G Squadron Glider Pilot Regiment, Operation Varsity

Hi Jon,

I just joined this site and your posting immediately caught my attention.
My father was your great-uncle's co-pilot at Arnhem.
I have my father's log book with details of the many training flights that they made together and of course the details of their flight to Arnhem.

Thet were scheduled to land on the first day, Sept 17th but they got into clouds and lost sight of their tug.
They cast off and crash landed not far from their base at Fairford.
They unloaded the jeep they were carrying, drove with their passengers back to base and landed with the second wave the next day.
My Dad also made it home safely from Arnhem.
After Arnhem my father was detailed for training for the airbourne invasion of Japan and missed Varsity.
I don't have any info on Varsity.
My Dad always spoke very highly of George.

Pete

 

Would any one know what chalk numbers. pilots names and airfield that flew in B Coy Royal Ulster Rifles on OP VARSITY.

Steve

Steve

Sorry for the late response.

Serial B10 Birch CNs 94-120 E Sdn would have included B Coy but I don't know if it was loaded onto 25 of the 27 gliders; two were taken up by the Bn CO and the Adjutant.

I have the pilots for CN 114: F/O Barker and F/Sgt Richmond.


Steve W.

 

Steve

Sorry for the late response.

Serial B10 Birch CNs 94-120 E Sdn would have included B Coy but I don't know if it was loaded onto 25 of the 27 gliders; two were taken up by the Bn CO and the Adjutant.

I have the pilots for CN 114: F/O Barker and F/Sgt Richmond.


Steve W.

Thanks very much GP,
Would you know what airfield they took off from?

Regards

Steve

 

Steve

No problem.

RAF Birch

Steve W.

 

Hi all, sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, my grandfather took part in Operation Varsity, flying as a glider pilot, name Staff Sergeant B J Frisby. Unfortunately I don't know anymore (tells the story of how his aren gun jammed when he got out of the glider - he was advised to take cover, rather quickly!). Much appreciated,

 

My father Staff Sargent Victor (Dusty) Miller was in G Squadron .

If you can take a look at his memoirs - Nothing is Impossible , ISBN 1-873376--30-8

He was involved in:
Operation Ladbroke - Invasion of Sciliy
Operation Market Garden
Operation Varsity

I'm currently involved in a revised edition via Pen & Sword, hopefully due to be published shortly.

Regards

Chris Miller

 

I don't know if this thread is still active however I've been researching my dad's service history.
He joined the RAF in 1939 and eventually ended up as a glider pilot flying to landing zone R during operation Varsity. He flew a Horsa glider RX203 as first pilot with Sgt. Ford as second pilot. He was part of G Squadron and I think 10 flight. I have his pilot log with lots of information about his flying training mainly in Canada and wonder if there is anyway of finding out what he was carrying over the Rhine.
As a small aside, he was with the barrage balloon Squadron at Le Harve for about six weeks after the evacuation of Dunkirk.

 

Hi HorsaRX203,

The only glider pilot with name Ford I've come across so far is S/Sgt H. Ford, 6269287 of F Squadron. Of course there could have been others that I missed. Unfortunately there is no comprehensive list of glider pilots paired with the glider they flew (CN or serial) for Operation Varsity.

If your father flew to LZ R and was with Flight 10, G Squadron he probably took off from the Great Dunmow airfied carrying men of the 12th Devonshire Battalion. Flight 9 and a few gliders from other G squadrons flights also carried the 12th Devons out of Matching to LZ R .

Was your father one of the RAF pilots trained to fly gliders for Operation Varsity?

Regards ...

 

If it helps at all I do know that F/Lt Ince and S/Sgt Ayliffe flew one of the coup de main gliders with a load of members of the RUR including their CO on the Rhine Crossing.
F/Lt Ince was later awarded the DFC for the action.

Cheers

Arnhem

 

Hi HorsaRX203,
Are you willing to provide your dad's name and rank? It may be that one of us has come across a reference to him in their research and can help further.
Jenny

 

HI everyone, thanks for the replies.

His name was Richard John Honey his service number was 651175. He was in the barrage balloon squadron until August 1943 when he started flight training at 6 EFTS, in September he sailed to New York on the Queen Elizabeth and appears to have been in Canada where he did heavy bomber flight training until the following September . That December he was with 3 GTS and then 22 HGCU/OTRU. In February 1945 he joined G squadron at Great Dunmow.

He never talked about the war so this all my own research using his log book and service record.
Rob

 

Hi Rob,

Thanks for sharing more details. Assuming he was one of the RAF glider pilots I recommend you get hold of a copy of Alan Cooper's book "Wot! No Engines? RAF Glider Pilots & Operation Varsity". I can't find a reference specifically to your dad in it but there are some personal accounts of members of G squadron, amongst many others. If you're lucky you can pick this up second hand on Ebay for not too much. Here's an example:
Wot! No Engines?: Military Gliders, RAF Pilots and Operation Varsity, ALAN COOPE 9781903953181 | eBay

His glider CN (chalk number) would have been in the range 183-226, all of which carried the 12th Devons and their equipment to LZ-R.
If everything went to plan the next entry in his logbook would show the date he returned to the UK. The majority of G squadron glider pilots flew home on 30th and 31st March 1945. More details in the No 1 Wing War Diary here, courtesy of the wonderful Pegasus Archive website.
The Rhine Crossing

Jenny

 

HorsaRX203,

If as you say he was sent to Great Dunmow another good book would be "Stirlings in Action With the Airborne Forces". It follows the 190 and 620 RAF Squadrons throughout the war and has a section on their involvement in Operation Varsity out of Great Dunmow. Not many glider pilots are named, but it does have photos and some excellent accounts describing the occasion.

Regards ...

 

Thank you Jenny. I know that he flew home as second pilot to F/O Spink in a Dakota from Eindhoven to Down Ampney on March 30th
Rob

 

Thank you, my wife's got a kindle I'll have to steal it for a while!
Rob

 

And this is what he got it for.

Alex.

 

According to this I’d say he took men over and no equipment as such.

Alex

 

This is a post action report that covers G sqn.

Alex

 

Thank you Alex, it's all very interesting
Rob

 

Great addition Alex!

I also noticed in the package you shared an article on Glider No. 188 out of Great Dunmow piloted by Major Maurice Priest and his co-pilot S/Sgt. J. W. Taylor, GPR. They carried Lt. Col. Paul Gleadell CO of the 12th Devons and his contingent. Their tug pilot was Flight Sergeant Driscoll, 190 Squadron, RAF.



A photo from the book "Stirlings in Action" shows S/Sgt Bruce McAlister Hodge, GPR, in between Flying Officer Hugh Allan RCAF (right) and Flight Sergeant ‘Ken’ Kendrew (left) of 190 Squadron. Allan is listed as the pilot that towed CN 194 out of Great Dunmow.They also towed Hodge's glider on OMG but I can't find him there.



Regards ...