Bomber command

[Seaangler]

Hi..I am chris...
Since my father past away a few years ago..I have come across his naigators air bombers and air gunners flying log book...
My dad would not talk about the war years..only that he fault for king and country...and came out the R.A.F a Sargent...and with the D.F.M that he colleted at Buckenham Palace in the Dec of 1944..

In his royal air force service and release book he has his start date 10/05/40 and till he finnish the war in Dec of 1945...

But what i am after is what he done befor hand befor he was move to Burton on Trent...I do know that he ended up with bomber command as a tail end gunner in the halifax..and station in Burton on Trent...Just down the road from us is fradly and some of the hangers are still there(but now its a big warehouseing astate)...But looking at bomber command Fradly is not mention as a bomber command station..There is also burneston airdrome just up the road also(now toyota sits on it) and there is hardly any mention to this airdrome...I know my father was bileted at an old house of farest road called sieni house...So he must have been either at fradly or Burneston..

In his log book dated the 24/08/43 he was at 9 (0) A.F.U gunnery school Penrhos..Then he move oct 1943 to Lossiemoth then onto C.U. Ruffort in febuary 5/2/1944 doing circuits and landings...
In the March of 1944 it say again 76 Squ Holme on Spaldng moor...Untill the 9th of March when he done a ops to Lille too bomb railways yards in France...This went on untill the 15th August 1944 when he done his last ops over to Tirlemont....

In the london gazette dated the 8th of December1944 he colleted his medal from the king..it say his number 1151645 D.H.G.Dark R.A.F.V.R....76 Squ...

I look up the 76 Squ and its complealey diferent from the bomber Squ that he says he was in...Can any one shed any more light on this...Chris

I am also trying to find out what he did befor he was move up to the midlands...

[kyt]

Hi

according to the recommendation for his DFM he had had completed 37 missions by the time he was recommended. That means he had already done one full tour and was into his second.

Do you have a copy of his DFM recommendation? If not I can PM it to you. It doesn't say where he was before 76 Sqdn.

It sounds like you are working from the logbooks. Do you have his records?

K

[Seaangler]

Thank you so much for a quick reply...I rely appreciate your help with this..

All i have is his log book his service and release book and the forth supplement of the London Gazette...

The last reading in his log book it says summary for July 1945 unit 1661 H.C.U Type Lancaster 2 ...Lancaster Familiarization and Academy trip...total for day light hours 155.05 and 128.55 for night...Thats the last it says in his log book...

Sorry but what do you mean by his DFM recommendation....

P.S yes i am working from his log book that is all i have...

I am sure my father said that he was down in Kent some ware when there airfield was bomb to kingdom come and they disbanded and move him else were..this is also what i am after as to what he did be for and after...I am also sure he did say that he was flying by planes if this was true or not...i am not sure...Chris

[kyt]

1661 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit) was a training unit so he may have been there as an instructor.

The DFM recommendation was the statement made by a commanding officer in support of an award. In some cases these were printed in the London Gazette as citations, but not always. But these recommendations can be found in the National Archives and they have been collected into a book that I have.

PM me your email address and I shall send a scan later on today.

I would recommend that you request his service records as that will list all his postings from enlistment. To do so fill in and send the form on this site:

http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html

Make sure to request photocopies of the original files because otherwise they will send a typed summary that may omit useful info. If you need help in interpreting them when they arrive then do ask here.

K

[DeeBoneham]

Sometimes they got things wrong.  We have guy listed on 75 Sqn who after talking to RAF records it appears that he was on 76 Sqn.  None of us is perfect (I am the least perfect person I know) and I suppose there was a war on.  Good luck with your research... You might try putting something on www.rafcommands.com/forum as they have some very knowledgeable people on there!
Dee

[grandarog]

The airfield referred to as "Bombed to Kingdom come" in Kent was probably RAF Detling as they had a horrific casualty raid.

[Seaangler]

Thank you all for your help so far..Will keep plodding on for more info....Cheers for now Chris

[DeeBoneham]

Keep plodding it will be worth it. Might be worth contacting the following about 76 Sqn:
H W Kirtland DFC, 125 Fairfield Avenue, Kirk Ella, Hull, East Yorkshire, HU10 7UW: tel 01482 657874

By the way airfields werent always called by the nearest village. You might like to look at the following
http://www.content-delivery.co.uk/aviation/airfields/regional/Staffordshire.html
RAF Fradley was known as RAF Lichfield
http://www.raf-lichfield.co.uk/history_of_raf_lichfield.htm and they have an Assn
Derek Smith, 57 Norwich Close, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 7SJ: web http://www.raf-lichfield.co.uk 
Hopefully that give you more.
Dee

[Bilge]

Gunnery School Penros
http://ukga.com/photos/view?contentId=15338

BBC archive hold some good records!