Royal Artillery observers attached to aircrews

14 January 1942
Stirling N3672 - 7 Squadron
Training

Sgt W. J. Runciman (RNZAF)
P/O C. W. Gwilliam
Sgt R. W. Pratt
Sgt E. W. Weston
Sgt H. Kirkland
Lt H. N. Denny (RA)
Sgt F. W. Bryant

Landed 1230 at Oakington and while trying to avoid a collision with a tractor, the undercarriage collapsed. Lt Denny was one of a number of army officers seconded to the RAF for flying duties as Air Gunners.

17-18 January 1942
Stirling N6120 - 7 Squadron
Operation Soesterburg

P/O J. D. Hart
Sgt J. Davies
Sgt G. Rhodes
Sgt W. Green
Sgt F. L. Pool
Lt H. N. Denny (RA)
Sgt L. C. Young

T/o 1755 Oakington. While outbound the Stirling oberflew an Allied convoy and was promptly fired upon. Hit in the port outer engine, the bomber crash-landed 1950 while trying to land at base, finishing up on a railway embankment. No injuries reported. For Lt Denny, this was his second Stirling crash in less than a week.

26-27 March 1942
Wellington Z1143 - 214 Squadron
Target Essen

P/O E. W. C. Creed (RAAF) +
Sgt W. W. R. Norton (RAAF) +
Sgt W. I. Christsen (RAAF) +
Sgt A. F. M. Emms +
Sgt J. R. Payne +
Capt A. P. Mair (RA) +

T/o Stadishall. Shot down by a night-fighter (Oblt Herbert Lütje, III./NJG1) and crashed 2255 at Vriezenveen (Overijssel) on the E side of the Overijsselsch Kanaal and some 9 km NNW of Almelo, Holland. All are buried in the General Cemetery at Vriezenveen. Capt Mair of the Royal Artillery was attached to 214 Squadron.

28-29 March 1942
Stirling W7466 - 7 Squadron
Operation Lübeck

P/O M. R. R. Green (RAAF) +
Sgt C. W. Starrett (RCAF) +
Sgt J. F. Grimmett +
P/O J. MacL Murdock (RCAF) +
Sgt E. G. Tapner +
Sgt D. I. Dunn +
Capt J. F. Wyn Griffith (RA) +

T/o 1940 Oakington. Crashed at Gnutz, 12 km NW of Neumünster, where all were initially buried. Since the ending of hostilities, their remains have been taken to Hamburg Cemetery, Ohlsdorf. Capt Wyn Griffith was a Royal Artillery officer attached to 7 Squadron.

1-2 April 1942
Wellington X9979 - 214 Squadron
Operation Hanau

P/O J. H. A. Baker +
Sgt D. A. S. Hamilton (RNZAF) +
F/S A. R. Vint +
F/S T. Flanagan +
F/S R. A. J. Trevillian +
Capt H. G. Tingle (RA) +

T/o Stradishall. Crashed at Bad Siedlung, near Rüsselsheim, where the crew were first buried. Since the war, their remains have been exhumed and taken to Durnbach War Cemetery.

10-11 April 1942
Wellington HF856 - 214 Squadron
Operation Essen

Pilot Officer J. W. Murray +
Flight Sergeant H. A. Neal (RCAF) +
Sergeant C. W. Penny +
Sergeant F. Bonser +
Sergeant D. Smith +
Captain H. M. Butterworth (RA) +

T/o 2250 Stadishall. Crashed at Gelsenkirchen-Hüllen, where the crew were buried on 15 April. Since 1945, their remains have been taken to the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.

13-14 April 1942
Stirling W7519 - 15 Squadron
Operation Gardening

Pilot Officer R. V. N. McKay (RNZAF) +
Flight Sergeant R. H. Higgins (RNZAF) +
Sergeant W. Cobell +
Sergeant J. P. S. Worling +
Sergeant H. Humm +
Sergeant R. D. Steer +
Sergeant H. G. Kingston +
Captain J. C. Noel (RA) +

T/o 2130 Wyton to lay mines off Wangerooge. Shot down over the North Sea by a night fighter from II./NJG2. The airmen are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, while Capt Noel’s name appears on Panel 2, Column 2, of the Brookwood Memorial.

 

6-7 April 1943
Lancaster ED662 - 9 Squadron
Sergeant A E Ingram +
Sergeant A J McKoy +
Sergeant F Worrall +
Sergeant G B Walker +
Sergeant A H Page +
Sergeant H Wells +
Pilot Officer J F Leleu +
Lieutenant G P Johnson RA +

Crashed 0330, during the course of a Bullseye exercise, coming down at Kennyhill, 1 mile N of Mildenhall airfield, Suffolk. The accident was attributed to total engine failure. Lt Johnson RA had been attached from 105 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery.

 

That headstone is more than a bit misleading - how could AOP squadrons have been flying over Germany in 1942? Captain Butterworth isn't listed in the roll of honour in Unarmed into Battle, the AOP history.

 

http://www.214squadron.org.uk/Personnel_pages/Butterworth_Harold/Butterworth_Harold.htm

 

I must admit, that threw me as well Andrew. I looked at the same ROH before I posted. Might send CWGC a query on this one.

 

Well found Rob.

 

2nd Lieutenant T.E. Fenwick, 154 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, was killed in the crash of Wellington HE238 (30 OTU) on 7 July 1943. He is buried at Stafford Cemetery.

 

The CWGC isn't always accurate or consistent with listing members of some Gunner units.

This is a bit of a puzzle. Some officers from AA and SL units might have been seconded to experience the bomber's view of AA. This might explain RA as passengers on training flights. I find it hard to understand how a Captain RA might be fulfilling a role as an Air Gunner, unless they were transferring to the RAF.

Is it possible that some of these may have been unofficial flights posthumously authorised out of respect for the dead? E.g. It is hard to believe that Lt Ellis Talbot RE, GC, MBE one of a small number of bomb disposal experts on Malta was ever "attached to 107 Sqn RAF" or whether his duties included flying as an air gunner on a low level anti shipping strike. http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2819964/TALBOT,%20ELLIS%20EDWARD%20ARTHUR

 

I realise the age of this thread but if you're still wondering who these chaps were I may be able to shed some light on the matter. My interest was sparked by a Major Hepburn who I'd spotted flying with the C/O of 102 Squadron while my grandfather was there in November 42. I found another reference to him in a Station ORB giving some more detail, he was 149911 Major John Hepburn MC Royal Artillery and he was No 4 Group RAF Flak Liaison Officer.
Idler pointed to the records of Flak Liaison Officers in AIR 14/1223 in post #25, they flew with bomber squadrons making detailed notes of areas and concentration of Flak and searchlights, the types of decoy flares being used and decoy fires lit on the ground, they proved invaluable not only to the RAF but also to our own flak and searchlight batteries passing on to them techniques used by the Germans. They were trained as Air Gunners by the RAF and were entitled to wear the A/G half wing brevet on their RA uniforms (officially they had to remove them on cessation of attachment). The subject is briefly touched upon in 'Observers and Navigators and other Non-Pilot Aircrew in the RFC RNAS and RAF' by W/C C.J. Jefford.
One of these men was Distinguished Fying Cross winner 117803 Major Arthur Stephenson RA and there is a great write up of his citation and description of the work of Flak Liaison Officers by Hugh Halliday on this thread at RAFCommands http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?14137-Flak-liaison-officers-A.K.L.-Stephenson . Stephenson incidentally would have been allowed to wear his pre-war earned RAF Pilot's Wings on his RA uniform.

Hope this helps

Rgds

Pete

 

Pete,

Thanks for confirming the hunch, I hadn't got round to pulling those files yet...

There are also a couple of Mediterranean Allied Air Forces files, now we know what to look for!

Andrew

 

Thanks for posting this info Pete. See also: http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/28113-aop-air-observation-post-squadron-casualties/

 

A rather belated note relating to post 9 above, about Lt Ralph Maltby RA. He was the first cousin of Flt Lt David Maltby (1920-1943), 617 Squadron pilot on the Dams Raid, who was the son of Ettrick Gordon Maltby and Aileen Ethel Maltby (nee Hatfeild). Ettrick Maltby and Francis Maltby were brothers.
Ralph Maltby left an infant daughter, who lives now in Kent.
I am the grandson of Ettrick and Aileen Maltby.
Charles Foster
http://dambustersblog.com