Boock about internees in Portugal... Help

**solrac** · 18th February 2008, 22:58

Hi to all,

I'm a portuguese journalist and I'm in the middle of a research and in the middle of a boock about the airplanes and crews that where interned in Portugal during WWII. I have already a large list of planes and crews but there are some missing. I lurked trough all the bomber Losses of Mr. Chorley (still waiting for 1943), Coatal Command Losses, Bomber losses from Mr's Gunby&Temple, and also trough the Hudsons and the Blenheims from Mr. Hendry.

besides this I had lot's of help from some british and american vet's that where in Portugal in that Period.

But there are still some info missing about some of the planes I have registered. The list is long but Please... Please Help me in here. All bit's of information are welcommed. In the next planes I'm searching for crewmember names:

DATE LOCATION AC NUMBER INFO

18-06-1942 ILHA DE SANTA MARIA- FARO Unknown Unknown Unknown

26-01-1942 ILHA DA ARMONA Unknown Unknown Unknown

17-12-1941 GOLEGÃ BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER X7647 OADU

02-10-1943 SAGRES BRISTOL BEAUFORT DW980 1 OADU

05-03-1943 PORTO SHORT SUNDERLAND W6065 95TH SQ

13-06-1943 Unknown VIKERS WELLINGTON HZ542 Unknown

13-10-1942 MOZAMBIQUE C. CATALINA AH 543 Unknown

09-12-1942 SINTRA LOKHEED HUDSON AE578 24TH SQ

03-10-1943 LISBON LOKHEED HUDSON FH260 233TH SQ

24-11-1944 ON SEA NEAR LISBON HALIFAX LK966 520TH SQ

24-01-1943 TROIA BEACH BRISTOL BLENHEIM BB166 Unknown

16-06-1943 MONFORTE MOSQUITO * Unknown /This plane is referred in a Portuguese document as a “Mosquito Type Plane”, so maybe it is not one of them..

05-08-1944 CASCAIS BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER NV321 Unknown

24-11-1943 LEIRIA BEAUFORT DD953 Unknown

29-08-1943 SEA-ROCA CAPE LOCKHEED HUDSON FK538 1 OADU

23-05-1941 LOST ON SEA C. CATALINA AH560 OADU – Pilot F/Lt GAUTREY

07-09-1943 NEAR PENICHE HALIFAX Unknown Was transporting a Glider

Besides this ones I have also information about a certain "Bob" Staten that arrived in Portugal in a Dingy sometime in 1944. No idea of what plane we are atlking about.

There is also Leslie Alec Hayward. In on unknown date his plane was shot down over the bay of biscay. He was abble to save himself and some of his crewmembers in a Dingy and arrived in Portugal. for his deed's he received the Distinguished Flying Medal and also became a member of The Goldfish Club.

I know this is a long, long list. But any bit of of information is welcommed. I Thank you all for any effort's

Carlos Guerreiro

**dennis_burke** · 19th February 2008, 00:19

Funny you should post today, I was just typing up something this eveing on HZ542.

Crew were
P/O Leonard King 139574
Sgt. Kenneth J Devall + 1577068
Sgt. Victor F E Simmons (no serial number found for him)
Sgt. Roy E Bertram 1606485
Sgt. Oliver Frith 1319140

They took off from Hurn and were destined for Ras-El-Ma in Algeria, according to the escape evasion report.
Their escape evasion reports explain that after about 3 and a half hours flying the crew noticed that the fuel consumption was very high and that they would be unable to make their destination or turn back. They decided to make for Portugal and land at an aerodrome south of Oporto. Fog however prevented them doing this and P/O King made an emergency landing at Vergada near Feira seriously damaging the aircraft. They were looked after by the local Portugese Police and stayed the night at a near by military barracks. They were accommodated in Oporto until July 5th, when they were sent for internment in the hotel in Elvas. On July 26th, they in turn were sent by train to Lisbon where the British Air Attaché W/Cdr Schreiber arranged for them to join the ill-fated G-AGES flight the next night. Sadly, Kenneth Devall would lose his life in Ireland that morning during the crash of Sunderland G-AGES. I contacted K J Devalls brother this year and he has photos of the taken in Portugal it seems.

The assinged unit is 3 OADU / 310 FTU

I have the escape evasion reports for these men, I can email them to you.

It seems that internees regularly returned via Foynes, Ireland. Have you found much mention of that in your research?
Does anyone have the full name of W/Cdr Schreiber, the Air attache? I found him mentioned as "Jack Schreiber" but can't find him in the LG.

regards

Dennis

**solrac** · 19th February 2008, 00:59

About Schreiber I have no Information. In my material I have one Air Attaché and his name is J. Stow. Maybe They changed or so. Will see what I cann find.

About those guys leaving Portugal. They did it in all ways possible. By air trough BOAC flights directly to England or trough Ireland, or by boat to Gibraltar and then to England.

When they where authorized to leave the British ambassy would provide means of transport from Elvas or from Caldas da Rainha, the two cities where crews where interned.

You have crews going in a normnal flight and also other's that catched a small portuguese fishing boat, that delivered them to a british war ship of any kind. Then they travelled to Gibraltar. From, there they returned to England in another warship on patrol.

So there where lot's of solutions.

Thanks
Carlos Guerreiro

**solrac** · 19th February 2008, 01:25

Cann you tell me what was their start point and what was their destination on that day?

Thanks
Carlos

davepark · 19th February 2008, 05:15

Carlos,

I have some extra information on 404056 Sgt Ian Frank McManus RAAF attached RAF pilot of Wellington T2572 which forced landed on the beach 3 miles north of Sao Pedro De Muel on 16 May1941. You will also be able to look at both his service and casualty files which are both open on the National Archives Australia site. I am researching the history of this pilot and would be interested to learn about what you have on the incident and his repatriation if you have anything. You can email me if you wish on daveparkAToptusnet.com.au replacing the AT with the usual.

Dave Park

**Ross_McNeill** · 19th February 2008, 08:04

Hi Carlos

18-06-1942 ILHA DE SANTA MARIA- FARO Unknown Unknown Unknown
Two possibles
Whitley Z9291. Landed at Culatra Island at 14:05 hrs. Crew Interned.
Blenheim BA445. Missing on transit flight between Portreath and Gibraltar

17-12-1941 GOLEGÃ BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER X7647 OADU
Sgt J W H Thomas, Engine cut and crashlanded 12 miles south west of Tancos. Destroyed by crew. Both Interned

05-03-1943 PORTO SHORT SUNDERLAND W6065 95TH SQ
Engine cut on ferry flight. Ditched in heavy swell at night off Oporto.

13-10-1942 MOZAMBIQUE C. CATALINA AH 543 Unknown
Landed on Lake Kosi. Blown onto sand bank. Repaired by Germans and taken back to Portugal as war prize. Crew rescued by Imperial Airways Flying Boat Caledonian captained by Capt J Algar.

09-12-1942 SINTRA LOKHEED HUDSON AE578 24TH SQ
Ran out of fuel and force landed. Crew Interned.

03-10-1943 LISBON LOKHEED HUDSON FH260 233TH SQ
Ran out of fuel and forcelanded at Portella. Sold to Portugal.

24-11-1943 LEIRIA BEAUFORT DD953 Unknown
1 OADU. Developed engine trouble and forcelanded on beach at Lavos. Interned by Fiscal Guard and taken to Figueira da Fox.

23-05-1941 LOST ON SEA C. CATALINA AH560 OADU – Pilot F/Lt GAUTREY
OADF. Casualties included P/O K G A Marsh who survived crash of V6165.

Hayward was the pilot of Whitley Z9291.

To correctly describe an RAF squadron it should read No.xxx not 'th' ie No.233 not 233th.

Regards
Ross

**dennis_burke** · 19th February 2008, 09:35

Carlos, I added that information back into my previous posting to keep it all together.

What files do the Portuguese Military or National Archives have on these men? Unless they have been destroyed, discarded then they ought to have lots of next of kin details and serial numbers. Have you researched this side of things?

Dennis

**paulmcmillan** · 19th February 2008, 09:38

Carlos

Firstly are you aware of the Portuguese aviation history site at http://www.voaportugal.org/index.php?

Secondly, have you been in contact with a Portugese Aviation Historian called Luis Tavares, who I know has undertaken a great deal of research on the Internment of Aircraft in Portugal (and Portugese colonies) during WW2 (and I believe is also producing a book on this subject area)

Regards

Paul

**norman malayney** · 19th February 2008, 20:44

Dear Silroc,

I assisted a fellow in Spain obtain information on USAAF aircraft that landed in Spain during the war. The information was found in the Air Attache files for the US Embassy, Madrid on file at the US National Archives, College Park, Maryland. The files contained a lot of information the Spanish researcher said was new to him.

I suggest, if you have not done so already, have someone search the British Air Attache files for the British Embassy in Porrtugal on file at the National Archives in London.

Norm Malayney

**jossleclercq** · 19th February 2008, 21:49

hello,

On the website of Steve Brew about 41 Squadron (easy to find with a google search) there's a section with digital pictures of the index pages of WO 208 series in Kew, which is the evasion report (I know because I provided a few). Some are about crews that came down in Portugal or in Spain. I've not pictured the reports, having no geographical interest in them. But you could find some of them interesting (Units are often quoted as FTU).

Joss