Sgt. Ken Fenton, 139 Squadron and POW, 1st July 1941.

[NickFenton]

W/O Ken Fenton (Stalags IXC, Stalag Luft III and VI and Stalag 357, Thorn and Fallingbostal)
RAF, Warrant Officer (sgt) K. Fenton, No. 1053472, Blenheim pilot, shot down on 1st July 1941 of 139 (Jamaica) Squadron, from Horsham St. Faith and ditched 60Kms NW of Vlieland. Other crew were Sgt A. A. Fuller (observer) and R. W. McDonald. (Wireless operator and air gunner). The situation was reported in by a stirling from 7 squadron which was subsequently lost with all crew. High Speed Launch, HSL 108 was dispatched and upon arriving at the scene was itself attacked. My Fathers and his crew ended up in Stalag IXc (Bad Sulza, 10 July 1941-29 April 1942), Stalag Luft III (Sagan, 1 May 1942-18 June 1943) and VI (Heydekrug 20 June 1943-18 July 1944) and finally Stalag 357 (Thorn (Poland) 19 July 1944-8 August 1944 and Fallingbostel August 1944- 7 April 1945). Ken Fenton, Prisoner No. 39204. I believe that the crew of the HSL also followed a similar route. His liberation record states under escape attempts that 'Yes, numerous attempts e.g. tunnels - succeeded once in quitting camp with f/sgt McCairns at Stalag IXc - recaptured Weimar by police next day. F/sgt McCairns re-escaped - l was unsuccessful - he was re-captured one or two days later - method - impersonated Belgians and walked through gate in early morning. I am aware of the forced marches from Stalag Luft 6 to Stalag 357 but l am trying to make some sense of the dates. Considering the last dates, would he have been marched out of Fallingbostel or liberated there? My Fathers log lists out the following but l do not know the connection. McCairns, J. Jones, S F Roughton, Harry Mahoney, Lionel Raymond Silver, Stan Pannis, W W Hall, R Evans, W H E Harwood, P Balson, Walter Kershaw, Gordon Bottomley, A Bonyle, Joe Walker, Norma J Smith, R Duffield, R MacDonald, John Woolston, Arthur Thomson, D A MacLeod, N M Campbell, Harold E Bennett, Malcolm Gillies, W M Hard (Al's brother), E G Caban, H A Hard, E G R Daggett. HSL crew members were W. F. Jackman, A. B. Raybould, R. E. Daggett, G. P. Drayson, A. G. Overill and W. H. Hales. I would really like to hear from anyone who can add anything, whether anyone knew my Father or whether you know of anyone who knew what they went through. I have amassed a great deal of information which l am happy to share but l have a need for more.Nick Fenton,

[Harry Ree]

I can recognise Jimmy McCairns who was awarded the MM after his escape from Stalag 1XC.He was downed on 6 July 1941, flying a Spitfire Mark 11A as a Sgt Pilot whilst engaged on a Sweep across Northern France with No 616 Squadron.He put his aircraft down in a field at Gravelines beach on the outskirts of Dunkirk and was promptly picked up and went into the bag.

After his return to England via France and Gib,He was commissioned and joined No 161 Squadron as a Lysander pilot and served throughout the remainder of the war with this clandestine squadron.He carried out a number of single and double Lysander operations down to as far as Perigueux using the disused airfield at Brassilac.

One of the interesting pick ups which failed safe occurred here on the night of 23/24 January 1943 when McCairns refused to land to pick up Oddette Samson and Peter Churchill after not receiving the correct signal.It transpired that the Gestapo had intelligence of the operation and lay in wait for the pick up.After getting wet through during the heavy rain which was falling throughout the operation,the two agents returned to the Hotel de France in Perigueux and next morning were having breakfast and heard the Gestapo at an adjacent table cursing their luck in not capturing "the terrorists"

Jimmy McCairns was born in Reford to American parents and was educated at Retford Grammar School, North Nottinghamshire.He continued flying after the war again with No 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron which had
been reformed again as a RAuxAF squadron but was killed in 1948 whilst night flying out of Finningley in a Mosquito NF30.He lies in Retford Cemetery, his account of his war largely untold,although his widow did give his fellow pilot, Hugh Verity access to his notes which appear in Verity's excellent account "We landed by Mooonlight" one account of the RAF's clandestine operations.

Nick,your father's war would had been somewhat different had he made "the home run" with Jimmy McCairns.No doubt there is an interesting story to be unfolded against all the names you mention.McCairn's story is just one.

[Peter Clare]

The following is taken from RAF Bomber Command Losses Vol 2. W R Chorley.


1 July 1941
139 Squadron
Blenheim IV V6258 XD-
Op. Oldenburg

Crew
Sgt. K. Fenton. pow
Sgt. A A. Fuller. pow
Sgt. R W. McDonald pow

The aircraft took off from Horsham St. Faith at 0848 hrs. Believed shot down by Fw Bachmann, I./JG53 and ditched 60 km NW of Vlieland in the Dutch Frisian islands.

[Kyt]

Originally Posted by NickFenton

My Fathers log lists out the following but l do not know the connection. McCairns, J. Jones, S F Roughton, Harry Mahoney, Lionel Raymond Silver, Stan Pannis, W W Hall, R Evans, W H E Harwood, P Balson, Walter Kershaw, Gordon Bottomley, A Bonyle, Joe Walker, Norma J Smith, R Duffield, R MacDonald, John Woolston, Arthur Thomson, D A MacLeod, N M Campbell, Harold E Bennett, Malcolm Gillies, W M Hard (Al's brother), E G Caban, H A Hard, E G R Daggett. HSL crew members were W. F. Jackman, A. B. Raybould, R. E. Daggett, G. P. Drayson, A. G. Overill and W. H. Hales.

A number of those names appear on the POW list at rafcommands.com.

It maybe worth checking through the list:

Air Force POW index

[NickFenton]

Thanks Fella's,

Yes, l have this information including the squadron ORB's of the various aircraft that attempted the rescue. 4 Blenheim's from 248 Squadron and 2 from 18 Squadron, to no avail. It is amazing how many aircraft could be involved in a potential rescue.

I also have McCairn's escape and evasion report which covers his first attempt at escape with my Father, when they were both recaptured which makes great reading.

I have very little detail apart from the obvious records and books that cover POW life to tell me what he actually did. I have his YMCA manual but this tells me little other than the fantastic pictures in it. I have photographs from the various plays that they put on at SL 3 and 6, etc. but l have a thirst for more.

Lionel Raymond Silver wrote a book but l am not sure where he would fit in. Michael Robert was shot down a month after my Father and he remembers him but nothing really specific. The POW's tended to stay in their small groups.

Flypast published an article on the 1st July 1941 which went through the events which was really interesting.

Cheers,

Nick





.

[Harry Ree]

Originally Posted by NickFenton

Thanks Fella's,

Yes, l have this information including the squadron ORB's of the various aircraft that attempted the rescue. 4 Blenheim's from 248 Squadron and 2 from 18 Squadron, to no avail. It is amazing how many aircraft could be involved in a potential rescue.

I also have McCairn's escape and evasion report which covers his first attempt at escape with my Father, when they were both recaptured which makes great reading.

I have very little detail apart from the obvious records and books that cover POW life to tell me what he actually did. I have his YMCA manual but this tells me little other than the fantastic pictures in it. I have photographs from the various plays that they put on at SL 3 and 6, etc. but l have a thirst for more.

Lionel Raymond Silver wrote a book but l am not sure where he would fit in. Michael Robert was shot down a month after my Father and he remembers him but nothing really specific. The POW's tended to stay in their small groups.

Flypast published an article on the 1st July 1941 which went through the events which was really interesting.

Cheers,

Nick





.

Nick,

Can you give us a little detail of your father's escape?, it must reveal an interesting story.

Little help was to be expected in Germany when on the run, apart from friendly forced labourers or or other "guest" workers.Once into the occupied countries,real help could be found and an excapee could find himself being passed down the line out to Brittany and home to Dartmouth via MTB or down to Marseille and out to Gib and England.The route over the Pyrennes was a well trod route and depended on guides who at times were not reliable.The Spanish authorities did not always give our people a neutral welcome and many found themselves incarcerated in conditions worse than any POW camp until they we released by Brtish intervention.

Poland was different with the local population largely willing to help escapees and Poles pressed into German service in the POW camps as "Germans" was another source of help.Swedish and Danish seaman were always sought after to provide a conduit for an escape from the Baltic ports.

Escape could also mean an early death, especially if the POW proved to be a "serial offender".The case of the 50 murdered after escaping from Stalag Luft 111 is well known.However there were numerous cases where POWs disappeared on recapture and to this day,the perpretators of murder were never identified and brought to justice due to difficulties in making headway in the cases.

Two personalities come mind. Warrant Officer G T W Grimson, an Observer with No 37 Squadron who had escaped many times within Germany dissappeared in 1944 and whose date of death has been recorded as 14 April 1944 was unique in that he escaped at least 6 times from various camps and during his last period of freedom was known to be setting up an escape route to Sweden from Hydekrug which was supported by Poles.However this route was quickly closed down as the first POW to use it was arrested as he left the camp and Grimson himself was caught during the roundup of the organisation.Warrant Officer R.B.H Townsend-Coles,captured as an LAC and associated with Grimson in the organisation of escape was another who became a continual problem to the German internal security forces.The last trace of him was when he was reported to be seen at Tilset Civil Prison in May 1944 and later via the Protecting Power, it was reported that he had been charged with espionage and collaboration with the Polish Underground Movement.Later the typical excuse for the ending of a POW's life was reported to the P.P that on 15 July 1944 Townsend -Coles had been shot when offering resistance.

Aidan Crawley, himself a RAF POW in Germany gave a good account of POW escape invovement in his publication "Escape from Germany".In late 1945,he was asked by the RAF Historical Branch to write the history of RAF escapes from Germany.Apparently he collected the POW accounts written on scraps of paper and secured them in a pram which he took with him on the 3 week forced march to Lubeck and liberation.

No doubt the RAF Historical Branch should have a good deal of information on RAF POWs.

[NickFenton]

This is a very long story based on the information found so far and includes McCairns escape and evasion report.

The administrator would not let me put it all here but l would be very happy to copy anyone in if they so wished.

Regards,

Nick