37 Squadron - Wellington Q-Queenie May '43

[Blades]

Firstly thank you everyone for your kind responses, it is very much appreciated.

I'm now totally confused,

RobJ and Col Bruggy: the incident to which you both refer would certainly tie in with the aircraft (Q) in the photograph - here is the link to the inscription on the back of that 'photo:
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t66/foreign_press/scan0001-1.jpg
I do recall he mentioned a fire (My Dad, in later years, could be heard every night shouting whilst kicking out in his sleep, escaping from the aircraft)

I've attached two pages from my Dad's note book detailing his RAF 'address's'

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t66/foreign_press/scan0003.jpg
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t66/foreign_press/scan0004.jpg

Definitely 37 Squadron.

jossleclercq Thank you for you kind offer (108 sqd), my email is on it's way to you, (no mention of Keith PATRICK on dads list)
I'll certainly contact the Department of Research of the R.A.F. Museum Hendon.

Here is a pic of my Dad with a 108 sqd Blenheim (a Mk IV judging by the cockpit canopy) could anyone identify the 'emblem' above his left breast pocket?
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t66/foreign_press/scan0002-1.jpg



Oggie2620 - Thank you for the great tip, I've now found address's for 117, 108 and 37 Squadron Registers
I'd emailed Kew, their reply advised that it would be advisable to call in, I think that is now a must for 2011.

[dfuller52]

Here is a list of all the 104 and 70 Sqn casualties listed in the CWGC database around the dates mentioned so far. Nothing obvious here, although it mainly involves a few cemeteries/memorials, which could help narrow it down further. Perhaps Henk or Col could identify these as crews on a particular a/c and tie it to the incident.

(I didn't see the additional post about other possible squadrons or the notebook entry confirming 37 Sqn until after this was posted. There are no 37 Sqn casualties in May 1943 and only the two already mentioned in Italy in June.)

BOBBY *FE *1183349 *104 SQDN *08/06/1943
HARRIS *ROC *1117369 *104 SQDN *08/06/1943
ROBSON *DJA *1222115 *104 SQDN *08/06/1943
*
FLUX *J * 1194050 *104 SQDN *09/05/1943 *
JONES *J *656792 *104 SQDN *09/05/1943
REEVE *JWG *1291501 *104 SQDN *09/05/1943
STRIPP *H *1196515 *104 SQDN *09/05/1943
VINDEN *LW *123309 *104 SQDN *09/05/1943

BENNETT *HJT *658278 *104 SQDN *11/06/1943
BLACK *WR *1290757 *104 SQDN *11/06/1943
CHURCH *CJ *1355162 *104 SQDN *11/06/1943
EASON *PAR *1332451 *104 SQDN *11/06/1943
KOEK-KOEK *P *1069844 *104 SQDN *11/06/1943
SOWERBY *RL *1021147 *104 SQDN *11/06/1943

GRISENTHWAITE *E *1138822 *70 SQDN *01/05/1943
ROBB *JS * 1325940 *70 SQDN *01/05/1943
ROLFE *DJ *1335243 *70 SQDN *01/05/1943
STANDEN *AB *121775 *70 SQDN *01/05/1943

COMYN *JC *1287071 *70 SQDN *07/05/1943
POPPLESTON *G *1005744 *70 SQDN *07/05/1943
SHERRY *B *979599 *70 SQDN *07/05/1943

ARMSTRONG *A *1287134 *70 SQDN *08/05/1943
EVANS *EA *1322648 *70 SQDN *08/05/1943
GREEN *RA *1375388 *70 SQDN *08/05/1943
STUART *EJ *1397695 *70 SQDN *08/05/1943

[Blades]

That was some amount of research dfuller52.

COL BRUGGY, RobJ - Were there fatalities resulting from the three 37 sqd Wellington's (....aircraft had caught fire at take-off at 231 Wing and then set off two other Wellingtons. All three were bombed up with full fuel tanks and were completely destroyed in the accident)

I should point out that I presumed the date of the 'crash' was May 30th as that was the last date in the note book, I just took it that the photo was taken some time afterwards on the June 6th, On reflection it would appear that the note book date refers to the location of the squadron up until that point and hadn't been updated (Squadron on the move)

[dfuller52]

No problem Blades. It's easy to do with Geoff's Search Engine (I should get him to pay me for all these plugs.)

But, the photo caption definitely seems to tie in with the incident already mentioned, so perhaps the three a/c were with a different squadron and your father's crew were just ferrying it to a new base or something?

According to what I could find, 231 Wing was 37 and 70 Sqn. What other squadrons might have been flying ops that day? And what base were they at on that date?

[COL BRUGGY]

Dave,

Pop a few of those service numbers from the casualties you have mentioned into the search engine on this site. When using GSE, you also need to consider Commonwealth Forces ie, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF and the SAAF.

Col.

[dfuller52]

Sorry Col, I should have specified, I did search for each of the national air forces and nothing came up in those squadrons for that period except UK airmen.

But you are quite correct, I didn't take it that extra step and check our own fine resource here. I will try that when I get a moment.

[dfuller52]

Well Col, you were right. Several of these sets belong to a/c already covered in the past. Here they are with the a/c and a link to the thread.

And I did miss a couple of Canadians and Aussies. Geoff's can be tricky sometimes.

Wellington W5418 - missing Cape Bon.
FLUX *J * 1194050 *104 SQDN *09/05/1943
JONES *J *656792 *104 SQDN *09/05/1943
REEVE *JWG *1291501 *104 SQDN *09/05/1943
STRIPP *H *1196515 *104 SQDN *09/05/1943
VINDEN *LW *123309 *104 SQDN *09/05/1943
plus J/17240 P/O (Air Gnr.) Gordon Henry DUNN RCAF +

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7050&highlight=Wellington+W5418

Wellington II W5376 'W' Missing, Pantelleria.
BENNETT *HJT *658278 *104 SQDN *11/06/1943
BLACK *WR *1290757 *104 SQDN *11/06/1943
CHURCH *CJ *1355162 *104 SQDN *11/06/1943
EASON *PAR *1332451 *104 SQDN *11/06/1943
KOEK-KOEK *P *1069844 *104 SQDN *11/06/1943
SOWERBY *RL *1021147 *104 SQDN *11/06/1943

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3756&highlight=658278

Wellington HZ247 missing - Target was Cape Bon
COMYN *JC *1287071 *70 SQDN *07/05/1943
POPPLESTON *G *1005744 *70 SQDN *07/05/1943
SHERRY *B *979599 *70 SQDN *07/05/1943
plus R/85471 WOI (Pilot) Ira Irvin KLIMAN RCAF +
AUS402959 F/Sgt ( ? ) Allan Roderick McFARLANE RAAF +

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7124&highlight=1287071

[RobJ]

Hi Col,
From Dad's diary 4/6/43. An aircraft crashed into two others over on 150 Squadron and started a huge fire. Lot of damage.
10/6/43 I was just getting to bed at 2am, there was a big explosion in 104 direction, like a kite going up. Hope it wasn't ours as my kit is still in it. ( had been diverted to 104 LG on return from Ops.)
11/6/43 last nights effort was a bad show for our Squadron. One of 40 Sqds kites piled in on take off and collected three of our kites(37 Sqd). All 'A' flight kites too. Luckily ours was safe, complete right off's the whole lot.
The incident I was refering to was the latter. I would now add 150 Sqd and 40 Sqd to the mix.
Just shows you when you go by memory and don't look up the exact page.
Regards,
Rob Jerram.

[dfuller52]

I could only find three casualties for either 40 Sqn or 150 on the night of 10/11 June 1943. None seem to have been cited on the forum before (old or new):

HALL DM 1239979 40 SQDN 11/06/1943 RAFVR
ROY IA 1344895 40 SQDN 11/06/1943 RAFVR
UNDERWOOD S 1380720 40 SQDN 11/06/1943 RAFVR

[Blades]

Once again thank you everyone for the response, I'm certainly further on from when I first asked the question,

It is looking all the more likely that Dads a/c was in some way involved in that 3 aircraft incident, if we look at the photo of Q and the damage therein it does appear that she was bombed up as all the fuselage above the bomb bay has disappeared.

I do know that my Father was in hospital for the best part of four months after the crash/incident, with his head totally bandaged for the best part of that time, I'm thinking that he could be excused for getting confused about the exact dates.

Would the ORB for 37 Squadron happen to mention Q's registration number, I intend to purchase the Trumpeter 1/48 Wellington and hope to represent it as 'Queenie' (we still have a small, 10" piece from her geodesic frame) fortunately decal's for Y LF (X9684) are available in 1/48 scale, a little adjustment will do the trick.

Colin