Ghost squadron 428 - Granddaughter looking for history of crew

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by TrueGrit, Dec 17, 2020.

  1. TrueGrit

    TrueGrit Member

    Hello All

    I’m searching for any information about the following crew members of the Ghost Squadron 482 which was shot down in 1943. I would give any thing to find photos of the crew & plane, knowing that happened to them all as see that these amazing men looked like.

    My Grandfather was Raymond John Gritten Navigator / bomb Aimer. He sadly past away at 42 years old and we know very little about his time in the war. I would love to know what happened to his crew and be in touch with their family’s. My Grandfather became a POW at Stalag Luft 111 after their Halifax MK.V DK229 NA-W was shot down near Koln 9th / 10th July 1943.

    Here are the crew..

    Squadron leader: Frederick Harold Bowden DFC & Bar (89593) sadly died that day.

    Sgt: McGeach & 5 other crew members were captured..
    Does any one know their names?
    Flight Lieutenant: Raymond John Gritten (129061) - was one of them.

    Sgt: A J A Reynolds (1196437) Evaded capture, did he get back to the UK?

    Thank you in advance for anything you may be able to help me with.
     
    Chris C likes this.
  2. Temujin

    Temujin Member

  3. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    Info on your grandfather

    GRITTEN, P/O Raymond John (RAF 129061) - Mention in Despatches - No.428 Squadron (identified in other documents only as a member of No.6 Group) - awarded as per London Gazette dated 2 June 1943. Bomb aimer. DHist file 181.009 D.2902 (RG.24 Volume 20633) has recommendation for a DFC dated 17 February 1943 when he had flown five sorties (34 operational hours). It is not clear why this particular award did not go through; was not because he became a casualty as his name does not appear in Commonwealth War Graves Commission records. He is clearly the bomb aimer for F/L F.H. Bowden (which see for Bar to DFC award).

    On the night of 13/14 February 1943, this officer was bomb aimer in a Wellington aircraft detailed to attack Lorient. On running over the target he found that his load, one 4,000-pound bomb, would not release electrically. This was subsequently found to be due to a mechanical failure in the release block. After again trying the electrical release and operating the jettison bars, he arranged with the captain to do another run over the target to allow him to release the bomb by means of the manual release. This also failed though a total of five additional runs was made and the aircraft did not leave the target area until the ordered time off target.

    Pilot Officer Gritten next attempted to release the bomb by playing hot air from a heating pipe on the release slip, and then by prising open the jaws of the release and hammering on the release block with an axe. He persevered in his efforts until finally the bomb released when the aircraft was over the Channel. He had then ben attempting to release the bomb for one hour and 20 minutes and had suffered considerable discomfort due to lack of oxygen. Gritten's determination, which eventually resulted in the bomb being released, undoubtedly saved the loss of the aircraft, since it could not have been landed with the bomb in position.
     
  4. TrueGrit

    TrueGrit Member

    Oh my word..! Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means.. their is information here I have never come across. I’m putting together a file for my father as I gift so all this will go in. My grandfather retired from the RAF, he jumped from the Halifax and received an award from the Caterpillar club. He sadly died (after having his family) of renal failure because of conditions at the WOP camp. My dad was only 10.
     
  5. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    Your welcome. If you wish, i can look up all the other missions he was on.....and send you the info
     
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  6. TrueGrit

    TrueGrit Member

    Really..! I honestly don’t know what to say. Thank you so much. I would love to build up a picture of my Grandfather & of the whole crew as I feel they all go hand in hand. Many many thanks again.
     
  7. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    Harry Ree and CL1 like this.
  8. TrueGrit

    TrueGrit Member

    Dave, thank you..! He did get back..! what a journey. That’s truly amazing. I hope my Grandfather would of seen him again after being freed from the POW camp with the rest of the remaining crew. I was told Raymond John Gritten would of been present at the Great Escape as he was their at the time. I’m thinking of emailing the camp in Poland to ask if their are any photos or name records.

    Is their any way these men from the Ghost squadron 428 had their photos taken for the Canadian records?

    I’m totally blown away, my dads face, I think he will be so taken a back by the help I’m receiving on this site. Thank you all.
     
    CL1 likes this.
  9. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    Hi,

    Most RCAF service files have photos but the man must be dead 20 years in order to access them

    Pilot Officer Benjamin McKenzie Fitzgerald of Winnipeg. Born 5 March 1909

    Sgt Hugh McGeach of London, Ontario. He had been in another crash in January 1943. Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire.

    I believe Raymond John Gritten, b. Cambridgeshire 1922 passed away in Kent in 1965. There may be a photo of him on his family's ancestry page

    I've never seen a photograph in an RAF file.

    Regards,

    Dave
     
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  10. TrueGrit

    TrueGrit Member

    Thank you Dave, yes that’s correct about my Grandfather.

    Dave would you be so kind in giving me the weblink for the information you have sent me on Reynolds & Dalinsky. I would love to print it off. Many thanks again.
     
  11. TrueGrit

    TrueGrit Member

    Sorry David..! Got the links with thanks..
     
  12. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    There's more :-D

    Seems another mishap in 1943 involving your grand dad. Nice bios of S/Ldr Bowden and your grand dad. Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire.

    It's extremely rare for a "Mention in Despatches" to have a citation but I see he was originally put up for a Distinguished Flying Cross.

    To finish up the rest of the crew:

    1196437 Sgt Anthony John Arthur Reynolds (b. Wellingborough, Northants June 1920 Qtr; d. Northants 1978) Wife's maiden name was Glenister, married Wellingborough December 1944 Qtr; several children

    1427177 Sgt Harry Norman Frederick Rowe (b. Orsett, Essex December 1920 Qtr; ) Wife's maiden name was Appleyard, married Thurrock, Essex March 1947 Qtr; again several children

    I could not find a death date for Sgt Rowe. Member Tricky Dicky will hopefully see this and lend his expertise.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2020
    CL1 likes this.
  13. TrueGrit

    TrueGrit Member

    Wow... I just can’t believe all this.. thank you so much.
     
  14. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    It just occurred to me that it takes seven to make up a crew. We've only accounted for six.

    2216252 Sgt John Wingfield Nuttall Hurst (b. Birkenhead, Cheshire 24 June 1924, d. Gainsborough, Lincs in the September 1974 Qtr.) Wife's maiden name was Broughton, married Birkenhead in the December 1950 Qtr. Two children both born Barton, Lancs in the early 50s.
     
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  15. TrueGrit

    TrueGrit Member

    How do you all do this...! Thats incredible..

    So that’s my Grandfathers crew’s names! just wonderful now to see if I can get as much info on them as possible.

    Do you see many people adding to these threads saving they are related to crew members? I hope I get to find someone. It would be such a connection.

    Thank you again..!
     
    CL1 likes this.
  16. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Possible from Ancestry family trees

    Harry Norman Frederick Rowe
    1920–2012
    BIRTH DEC 1920 • Orsett, Essex
    DEATH NOV 2012 • Essex

    TD


    Birth Dec 1920 Orsett, Essex, England
    Marriage Mar 1947 Essex
    Death 2012 Grays, Essex, England
    Father Frederick Rowe (1887-1959)
    Mother Dora Dixon (1889-1985)
    Spouse Rosalie Amelia Rowe (1922-2004)
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2020
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  17. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    It keeps us all out of the bars. Wait. How silly of me. Many thanks to TD for his information on Sgt Rowe.

    Yes, there are a lot of threads on here that sometime down the road another family member discovers. The one problem is that sometimes the original poster never comes back.

    I don't like to put the names of people who are most likely living online. If you want I can PM names and addresses to you and you can continue the journey? With that comes a bit of a warning. Some people could care less what a relative did in the war.
     
  18. TrueGrit

    TrueGrit Member

    Brilliant ..! Thank you
     
  19. TrueGrit

    TrueGrit Member

    That never went though my mind, thanks for the heads up. Your so right.

     
  20. TrueGrit

    TrueGrit Member

    Thank you for all the names and dates..!

     

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