144 Squadron July 1941 - April 1942

I have just recently joined this site in the hope of someone being able to advise me as to how i can find out about my Grandfathers participation as a rear gunner in the RAF during WW2. His name was David McKee from Ballywalter in County Down, Northern Ireland. From what i have heard he served as a rear gunner and may have served in the Far East. Is there any way i can find out more about his service if so i would be very greatful to recieve the information.

George Allison

 

Hello George,


Welcome to the forum. To discover your Grandfathers service in the RAF you will first need to obtain his service record as outlined below.

Good luck with your research

Regards
Peter


Applications for RAF personnel records from family members and other authorized persons

RAF Disclosures Section
Room 221b
Trenchard Hall
RAF Cranwell
Sleaford
LINCS
NG34 8HB

01400 261201 (direct line 01400 268163)
Ext 6711
Ext 8161/8159 (Officers)
Ext 8163/8168/8170 (Other ranks)


Obtaining service records for those who served in the Royal Air Force during world war 2 is more or less straightforward, but will only divulge service information to the person to whom it refers or, if he or she has died to his or her immediate next of kin. Anyone else must obtain permission from the person about whom they are enquiring or from his or her next of kin, before any information will be given to them. In some cases the PMA make a charge of £30.00 for any information they provide. Except to the person to which it refers, or the widow or widower of that person.


http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/searching-someone-military-genealogy/23223-obtaining-raf-service-records-rules.html

 

Hi John

F/O Evans joined 144 Squadron from 25 OTU on the 14 August 1941

Background to Convoy Op 5 Nov 41

144 Squadron Hampdens
AE395 was carrying 4x500 and 2x250 lb wing bombs.

Hampden Up Down Pilot
AE395 18.15 02.00 Sgt Woodhead
AE440 18.25 02.10 P/O Farrington
AE141 18.30 01.05 Sgt Nightingale
AD846 - FTR P/O Baker
AE424 - FTR P/O Evans
AE253** - FTR P/O Kidd

** Possibly on the later Intruder operation.

AE395 Debrief
We took off at 18.15 hours and set course for the mouth of the Rhine. We went down to about 50 feet and followed the enemy coast to the Frisian Islands, here we were fired on by a convoy. We climbed and sent a sighting message to Group then closed the throttles and dived on the end ship in the convoy, dropping our bombs from 200 feet, one bomb was seen to land on the stern of the ship. We set course for base but were diverted to Middleton St George where we landed at 02.00 hours.

AE141 Debrief
We set course for Over Flakkee to patrol the Dutch coast and Frisian Islands. While off the Dutch coast we received a message from base giving the position of a convoy of 12 to 15 ships off Terschelling Island. We made two low level attacks on a tanker. On the first attack three bombs were dropped and a cloud of smoke was seen by the rear gunner coming from the ship’s deck. On the second attack the bombs fell wide. Intensive light flak was fired from all the ships in the convoy. One aircraft observed shot down about a quarter of a mile to starboard. Own aircraft damaged by flak. Landed at Middleton St George.

AE440 Debrief
We set course for the Dutch coast, pinpointed near Over Flakkee and began to patrol. Signal received of convoy off Terschelling and proceeded in westerly direction. Convoy located and attacked at low level. Balloons were observed flying from convoy, and it was due to a last minute turn to avoid these that results of attack were not observed. Bombs were probably thrown to one side. One ship probably a tanker, was seen to be blazing from stem to stern prior to our attack. Only opposition was tracer. We left convoy and set course for base, only to be diverted to Middleton St George where we landed at 02.10 hours.

The operation was most probably sanctioned with the expectation of the same success achieved by P/O Jimmy Craigs two days earlier. With the hope of picking up a Convoy out of Roterdam.

Two convoys were spotted following seperate courses along the Frisians. Convoy No.1526 was off the island of Terschelling and came under attack from the three Hampdens that would return. A fourth Hampden either AD846 or AE424 was also involved in the attack and was hit by flak crashing into the sea. Nursing his own aircraft Sgt Nightingale in AE141 was aware of an aircraft going down between the convoy and Terschellings northern shore. The German Daily War Records - No. 1./Sicherungsdivision mentions the attack of Convoy (Geleit) No. 1526 attacked near Terschelling and one Hampden shot down. Also listed is the attack on Convoy No. 1539 with one aircraft shot down. Both these entries account for AD846 and AE424. The account does not record which Hampden with which Convoy.

P/O Evans, P/O Walters and Sgt Miskin of AE424 were part of the crew who had flown AE311 two days earlier on Convoy patrol alongside P/O Craig on his succesful operation on the 3 November. Fate would save their regular wireless operator Sgt Lyon. He had completed his tour on the 3 November. His position was taken by Sgt Miskin moving from the lower rear gunners position and Sgt George Bennett joining the crew for only his third operation since joining the squadron a month earlier. Their loss explains why the only account for the 3 November operation was completed by P/O Craig.

The diversion to Middleton St George may have been one of convenience for North Luffenham, without it, their arrival back at North Luffenham would have coincided with aircraft departing on the squadrons second operation that night. The three Hampdens returning from the convoy attack may have had cause to ask why such a diversion with AE141 having taken quite a bruising.

The badly damaged Hampden flown by Ivo Nightingale had to be left at Middleton St George, leaving him and his crew requiring a lift back to North Luffenham. Poor weather on the sixth cancelled all flying during the day and delayed their return.On the 7 November Nightingale and his navigator Sgt Sparks joined my father and his crew in AE395 for the one hour flight back to North Luffenham. The two remaining members of AE141, Sgt Gailey the wireless operator and Sgt Ward the rear gunner most probably joined P/O Farrington and his crew in AE440 for the flight home.

AE141 took a month to repair. Crews grew attached to aircraft and Sgt Nightingale was reunited with AE141 for the operation on the 7/8 December to Aachen, with
Sgt Gailey replaced by Sgt Thompson.

Sgt Gailey returned to operations on the 11 December in AE353 as a fifth crew man. AE353 failed to return with the loss of all five crew members.

The 3 November action is the one most mentioned in references to 144 Squadron. (Since writing this last paragraph I have some doubt on the content being correct. Varda should be Vara, the miss spelling comes from an intelligence report in the squadrons ORB. It is an assumption in the same report that Major General Felix Vara was on board and not a know fact. German records have his death recorded while in transit closer to the Island of Alderney in the Channel Islands and not off the Frisians. Watch this space.)

Major General Felix Varda, commander of the western anti-aircraft defences in Germany was killed while travelling in the second ship in the convoy attacked by AE309. His death was reported in both the British and German press.

Drop me a private note if you want more details.

John

 

Hi John

F/O Evans joined 144 Squadron from 25 OTU on the 14 August 1941

Background to Convoy Op 5 Nov 41

144 Squadron Hampdens
AE395 was carrying 4x500 and 2x250 lb wing bombs.

Hampden Up Down Pilot
AE395 18.15 02.00 Sgt Woodhead
AE440 18.25 02.10 P/O Farrington
AE141 18.30 01.05 Sgt Nightingale
AD846 - FTR P/O Baker
AE424 - FTR P/O Evans
AE253** - FTR P/O Kidd

** Possibly on the later Intruder operation.

AE395 Debrief
We took off at 18.15 hours and set course for the mouth of the Rhine. We went down to about 50 feet and followed the enemy coast to the Frisian Islands, here we were fired on by a convoy. We climbed and sent a sighting message to Group then closed the throttles and dived on the end ship in the convoy, dropping our bombs from 200 feet, one bomb was seen to land on the stern of the ship. We set course for base but were diverted to Middleton St George where we landed at 02.00 hours.

AE141 Debrief
We set course for Over Flakkee to patrol the Dutch coast and Frisian Islands. While off the Dutch coast we received a message from base giving the position of a convoy of 12 to 15 ships off Terschelling Island. We made two low level attacks on a tanker. On the first attack three bombs were dropped and a cloud of smoke was seen by the rear gunner coming from the ship’s deck. On the second attack the bombs fell wide. Intensive light flak was fired from all the ships in the convoy. One aircraft observed shot down about a quarter of a mile to starboard. Own aircraft damaged by flak. Landed at Middleton St George.

AE440 Debrief
We set course for the Dutch coast, pinpointed near Over Flakkee and began to patrol. Signal received of convoy off Terschelling and proceeded in westerly direction. Convoy located and attacked at low level. Balloons were observed flying from convoy, and it was due to a last minute turn to avoid these that results of attack were not observed. Bombs were probably thrown to one side. One ship probably a tanker, was seen to be blazing from stem to stern prior to our attack. Only opposition was tracer. We left convoy and set course for base, only to be diverted to Middleton St George where we landed at 02.10 hours.

The operation was most probably sanctioned with the expectation of the same success achieved by P/O Jimmy Craigs two days earlier. With the hope of picking up a Convoy out of Roterdam.

Two convoys were spotted following seperate courses along the Frisians. Convoy No.1526 was off the island of Terschelling and came under attack from the three Hampdens that would return. A fourth Hampden either AD846 or AE424 was also involved in the attack and was hit by flak crashing into the sea. Nursing his own aircraft Sgt Nightingale in AE141 was aware of an aircraft going down between the convoy and Terschellings northern shore. The German Daily War Records - No. 1./Sicherungsdivision mentions the attack of Convoy (Geleit) No. 1526 attacked near Terschelling and one Hampden shot down. Also listed is the attack on Convoy No. 1539 with one aircraft shot down. Both these entries account for AD846 and AE424. The account does not record which Hampden with which Convoy.

P/O Evans, P/O Walters and Sgt Miskin of AE424 were part of the crew who had flown AE311 two days earlier on Convoy patrol alongside Sgt Craig on his succesful operation on the 3 November. Fate would save their regular wireless operator Sgt Lyon. He had completed his tour on the 3 November. His position was taken by Sgt Miskin moving from the lower rear gunners position and Sgt George Bennett joining the crew for only his third operation since joining the squadron a month earlier. Their loss explains why the only account for the 3 November operation was completed by Sgt Craig.

The diversion to Middleton St George may have been one of convenience for North Luffenham, without it, their arrival back at North Luffenham would have coincided with aircraft departing on the squadrons second operation that night. The three Hampdens returning from the convoy attack may have had cause to ask why such a diversion with AE141 having taken quite a bruising.

The badly damaged Hampden flown by Ivo Nightingale had to be left at Middleton St George, leaving him and his crew requiring a lift back to North Luffenham. Poor weather on the sixth cancelled all flying during the day and delayed their return.On the 7 November Nightingale and his navigator Sgt Sparks joined my father and his crew in AE395 for the one hour flight back to North Luffenham. The two remaining members of AE141, Sgt Gailey the wireless operator and Sgt Ward the rear gunner most probably joined P/O Farrington and his crew in AE440 for the flight home.

AE141 took a month to repair. Crews grew attached to aircraft and Sgt Nightingale was reunited with AE141 for the operation on the 7/8 December to Aachen, with
Sgt Gailey replaced by Sgt Thompson.

Sgt Gailey returned to operations on the 11 December in AE353 as a fifth crew man. AE353 failed to return with the loss of all five crew members.

The 3 November action is the one most mentioned in references to 144 Squadron.

Major General Felix Varda, commander of the western anti-aircraft defences in Germany was killed while travelling in the second ship in the convoy attacked by AE309. His death was reported in both the British and German press.

Drop me a private note if you want more details.

John
Dear John
Thank you very much for this information for which I am very grateful. Llewellyn was their only son.
Re Sgt Miskin- by pure chance I put his name into Ancestory.com and found that his wife went to Australia or New Zealand and remarried. His grandchildren were also asking about he died, so I can pass this information on to them.

regards
john

 

Hello all. I have a collection of photographs from my grandfather's RAF career 1935-1946. Amongst these you will find 144 sqn photos and he may well have been with this sqn for a period. Take a look and if you have any info to add to the data I am collecting on these, please feel free to contact me. I hope the images are useful in your own research. For the moment, all pics are on a Facebook page as I correlate details, so you will need to be a FB member. I will soon transfer them to an image site on the web. My grandfather's name was Alfred (Alfie) Blackburne and he was born in 1917. I'm still waiting for his serivice records. He passed away in 1988 but my grandmother is still going strong at 92 and she put in the application. In the meantime I am trying to glean as much info as I can from the photos and the comments other researchers have made about them. V best, Nick.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/199801603427533/

 

Also, please feel free to ask me about Alfie's service. As a boy I built many model aircraft and while helping he would tell me about his experiences during the war and various aircraft. Eg, he recalled very early leaflet drops over Germany and volunteering for gunnery duty. He was definitely at RAF Valley in Wales at some point, as he rented a cottage outside the base for my gran to live in, and there she had my uncle in 1943 and my dad in 1944. She recalls Alfie being away much of the time, including D Day when my dad was born.

 

Hi Nick

My research on 144 Squadron is very time specific, July 41 April 42, I have not found your grandfathers name listed as aircrew between these dates. Leaflet drops did occur in this period but your reference to early leaflet drops could mean he was possibly with the squadron during 1940. Bomber crews at this time are sometimes referred to as ‘The Other Few’, a period when a lot of lessons were being learnt the hard way by squadrons using Hampdens on daylight operations. I am not on Face book but will get to see your photographs through a contact. I have a lot of information on Hampdens with 144 Squadron, if I recognise anything, or can pick out a aircraft number, I will send you what I know, numbers will also help date the photographs.

Your Grandmothers recollections, if she is happy to talk about it, will give you a unique record.

Good Luck with your research, John

 

Hi Nick

I have now had chance to see your photos on Face Book. The twin engined bomber, is the Blenheim introduced in 1940, none of the photographs contain Hampdens. You might find your Grandfather was with 114 Squadron rather than 144 Squadron.

John

 

Hi John. What do you think about k7080 in pics 51 46 and 30?

 

144 had Blenheims and Hampdens in 1938. They lost nearly all the former in France. The wreckage in the pics described above is a 144 sqn Blenheim. Alfie was able to describe the crash to me in detail. He is likely to have been with several sqns over his 11 year service. The records were applied for nearly 2 months ago and no sign of them yet.

 

I am doing some family history research for the brother of Sgt Eric Turner and would be really grateful for any research and information which you could share with me. Many thanks
Ellen

 

Hi Ellen

Most of the information on Sgt Eric Turner is included earlier with my correspondence with Joy Reynard. If you send me a private note with your email details I can send you a pdf of the relevant pages for 20 Sept 1941 144 Squadron operations to Frankfurt, Berlin and Ostend. I can put you in touch with Joy Reynard who supplied me with some photographs and a letter I have transcribed, sent by the surviving members of Eric Turners crew to Mr W Turner, his father. They apologies for not getting to Eric’s funeral. Sadly by the end of 1941 they too had all been killed in action.

Through this site you can drop Joy Reynard a private note.

Look forward to hearing from you. You may be able to add to my research as I have had no direct contact with the Turner Family.

John

 

John Woodhead/ CornwallPhil
Many thanks for the information you posted about my father, HL Cousins, on 21.10.11. Please would you let me know how to obtain more information from you?
HL Cousins was a Chartered Accountant and The Accountant magazine of 23.08.41 has an obituary which includes: ".. was killed in action during a daylight raid over Germany [perhaps disinformation, here, as most information is that he died over Brest], when he was struck by shrapnel. His plane returned safely and the RAF funeral took place in Cornwall. The Bishop of Barrow-in-Furness held a memorial service for him on Sunday 3rd August".
I do not know why the body was not returned to Barrow and I doubt that my mother chose the Cornish grave. The family has no Cornish connexions and the unusual granite gravestone apparently caused a family row.
CornwallPhil
Are you the PhilsTeletime that made the beautiful and haunting YouTube video of the Illogan graves? That made a real impact on the Cousins family.
Do you know if he died from shrapnel (our impression) or from fighter fire?
Marc
I corresponded with Brian Chorley and he pointed to his book's Introduction where he staes that the listed casualties did not include those who died in aircraft that made a safe return (the case here).
This is my first Post and I do not know if I have done it properly!
Leslie

 

Hi Leslie,

I now have more information for you. I recently bought and downloaded (from the National Archives) the 144 Squadron Operations Record Book for the period during which my father was a 144 pilot (April to September, 1941). It lists the following for the events of July 24:

24th July, 1941 Hampden A.E. 238.

P/O Harrison Pilot
P/O Cousins Nav
Sgt. Simmons WT/AG
Sgt. Martin AG

Target Warships at Brest

Takeoff 1045
Landing 1510

Our approach to the enemy coast had been in close formation, but as we crossed the coast we opened up slightly to avoid A.A. fire, and the leader began to jink. As we got nearer the target, the jinking was increased, and in one of the turns I lost the formation, finding myself considerably to the right. At the time of the bombing, I was some little way behind the three leading aircraft of the formation, and did not see the other two aircraft of my section. I heard the words, "Bombs gone", and closed the bomb doors. The words, however, were those of a navigator of another aircraft received over the T.R. 9 and my navigator called me to open them again. I saw the bombs falling from the other aircraft, and a Hampden passed above me to starboard with its belly on fire. After a wait, I called to the navigator, "Have the bombs gone" ? several times. I got no reply, and eventually closed the bomb doors. All this time, I was taking violent evasive action. I saw the leading three aircraft of the formation ahead of me to port. I accelerated to overtake them, but finding myself overshooting, had to dive underneath them, and catch them up from the other side, so that I did not come in formation again until we were leaving the enemy coast. Between the time the bombs were dropped and the time of closing into formation again, my rear gunner informed me that he had seen two people bale out of the aircraft I had seen on fire. Leaving the coast, we were approached from astern by an Me. 109. (the older variant with square wingtips), and my rear gunner opened fire, expending two pans of ammunition. With a second (sic) of his ceasing to fire, the Me turned over on its side, and fell away, seemingly out of control. I understand the rear gunners of the other aircraft were also firing at this aircraft. I had been calling my navigator without receiving any answer. I knew that it could not be that his intercommunication was disconnected, as I could hear the hiss of the microphone, which was switched on. I waited until we were some miles away from the FRENCH coast, then sent the rear gunner down to investigate. He informed me that the navigator was unconscious and bleeding profusely. I sent him back to his guns, as I knew that we were still not safe from attack by fighters. About the middle of the CHANNEL I sent the wireless operator down to render any first aid he could, instructing the rear gunner to take over the top guns in the meanwhile. The wireless operator called to me that he could get no feeling from the navigators' pulse (sic), and that he believed him to be dead. As I believed that there might still be some hope, I went ahead of the rest of the formation, which was lagging owing to loss of petrol from the Leaders aircraft, informing the formation by R/T of my reason for doing this.

144 Squadron ORB Summary for July 24, 1941

The following aircraft took off for daylight operations:

AD 918
AD 801
AD 872
AE 121
AE 238 Hampden piloted by P/O Harrison dropped bombs & returned to Truro (?) owing to enemy action. P/O Cousins, H.L. was killed. Aircraft undamaged.



It's not very pleasant reading, I'm afraid, but I hope that it helps you put things to rest and gives you some peace of mind. Truro (or wherever it was that they landed in Cornwall) would have been the closest point on English soil, and would have been the logical point to land with a wounded man on board. Why they buried your father there, instead of returning his body to his home, is anyone's guess. Did you know your father? Have you been to the wonderful Bomber Command Memorial?


With belated sincerest condolences for your loss,


Marc

 

Hi Marc
Thank you sincerely for your kind condolences.
How amazing is your information! Very many thanks for letting me have this moving and really absorbing stuff. Wow!
I never knew my father as he died in July 1941 and I was born in April 1942. A close call indeed and in his memory I was Christened with his exact name.
I agree that the Bomber Command Memorial is wonderful if not to say epic!
Kindest regards and thank you again.
Leslie

 

Very sad but heartwarming nonetheless.

Definitely very worthwhile.

Cheers

Geoff

 

Hi Leslie,

So very glad to have been of help.

I just watched the YouTube video you mentioned, and it is indeed very haunting. Your father's headstone does look quite unusual.

You may be interested to learn of a similar exercise that happened to me about 6 months ago. I started researching Dad's story in the mid-late 80's (he died in '79, when I was 22), and had been trying to track down the family of Dad's Air Gunner, who was ordered (by Dad) to bale out of their damaged Hampden over Berlin (Sept 7/8, 1941). Sadly, Sgt Ivor Roderick FRASER's chute failed to open, but Dad only learned this after war's end. Dad force-landed the badly damaged plane near Amsterdam, and spent the rest of the war as a POW.

Last fall, out of the blue, I received an e-mail from the niece of Sgt FRASER, asking what had happened to him (the family had never been told the story). So, in a similar way to what I've just done for you, I was able to do something for her. In return, she e-mailed me a photo of her uncle. I'd been searching for FRASER's family for over 20 years, in order to let them know how sorry and how guilty Dad had felt over his death, and in one message, she made up for it. Up to that point last fall, I'd never had any idea what FRASER looked like. Our family had visited the Allied Forces Cemtery in Berlin in '67 looking for his grave, but none exists. I have now twice visited him at Runnymede.

So, this forum comes through once again. Bravo and kudos to the moderators!

Geoff, I will be in Melbourne on business about April 14-17.

Best,

Marc

 

Hi Leslie

I have sent you a personal note on getting in touch if you would like more information on Operation Sunrise 24 July 41.

A photograph of Hampden AD801 on the ground at Predannack, Cornwall, taken on its return from Brest with your fathers fellow squadron members from the operation, is on page 41 of the Hampden File by Harry Moyle.

John