Battle of Britain

[BeppoSapone]

[quote=morse1001,Jun 29 2004, 05:42 PM]
I have just scanned the photo, and will send it to the email address given. The boat is No. 125.

My relative is the guy with his head through the ring, actually he is my fathers 1st cousin and was born in 1922. [/

]
I can tell from the number that it is a "whaleback" Did your relative know a Flt lt Guiness? he was the then heir to the family fortune and a Marine branch officer. I am sure 125 was part of his unit.

I have just spoken to his younger sister. She said that her brother never talked about the war, or the RAF, at the time, let alone now.

Even when he was in Africa all he ever wrote home about was what he did in his off duty time, helping some Missionary Fathers who ran a school for orphans.

He has never been to any of the RAF re-unions etc and never even claimed his medals, let alone worn them. Maybe this will change in the run up to the 60th Anniv. of the end of the war?

This being said, we know that he was based at one time in Suffolk. His sister said that he was "moved about a lot". She wrote to him at Portsmouth and "Kent and the south east coast".

When he went oversea she wrote to him at Lagos and or Appapa, which seems to be a little place near Lagos, Nigeria. Any information about it?

What were the Air-Sea Rescue doing there? My guess is that the Germans were attacking convoys, and the RAF were attacking the U Boats.

[BeppoSapone]

Originally posted by BeppoSapone@Jul 1 2004, 07:36 AM


When he went oversea she wrote to him at Lagos and or Appapa, which seems to be a little place near Lagos, Nigeria. Any information about it?

What were the Air-Sea Rescue doing there? My guess is that the Germans were attacking convoys, and the RAF were attacking the U Boats.

I did a little "googling" and found that I was right about the anti-U Boat patrols by the RAF. Only one P in Apapa, but I found things like this:

"No 270 Squadron

Formed at Alexandria on 6 October 1918 from 354, 355 and 356 Flights, it flew Short 184s and Felixstowe F3s on anti-submarine patrols along the Egyptian coast. It disbanded on 15 September 1919 when it was merged into No 269 Squadron.

The squadron reformed at Jui in Gambia on 12 November 1942 as a general reconnaissance unit equipped with Catalinas. These were used for anti-submarine patrols along the West African coast. It moved its base to Apapa in Nigeria in July 1943 and the following December began to convert to Sunderland, although it was May 1944 before the last Catalina left. The squadron finally disbanded on 30 June 1945.

No Badge Authorised"

Any info' about the Air-Sea Rescue element at Apapa?

[morse1001]

Any info' about the Air-Sea Rescue element at Apapa?

because it was a Flying boat squadron, there would only be marine Craft elements. they would provide a ASR facility as and when required.

I am digging in my book collection because I do have something about the "african" units.

This is when I wished i had not thrown out all the old ASR club magazines!

[morse1001]

[[quote]]

"ASR/Mcraft Units"



"Royal Airforce Air/Sea rescue and Marine Craft Units"
"COMMAND GROUPS AND AIR.SEA.RESCUE,UNITS,AT OCT 1944"


"Coastal Command Group. 15"



A/S/R.MarCraft,Unit


51 Pwllheli
53 Fleetwood
54 [Detachment] Ramsey
54 [detachment] Peel
55 kirkeudbright
56 Portaferry
57 Donaghadee
60 Lough Foyle
61 Campbeltown
63 Mensia Straits
64 Ayr
66 Stornoway
67 Port Ellen
70 Iceland-Reykjavik

[No Group]
71 Gibraltar

"No 16"
21 Bridlington
22 Grimsby
24 Gorleston
26 Felixstowe
27 Dover/Ramsgate
28 Shoreham
29 Littlehampton
30 Cowes
31 Sheerness

"No 85 2nd Tactical Air Force".


32
33

"No 18"


1 Lerwick
2 Kirkwall
4 Wick
7 Burghead
8 Buckie
10 Aberdeen
11 Montrose
12 Tayport
15 Blyth
16 West Hartlepool
"No 19"


36 Poole
37 Lyme Regis
39 Torquay
40 Weymouth
41 Salcombe
42 Falmouth/Newlyn
44 Padstow
45 Barry
46 Porthcawl
48 Tenby
"Marine Craft Units Postwar"

1100,Alness
1101,Fowey
1102,Falmouth
1102,Gibraltar,No,transferred when,Falmouth,closed,1975
1103,Felixstowe
1104,Bridlington
1105,Porthcawl
1106,Drunmore
1107,Newhaven
RAF Thorney Island:-Detachment form Newhaven
1108,Blythe
1109,Boston
1110,Immingham
1111,Lyme Regis
1112,Tayport
1113,Holyhead
1114,Ramsey
1115,Pembroke Dock
Mcrs Pembroke Dock
RAF Tenby,detachment from Pembroke Dock
RAF Fishguard Detachment from Pembroke Dock.
RAF Mcs Mountbatten and Training School
RAF Calshot Mcmu and Training School prior to Mtbatten.
1116
1117
1118
1119
1120
1121
1122
1123,RAF Glugor Penang
1124,Seletar,Singapore
MCRS,Seletar,Singapore
Paula Brani:-Detachment from Seletar
Bruni,Borneo,---------"------------
1125 Glugor,Malaya.Glugor had the No 1125 prior to Gan.
1125,Gan,The,Maldives
1151,Malta
1152,Aden
1153,Fanara
1153,Limassol





this might be useful

[morse1001]

270 Sqn Catalina in the Gambia.

There is a couple of men wearing chamber pots --- sorry they are pith helmets!

[morse1001]

She wrote to him at Portsmouth and "Kent and the south east coast".

there were ASR units at Dover and ramsgate

[BeppoSapone]

Originally posted by morse1001@Jul 1 2004, 12:59 PM

there were ASR units at Dover and ramsgate

Thanks for all the information, which I will pass on.

Tony

[BeppoSapone]

[quote=BeppoSapone,Jun 29 2004, 07:30 AM]

I have a picture of a relative, who served on one of these boats, manning some sort of machine gun. I am not sure when this rescue service was established, but my relative was in it from c1942. [/[quote]]

Tony [/

]
I have just scanned the photo, and will send it to the email address given. The boat is No. 125.

My relative is the guy with his head through the ring, actually he is my fathers 1st cousin and was born in 1922.

I have just found out how to add pics in this forum, so here it is.

[MalcolmII]

Bingo. Ther'll be no holding you now.

Aye
Malcolm