ999.
Halley,James J (comp.)
Tonbridge:Air-Britain (Historians),1990.
p.6.

Just a thought!

Col.

[Andy Marden]

The Form 78 for JA179 can be seen at Page 53 of:
http://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.co...ile/index.html
The entry in the Air-Britain serials book looks broadly correct, the 303 FTU/ 3 OADU/ 303 FTU/ 3 OADU bit all took place between 24.11.43 and 4.12.43!
There is no mention of 221 Sqn, just "Middle East".
Sadly I don't think JA179 is a candidate for the loss - we need another "P".

[wwrsimon]

Thank you for the replies gentlemen.

Interestingly the 221 Sqn ORB form 541 has the crew (with F/O J. Jolicoeur (Can.) instead of Johnson, and Worley, not 'Warky'), flying Wellington JA179 on January 29th 1944. Sgt. Smith is recorded as G. Smith. The same crew are recorded on January 27th in HZ593.

The next entry for the crew is January 31st, with Johnson instead of Jelicoeur, in Wellington "P", no serial this time. Johnson is recorded as F/O J. Johnson (Can.) and Sgt. Smith is recorded as J. Smith. However the Form 540 records F/O J. Jolicoeur as being a Captain on this date, but no Johnson.*

The flight took off at 16.50, and is recorded as landed at 08.50, on February 1st, presumably.

*A bit of a stretch maybe, but could it be that possibly F/O J. Johnson and F/O J. Jolicoeur are actually the same person...? No sign of either again in the Form 541s from March to June. I didn't go any further than that.

Wellington "P" is then up again on February 1st, with a different crew, and is recorded several more times in February. Wellington JA179 is up again on February 2nd and then February 15th, again with different crews.

I wonder of they may have been lost in transit home? Those killed are not recorded as casualties in the Form 540 for February.

EDIT (again) MacReady, Miller, Owen and Smith are all recorded as 'Killed in Action' in Casualty Communique No. 371, Flight Magazine, April 13th 1944, and Hogg is recorded as 'Died of Wounds or Injuries Received in Action.'

Regards

Simon

EDIT - I've just noticed a typo in MacReady's Service Nº in post #1 - should be 1037956

[vrajm]

Hi,

R77191 Joseph Antoine Edouard Francois JOLICOEUR J18316 pilot Can Gaz 1943-11-06 Item 22 of 84 comm 1943-08-06

https://www.projectnorthstar.ca/home...ss-canada.html

Post-war his SNo. 23530

Regards

Mojmir

[wwrsimon]

Interesting Mojmir, many thanks indeed.

I’m tempted to think that Johnson is indeed Joliceour…

Regards

Simon

[vrajm]

Hi Simon,

You are tempted to think that Johnson is Joliceour. So am I.

What happened to the aircraft. Ditched? Crashed during landing? Crew baled out? Were rescue squadrons involved?

F/Sgt A Jolicoeur appeared in the Form 541 first time 1943-05-09 and Sgt T Worley 1943-07-25.

If the initial „T“ is really the first one AIR78 has four candidates:

1255337 Terence Arthur Worley 1940 Uxbridge, Gloucester and Penarth
1620421 Thomas Edgar William Worley Oct 1941 Cardington
909305 Thomas Edward Worley Sep 1939 Uxbridge
1270228 Tony Underwood Worley May 1940 Uxbridge, Gloucester and Penarth

Regards

Mojmir

[wwrsimon]

Mojmir

I can't see any reference to it in the list of rescues in the Appendices in 'Beyond Courage' by Norman Franks, although it does state it lists 'Main Rescues.'

Maybe an A.S.R. launch rescue?

Regards

Simon