37 Squadron - Wellington Q-Queenie May '43

**Oggie2620** · 18th November 2010, 14:51

Hi Blades
I am having a 1/48 scale Trumpeter Wellington made up in 75 Sqn markings at the moment. My friend says its a great kit but its huge!
Dee

**dfuller52** · 18th November 2010, 14:55

My only question about that photo is, where are the other aircraft? I would think if it collided with anything, there would be additional debris in the photo. I doubt they could have moved a burned out wreck and have it all still in place like that. His diary entry does say they were all write-offs. A real puzzle this one.

**Blades** · 18th November 2010, 15:34

Oggie2620 I can only 'do' 1/48 scale nowadays, the old eyes and all that, so big is good, plus the detail, judging from the 'photos, is superb, this can be added to with the purchase of a suitable 'big ed' set (worth it for the cockpit detail alone) best of luck with the project - hope you have a large enough LG for her.

dfuller52 - I know what you're saying, I think I'm trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole, I'm currently going through a tonne of letters my dad wrote to my oldest brother ( from the 70's - if nothing else they remind me of what I got up to) in the hope that they contain a clue or two.

Colin

**COL BRUGGY** · 18th November 2010, 16:02

Dave,

Note the RCAF member.

The last raid on Pantelleria was on 10 June, when eighteen Wellingtons were detailed to attack. On take-off the thirteenth (W/O N Kennedy RCAF) crashed, and four members of the crew were killed , only the rear gunner (Sgt Powell) surviving.

10/11-6-1943
No.40 Sqn.
Wellington III HF687 'T'
Target: Pantelleria

Aircraft crashed on take-off and was completely destroyed.

R/93525 WO1 (Pilot) Neil KENNEDY RCAF +
1344895 Sgt (Nav.) Ian Alexander ROY RAFVR +
1380720 Sgt (W.Op./Air Gnr.) Sidney UNDERWOOD RAFVR +
1239979 F/Sgt (Air Gnr.) Donald McNeill HALL RAFVR +
- - ? - - Sgt (Air Gnr.) R A POWELL - Injured.

The dead are buried in Enfidaville War Cemetery.

See: Sweeping the Skies/Gunby. pp.234 & 370

There is an account of what happened on this night in F R Chappell's, Wellington Wings (pp.170-2).

Col.

**dfuller52** · 18th November 2010, 16:12

Thanks Col,

There is something fussy about Geoff's search engine that is preventing the other forces' men from appearing in my searches. I have tried specifying ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE, etc. as well as specifying Australia, Canada etc. and it still doesn't work. I will reread the help instructions, but I thought I had already figured it out... guess not.

**Henk Welting** · 18th November 2010, 16:23

Col,
I've this crew on HF697.
HF687 was 1446 Flt and crashed on landing at Castel Benito, Libya 21-2-1943 (Air Britain). This a/c also on file but just one name of a casualty (Sgt [WOp/Ag] George W. PATEY - 1168453 - buried Tripoli War Cem.
Regards,
Henk.

**COL BRUGGY** · 18th November 2010, 17:21

Henk,

I was aware of the PATEY/HF687 connection from one of your old unaccounted posts. It did state that that the aircraft crash-landed. Having no other reference than Gunby's Sweeping the Skies, I assumed the aircraft was repaired and re-allocated.

I stand corrected.

Thanks.

Col.

**dfuller52** · 18th November 2010, 17:36

Could it be that HF697 is the a/c referred to in John Blade's diary as the one that piled into the 37 Sqn kites? By reading it closely, it sounds like he and his crew were not near 'Q' Queenie at the time and, from the picture, it's obvious that they visited the wreck afterwards.

Therefore, a look at the 40 Sqn ORB could tell us more. But if 37 Sqn lost aircraft, it should be noted in the ORB, even if no one was injured or killed, shouldn't it?

And I guess John Blade's kit did go up in smoke from the looks of it.

**RobJ** · 19th November 2010, 05:16

Hi Dave,
The ORB for 37 Squadron just states that there was an unfortunate incident with loss of three aircraft, there are no references to which aircraft. However looking at the nights of 9/10 and 10/11 June 43 and compare them with Operations of 14/15 June, there are five aircraft which are not matching and the ones missing are as follows;
DF 686, HE 861, HZ 108, HE 660, and HE 640. Three of these will be the destroyed aircraft. Some one with the right reference book will be able to sort which are which. It would certainly appear as if John Blade was with 40 Squadron and not 37 Squadron as his name doesn't appear in any of the 37 Squadron crews.

Regards,
Rob Jerram.