420 Sqn RCAF & Wellington LN431

[Owen]

I've been going over my info on cousin Bill's crew of Wellington LN431.
The whole crew was lost on a raid on Lamezio night of 14th/15th August 1943. 26 wellingtons dropped 54 tons of bombs.
The crew were.

Sgt JM Parr(pilot)
Sgt Dadge (bomb aimer)
Sgt Nettle
Sgt Norgrove
Sgt Boyd.

They are all on the Malta Memorial to the Missing.I've looked them all up on the CWGC site.
I also have a copy of Bill's service record he was with 420 Sqn from 4/7/43. Not long.
(All our family's war dead in both wars are all Missing.)

Can anyone put any faces to these names?
Any extra info on the crew or LN431 would be good.
Found some good photos of 420 sqn in N. Africa here.
http://parkerdw.sasktelwebsite.net/4...ca/gallery.htm

Look forward to what can be found , Thanks.

[Owen]

Here are the crew from the CWGC.

Name: PARR, JOHN MARTLAND
Initials: J M
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 420 Sqdn.
Date of Death: 15/08/1943
Service No: 1431080
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 9, Column 1.
Memorial: MALTA MEMORIAL


Name: DADGE, WILLIAM GEORGE HENRY
Initials: W G H
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 420 Sqdn.
Age: 22
Date of Death: 15/08/1943
Service No: 1168383
Additional information: Son of George and Elsie Dadge; husband of Gladys
Dadge, of Chelston, Torquay, Devon.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 8, Column 1.
Memorial: MALTA MEMORIAL

Name: NETTLE, DESMOND JOHN
Initials: D J
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 420 Sqdn.
Age: 21
Date of Death: 15/08/1943
Service No: 1320693
Additional information: Son of William John and Elsie Amy Nettle, of Weston-super-Mare,
Somerset.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 9, Column 1.
Memorial: MALTA MEMORIAL

Name: NORGROVE, ERIC STANLEY RAYMOND
Initials: E S R
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 420 (R.C.A.F.) Sqdn.
Age: 22
Date of Death: 15/08/1943
Service No: 1312417
Additional information: Son of Hubert James Norgrove and Winifred Hester
Norgrove, of Headington, Oxford.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 9, Column 1.
Memorial: MALTA MEMORIAL

Name: BOYD, DANIEL DAVID
Initials: D D
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment: Royal Air Force
Unit Text: 420 Sqdn.
Date of Death: 15/08/1943
Service No: 652467
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 8, Column 1.
Memorial: MALTA MEMORIAL


One thing, didn't the Wellington have a crew of 6 ?

[Harry Ree]

Originally Posted by Owen D

Here are the crew from the CWGC.

Name: PARR, JOHN MARTLAND
Initials: J M
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 420 Sqdn.
Date of Death: 15/08/1943
Service No: 1431080
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 9, Column 1.
Memorial: MALTA MEMORIAL


Name: DADGE, WILLIAM GEORGE HENRY
Initials: W G H
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 420 Sqdn.
Age: 22
Date of Death: 15/08/1943
Service No: 1168383
Additional information: Son of George and Elsie Dadge; husband of Gladys
Dadge, of Chelston, Torquay, Devon.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 8, Column 1.
Memorial: MALTA MEMORIAL

Name: NETTLE, DESMOND JOHN
Initials: D J
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 420 Sqdn.
Age: 21
Date of Death: 15/08/1943
Service No: 1320693
Additional information: Son of William John and Elsie Amy Nettle, of Weston-super-Mare,
Somerset.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 9, Column 1.
Memorial: MALTA MEMORIAL

Name: NORGROVE, ERIC STANLEY RAYMOND
Initials: E S R
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 420 (R.C.A.F.) Sqdn.
Age: 22
Date of Death: 15/08/1943
Service No: 1312417
Additional information: Son of Hubert James Norgrove and Winifred Hester
Norgrove, of Headington, Oxford.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 9, Column 1.
Memorial: MALTA MEMORIAL

Name: BOYD, DANIEL DAVID
Initials: D D
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment: Royal Air Force
Unit Text: 420 Sqdn.
Date of Death: 15/08/1943
Service No: 652467
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 8, Column 1.
Memorial: MALTA MEMORIAL


One thing, didn't the Wellington have a crew of 6 ?

The normal crew of a Bomber Command Wellington on operations would be 5.

Pilot

Observer. Undertaking navigational and bomber aiming duties.

Two Air Wireless Operators/Air Gunners

One Air Gunner.

These last three crew man would share front turret and rear turret duties with the other undertaking the Wireless Operator duties as his prime function

Occasionally a second pilot, an advanced pilot under training flew as the 6th men for the purpose of experiencing bomber operations prior to taking over his own crew. Sometimes referred to as the "Second Dicky" ,the practice could result in the loss of two pilots,one probably experienced and the "Second Dicky" with hardly an operation to his name and who would be otherwise destined as part of the "successor" structure.However it was the only method of giving raw pilots experience of air operations prior to them taking on the greater responsibility of skippering their own aircraft.

When the four engined heavies came into service in early 1942,Bomber Command,the new flight crew designation,Flight Engineer was introduced which eliminated the need for a second pilot,this crewman as well as handling the engine performance /fuel tank selection was also trained to act as second pilotto takeover in an emergency.Enhanced training at the OTUs,OCUs and the provision of special Lancaster Finishing Schools resulted in a continual stream of aircrew to mann new Lancaster Squadrons as large numbers of Lancaster aircraft rolled off the production line.

Experienced pilots at Group Captain level were occasionally lost when operating as second pilots,quite a number were lost in four engined heavies on operations which their crewing could be challenged.It did lead to the unnecessary loss of some Station Commanders.

[Owen]

Sorry Harry, just realised I never said Thank You for explaining that.
Better late than never.Thank You.

[Owen]

Been sent these pictures of the Malta Memorial today.
In the Scout HQ & shop in Swindon I saw Bill Dadge is on the War Memorial there to former Scouts killed in WW2.

[David Layne]

I'm confused with this raid. "Bomber Command War Diaries" does not list it as such.

[Owen]

They not in Bomber Command, at that time, they were operating in the Med.

[David Layne]

Thanks for clarifying that Owen.

[adrian roberts]

The normal crew of a Bomber Command Wellington on operations would be 5.
Pilot
Observer. Undertaking navigational and bomber aiming duties.
Two Air Wireless Operators/Air Gunners
One Air Gunner.

Harry is correct about Wellington crews in the early part of the war, and about the introduction of Flight Engineers on four-engined types.

But in mid-1942 the role of Observer was split into Navigator and Bomb-Aimer, as the workload was becoming too heavy for one man. The Wireless Op was no longer an Air Gunner as well - with increasing radio beam guidance such as Gee the W/Op was fully occupied working as a team with the Navigator and B/Aimer. The B/Aimer also operated the front turret, which was very little used in practice on night ops, and in any case there wasn't much room for two men - if a front gunner was present he was virtually sitting on the prone Bomb Aimer. (An exception was the dams raid where front gunners were carried to try to eliminate the AA and searchlights).

Therefore the other three men on this Wellington in 1943 would have been Navigator, W/Op and Rear Gunner.

Adrian

[Owen]

Thanks Adrian.
I've stood in front of the Wellington at Brooklands Museum and tried to image Bill and his crew in one. It seemed so vunerable.