HughAHalliday
9th October 2010, 01:07
Of possible use to others (and more details would be apprciated). The following found by chance in RCAF personnel files:
Circumstantial report of loss of Warwick B/279 HG209).
On January 11th, 1945, Warwick "B" HG209 took off at approximately 1330 hours to give ASR cover to Anti-Shipping operations off the Norwegian coast. The crew consisted of the following members: Captain (pilot) 141068 F/L J.H. Moreton; Navigator A.417420 WO W.J. Sandercock; WOP/Airs 54284 F/O G.C. Galloway, 1377933 WO G.W. Mansfield, 1413675 FS W. Bryan, Air Gunners R182035 WO Bentley, F.E., 1588334 WO Goodall, A.F.
Enemy fighter opposition was encountered and the Warwick failed to return to base; the aircraft was last seen to be over a ditched "strike" aircraft and was believed to be followed by an Me.109.
Re loss of Flight Sergeant R.D. Adgey, Hudson FK417, No.48 Squadron, 30 May 1943:
About 2100 hours, night operational rescue 90 miles west of Gibraltar. Crew were 136162 F/O R.C. Cornelius (pilot, killed), 126674 P/O E.F. Daniel (Nav/B, killed), R105465 Sget R.D. Adgey (WOP/AG killed) and J12997 F/O F.H. Coughlin (survived). "F/O Coughlin the sole survivor states that he was in the turret when aircraft crashed. They were circling a dinghy at about 300 feet when he felt himself pressed against the perspex of the turret and on looking round he saw the aircraft heading straight for the sea. He was blown out of the turret, burnt by fuel burning on the surface. He seized a K-type dinghy inflated it and was picked up by HSL next morning. He heard no change in the note of the engines prior to the crash." Investigator wrote, "If, while circling a dinghy at low altitude, the pilot glues his eyes on the dinghy and not on his instruments it is very easy for the aircraft to go into a steep dive or climb. This may have caused the accident." Search begun when aircraft overdue.
Signal said that aircraft passed over a dinghy, made a medium turn to port, and half-way tyhrough turn wing dropped steeply and aircraft side-slipped = port wing struck sea. Aircraft immediately went under, fuel tanks exploded and burning petrol spread. Details received from pilot of Blenheim who was in dinghy. S/L H.A.S. Disney (Station North Front, Gibraltar) wrote in part to Adgey's mother, "In saving the lives of others he gave his own."
Loss of P/O J.D. Ernst, Lysander T1686, No.276 Squadron, 24 August 1942:
Letter to his mother, 11 September 1942 from R.C. Richards (but was he CO or was S/L Robert R.P. Fisher ?) "Your son was captain of a Lysander aircraft which set out for a practice air/sea rescue search in the region of Lyme Bay, off Dorsetshire. Thirty minutes later enemy aircraft approached the vicinity and a warning was immediately broadcast. As no reply to the warning was received from your son's aircraft, and no trace of it or any of its occupants could be found when search was later made, it is assumed that it was shot down into the sea by the enemy aircraft." He had been last heard from at 3.30 p.m Killed with 1419191 AC2 S.H. Flert.
It would be interestingto know if this machine was indeed shot down by German aircraft, and is so, by what unit and pilot.
Circumstantial report of loss of Warwick B/279 HG209).
On January 11th, 1945, Warwick "B" HG209 took off at approximately 1330 hours to give ASR cover to Anti-Shipping operations off the Norwegian coast. The crew consisted of the following members: Captain (pilot) 141068 F/L J.H. Moreton; Navigator A.417420 WO W.J. Sandercock; WOP/Airs 54284 F/O G.C. Galloway, 1377933 WO G.W. Mansfield, 1413675 FS W. Bryan, Air Gunners R182035 WO Bentley, F.E., 1588334 WO Goodall, A.F.
Enemy fighter opposition was encountered and the Warwick failed to return to base; the aircraft was last seen to be over a ditched "strike" aircraft and was believed to be followed by an Me.109.
Re loss of Flight Sergeant R.D. Adgey, Hudson FK417, No.48 Squadron, 30 May 1943:
About 2100 hours, night operational rescue 90 miles west of Gibraltar. Crew were 136162 F/O R.C. Cornelius (pilot, killed), 126674 P/O E.F. Daniel (Nav/B, killed), R105465 Sget R.D. Adgey (WOP/AG killed) and J12997 F/O F.H. Coughlin (survived). "F/O Coughlin the sole survivor states that he was in the turret when aircraft crashed. They were circling a dinghy at about 300 feet when he felt himself pressed against the perspex of the turret and on looking round he saw the aircraft heading straight for the sea. He was blown out of the turret, burnt by fuel burning on the surface. He seized a K-type dinghy inflated it and was picked up by HSL next morning. He heard no change in the note of the engines prior to the crash." Investigator wrote, "If, while circling a dinghy at low altitude, the pilot glues his eyes on the dinghy and not on his instruments it is very easy for the aircraft to go into a steep dive or climb. This may have caused the accident." Search begun when aircraft overdue.
Signal said that aircraft passed over a dinghy, made a medium turn to port, and half-way tyhrough turn wing dropped steeply and aircraft side-slipped = port wing struck sea. Aircraft immediately went under, fuel tanks exploded and burning petrol spread. Details received from pilot of Blenheim who was in dinghy. S/L H.A.S. Disney (Station North Front, Gibraltar) wrote in part to Adgey's mother, "In saving the lives of others he gave his own."
Loss of P/O J.D. Ernst, Lysander T1686, No.276 Squadron, 24 August 1942:
Letter to his mother, 11 September 1942 from R.C. Richards (but was he CO or was S/L Robert R.P. Fisher ?) "Your son was captain of a Lysander aircraft which set out for a practice air/sea rescue search in the region of Lyme Bay, off Dorsetshire. Thirty minutes later enemy aircraft approached the vicinity and a warning was immediately broadcast. As no reply to the warning was received from your son's aircraft, and no trace of it or any of its occupants could be found when search was later made, it is assumed that it was shot down into the sea by the enemy aircraft." He had been last heard from at 3.30 p.m Killed with 1419191 AC2 S.H. Flert.
It would be interestingto know if this machine was indeed shot down by German aircraft, and is so, by what unit and pilot.