Air Force Index

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No. 37 Squadron Royal Air Force    No. 37 Squadron, was formed as an experimental squadron at Orfordness, Suffolk in 1916, but absorbed by the experimental station at Orfordness only a few weeks later. It was re-formed as a Home Defence squadron at Woodham Mortimer, Essex on the 15th September 1916. It served in Essex defending against Zeppelin and bomber attacks throughout the remainder of WW1. On 1st July 1919, No. 37 was re-numbered as 39 Squadron, No.39 having been disbanded in November 1918. In April 1937, 37 Squadron came back into existence at Feltwell as a bomber squadron from a nucleus provided by No.214 Squadron. It May 1939 it was provided with the Vickers Wellington bomber. By the outbreak of war the Squadron at Feltwell was deemed to be fully operational. During the war the airfields where 37 squadron was based were: 26 April 1937-8 November 1940: Feltwell 8-14 November 1940: aircraft at Malta while in transit 30 November-17 December 1940: Fayid (Egypt) 17 December 1940-25 April 1942: Shallufa March - 16th April 1941: Detachment sent to Greece 25 April-27 June 1942: LG.09 (Egypt) 27-29 June 1942: LG.224 29 June-6 November 1942: Abu Sueir 6-13 November 1942: LG.224 13-30 November 1942: LG.106 30 November 1942-23 January 1943: LG. 140 23 January-14 February 1943: El Magrun 14-25 February 1943: Gardabia East (Libya) 25 February-30 May 1943: Gabdabia West 30 May-15 November 1943: Kairouan/ Temmar(Tunisia) 15 November-14 December 1943: Djedeida 14-29 December 1943: Cerignola (Italy) 29 December 1943-2 October 1945: Tortorella   1st Sep 1939 Orders Received 3rd Sep 1939 Raid 3rd Sept 1939 Sweep 4th Sep 1939 Stand by 5th Sep 1939 Stand by 6th Sep 1939 Orders 8th Sep 1939 Recce 9th Sep 1939 Scattering 10th Sep 1939 Aircraft Movements 11th Sep 1939 Aircraft Movements 12th Sep 1939 Orders 14th Sep 1939 Posting 15th Sep 1939 Posting 17th Sep 1939 Stand by 18th Sep 1939 Stand by 19th Sep 1939 Duty 20th Sep 1939 Posting 23rd Sep 1939 Stand by 27th Sep 1939 Posting 29th Sep 1939 Aircraft Arrives 30th Sep 1939 Promotion 1st Oct 1939 Training 2nd Oct 1939 Training 3rd Oct 1939 Training 4th Oct 1939 Training 5th Oct 1939 Training 6th Oct 1939 Modifications 7th Oct 1939 Lecture 8th Oct 1939 Training 9th Oct 1939 Practice 10th Oct 1939 Stand by 11th Oct 1939 Training 12th Oct 1939 Aircraft Arrives 13th Oct 1939 Lecture 14th Oct 1939 Stand by 15th Oct 1939 Quiet 16th Oct 1939 Stand by 17th Oct 1939 Training 18th Oct 1939 Posting 19th Oct 1939 Training 20th Oct 1939 Stand by 21st Oct 1939 Aircraft Movements 22nd Oct 1939 Stand by 23rd Oct 1939 Aircraft Movements 24th Oct 1939 Training 25th Oct 1939 Lectures 26th Oct 1939 Stand by 27th Oct 1939 Stand by 28th Oct 1939 Stand by 29th Oct 1939 Wet Day 30th Oct 1939 Stand by 31st Oct 1939 Training 1st Nov 1939 Stand by 2nd Nov 1939 Aircraft Damaged 3rd Nov 1939 Stand by 4th Nov 1939 Lecture 5th Nov 1939 Quiet 6th Nov 1939 Aircraft Movements 7th Nov 1939 Stand by 8th Nov 1939 Training 9th Nov 1939 Stand by 10th Nov 1939 Aircraft Arrive 11th Nov 1939 Aircraft Movements 12th Nov 1939 Training 13th Nov 1939 Stand by 14th Nov 1939 Training 15th Nov 1939 Patrol 16th Nov 1939 Quiet 18th Nov 1939 Quiet 19th Nov 1939 Stand by 20th Nov 1939 Quiet 21st Nov 1939 Stand by 22nd Nov 1939 Exercise 23rd Nov 1939 Lecture 24th Nov 1939 Stand by 25th Nov 1939 Stand by 26th Nov 1939 Quiet 27th Nov 1939 Quiet 28th Nov 1939 Exercise 29th Nov 1939 Stand by 18th December 1939 Aircraft Lost  The British Air Ministry decided to launch an attack on German surface ships to prevent them supporting the U-boats in the North Atlantic. Wellington bomber squadrons had undertaken a number of sweeps over the North Sea during October and November against any enemy shipping. On 18th December 1939, a force of 24 Wellington bombers – nine from no.9 Squadron at Honington, six from 37 Squadron at Feltwell, and nine from 149 Squadron at Mildenhall – was sent to attack German ships in the Heligoland Bight and sink or damage as many as possible. The mission was a disaster. The Wellingtons took off for the daylight raid around 0930, led by the C/O of 149 Squadron, Wing Commander Richard Kellet. Two of the aircraft turned back early, leaving 22 Wellingtons to fly on to the target area. No German ships were found at sea. Several German Navy warships were sighted in Wilhelmshaven Harbour, but orders had been given not to bomb the port area in case civilians were hit, so the Wellingtons turned for home. The theory was that the well armed Wellington had the fire power to defend itself from attack by fighters, especially if they were flying in tight formation. However the 22 aircraft on this return flight were strung out in a straggle when they were intercepted by 44 Luftwaffe fighters – a mixture of Me Bf 110s and Bf 109s. In the battle that followed 10 were shot down, two ditched in the sea before reaching the English coast and three more crash landed in East Anglia - a total loss of 68% of the force. 56 RAF aircrew were killed and five were taken prisoner. 37 Squadron lost five of its six aircraft shot down and 9 Squadron also lost 5 aircraft. The aircraft and crews lost were: 9 Squadron: N2939 Crashed off Wilhelmshaven Pilot: F/O John Thomas Irvine Challes 2nd Pilot: P/O Alistair Hugh Richmond Bourne Observer: Sgt Frank Michael Mason Wop/AG: Sgt Thomas Henry English AG: LAC Gurth Ernest Cox AG: AC1 Alexander Telfer N2940 Crashed off Wilhelmshaven Pilot: P/o Eric Francis Lines 2nd Pilot: Flt Sgt Alfred Kitto Fearnside WOp/AG: AC1 Edward Malcolm George Polhill AG: LAC Alex Morrison Dickie AG: AC2 Clifford Walker N2941 Crashed off Wilhelmshaven Pilot: F/O Douglas Bellamy Allison 2nd Pilot: F/O Donald Charles Ephraim Bailey Observer: Sgt John Archibald Brister Air Bomber: Sgt Joseph Buglasi Adamson Turnbull Wop/AG: Sgt Reginal Thomas Black AG: LAC Albert George Goodenough N2872 Crashed off Wilhelmshaven Pilot: Squadron Ldr Archibald John Guthrie 2nd Pilot: P/O John Edgar Atkinson Observer: Sgt Harold Walter Tyrrell Wop/AG: LAC Thomas Leo Marlin Wop/AG: Sgt Bertie Joseph Pickess AG: LAC Josias Melville Fletcher Key N2983 Badly damaged by gunfire and Crashed off Cromer, Norfolk. Four survivors were picked up by a trawler. Pilot: Sgt Jack Richardson Ramshaw DFM – injured 2nd Pilot: Sgt Robert Hewitt – injured Wop/AG: LAC D.J.Connolly – injured AG: LAC Walter Lilley – killed AG: AC1 Charles Ronald Driver DFM - injured N2871 badly damaged and made forced landing at RAF North Coates Fitties N2873 badly damaged and made forced landing at RAF Sutton Bridge, two crew injured. 37 Squadron: N2904 LF-B Last reported with the Starboard wing burning furiously and heading out to sea off Wilhelmshaven. Pilot: Squadron Ldt Ian Victor Hue-Williams 2nd Pilot: Flt Lt Thomas Gaufrey Wearmouth Appleby Observer: F/O Arthur Richard Vaughan Williams Wop/AG: Sgt Alister Raymond Norris Wop/AG: LAC John Arundel Barstow AG: LAC Ernest Lowe N2888 LF-A crashed into the sea off Borkum Island Pilot: F/O Peter Arabin Wimberley - survived and taken PoW Observer: Sgt Leslie Alfred Sheppard - killed Navigator: P/O Michael Ratcliffe - killed Wop/AG: AC1 Alexander Maxwell Hill - killed AG: LAC Alfred William Walter Lane - killed N2889 LF-P Broke up in the air and crashed into the sea off Borkum following a sustained attack by Lt. Helmut Lent of 3./ZG-76. Pilot: F/O Oliver John Trevor Lewis RAAF Observer: Sgt Maurice William Barrington-Taylor Wop/AG: LAC Peter Thomas Jones Wop/AG: P/O Roderick Menzie Ross AG: AC1 George Warne Geddes N2935 LF-H Shot down out to sea off Wilhelmshaven: three of the crew are buried in the Sage War Cemetery but two were missing and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Pilot: F/O Arthur Telford Thompson Navigator: P/O Matthew Infield Drawwater Observer: Sgt Alfred John Tilley Wop/AG: Cpl Wilson Robinson AG: LAC Leonard Arthur Stock N2936 LF-J Crashed Borkum Islands. Pilot: Sgt Herbert Ruse – survived and taken PoW. Observer: Sgt Thomas William Holley – killed and buried on Sage War Cemetery Wop/AG: Sgt Thomas K.May – survived and taken PoW. Wop/AG: Cpl Frederick James Taylor - killed and buried on Sage War Cemetery AG: LAC Harry Jones – survived and taken PoW. 149 Squadron: N2961 Ditched off Cromer Norfolk. There were no survivors F/O Michael Franklin Briden P/O W.S.F.Brown Sgt Valentine Henry Garner Richardson AC2 A.G.Foster AC1 Isaac Davidson Leighton AC1 Peter John Warren N2962 OJ-B Shot down and crashed into the North Sea. All reported missing and commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial P/O Fred Norman Lines F/O James Heggie Cumming Speirs AC2 William James Ellis Sgt Richard Robin Hammond LAC John Humble Sinton A direct outcome of this air battle was the decision to fit Wellingtons with armour plate and self-sealing fuel tanks to make them more robust. Another outcome was that this was the last unescorted daylight bombing raid undertaken by Bomber Command until the closing stages of the war. Wellington N2980 which was flown by the 149 Squadron crew of Squadron Ldr P.I.Harris is an exhibit in the Brooklands Museum. 18th December 1939 Aircraft Lost 9th April 1940 Night Ops 30th Apr 1940 Ops 1st May 1940 Quiet 2nd May 1940 Training 10th May 1940 War over Holland 1st Jun 1940 Aircraft Lost 1st June 1940 Aircraft Lost 19th July 1940 Ditched off the Netherlands 8th Nov 1940 Operations from Malta 14th November 1940 Move to Egypt 16th November 1940 Wellington Missing 24th November 1940 Three Wellingtons destroyed on transit flights 7th December 1940 Libyan Airfields attacked 20th February 1941 Escort duties March 1941 Defence of Greece 9th March 1941 Wellingtons rotated between Egypt and Malta 16th April 1941 Battle of Athens 2nd May 1941 Attack at Dawn 3rd May 1941 Bombardment 4th May 1941 Relief troops arrive 5th May 1941 Attack Made 6th May 1941 Attack Made 6th May 1941 Break out 24th May 1941 Attack Made 31st May 1941 Wellington crashed on Rhodes July 1941 Long Range Targets 2nd March 1942 Night Raid 6th March 1942 Harbour Targeted 7th Sept 1942 Aircraft Lost 14th Sept 1942 Airliner Lost 14th Feb 1943 Move to Libya 30th May 1943 Move 10th July 1943 Aircraft lost 29th Dec 1943 Night Raids January 1944 New Targets January 1944 Increase in Special Duties squadrons 24th Feb 1944 Aircraft Lost 5th May 1944 Rumanian oil refinery bombed 21st July 1944 Aircraft Lost 18th August 1944 Aircraft Lost 21st August 1944 Aircraft Lost 23rd Aug 1944 Aircraft Lost 3rd Sept 1944 Aircraft Lost 15th Sept 1944 Night Ops 22nd Sept 1944 Aircraft Lost 15th Oct 1944 Reorganisation 21st Oct 1944 Attack on aerodrome in Hungary 22nd Oct 1944 Aircraft Lost 28th Oct 1944 Supplies dropped 7th Nov 1944 Aircraft Lost 10th Nov 1944 Aircraft Lost 22nd Nov 1944 Aircraft Lost If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Logbooks Do you have a WW2 Flying Log Book in your possession? If so it would be a huge help if you could add logbook entries to our new database. Thank you. View Logbook entries Those known to have served with No. 37 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War 1939-1945. Barber Harry. W/O Brookfield . F/Sgt. Dean Harry Galloway. F/O (d.4th April 1944) Douglas Arthur Bernard. W/O. Fannon Thomas Edward. Flt.Sgt. Fowler DFM Evan David. Sgt Gaunt Philip Henry. WO. Geddes George Warne. AC1 (d.19th Dec 1939) Gibson John Edward. Jones Eric E. Manwaring William Hanlon. WO. Marsh Frank. WO. May Thomas Kevin. Sgt. McArthur Neil Max. Sgt. Mobley AFC. Arthur Benjemin. Ft.Lt. Murrell Dennis Charles. Sgt. (d.16th March 1941) Musson George Bertie. Cpt. (d.30th Sep 1942) Newman Stanley. Sgt. (d.16th Mar 1941) Parkes Peter Denys. P/O (d.5th May 1944) Pile John H.S.. W/O Reynolds Herbert Lindsay. F/Lt. Saunders William Lavallee. F/O. Seymour William A. AC1. (d.30th Apr 1940) Sharpe MID. John Charles. L.A.C Sharpe MID. John Charles. Cpl. Smith Charles Henry Beaton. Smith Harry Allman. P/O Steward Bryan Roy. Sgt. (d.19th April 1942) Taylor Laurence Edward. F/Sgt. Turley DFM Alick Edward. Flt.Sgt. (d.14th Sep 1942) Vlok Theodore. Lt. (d.6th July 1944) Wallis Kenneth. Wing Co. Webster Peter Davis. AC2. Winters Arthur Henry. F/Sgt. (d.20th May 1943 ) The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List Records of No. 37 Squadron Royal Air Force from other sources. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. Announcements 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time. The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 25 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web. 18th Dec 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 265120 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible. Looking for help with Family History Research?   Please read our Family History FAQs The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations. Want to know more about No. 37 Squadron Royal Air Force? There are:2133 items tagged No. 37 Squadron Royal Air Force available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. Charles Henry Beaton Smith 37 Squadron Charles Smith served as a Rear Gunner with 37 Squadron. Ian Smith Add to this record. F/O. William Lavallee "Saundy" Saunders 37 Squadron William Saunders was Headquartered at 231 Wing under 205 Group in North Africa in Middle East Command. 70 Squadron was sister wing. There are many stories to add later. My father flew just shy of 2 tours of duty at which time he was sent home to train with the RCAF. Bombing missions in North Africa, Crete and Malta. He even flew over Greece a few times but they were considered friendlies during the war. He died at 96 years young in 2012. He hunted and fished into his early 80's. If anyone has any more information about his crew in the war, it would be appreciated. I remember him saying his landing zone was LZ-109. His crew consisted of Brits, Aussies and a Kiwi. Greg Saunders Add to this record. F/Sgt. Brookfield 37 Squadron F/Sgt Brookfield was pilot to my father from the logbook available. Their Wellington came down on 23rd of November 1944. Add to this record. AC2. Peter Davis Webster 37 Squadron After Wireless Operator training at Yatesbury from October to December 1940, Peter Webster went to West Freugh on a Gunnery Course. Eventually Peter joined 37 Squadron, had a little adventure over the Med and the Sahara. Peter undertook an early cruise around the med in a small dinghy with 5 other chaps. Spending 10 days adrift (a record at the time). Another record was in gathering five Royal Navy Destroyers to rescue him. He eventually boarded HMS Kimberley. Unfortunately two of the crew swam towards the Destroyers and were never seen again. This episode landed Peter in the Goldfish Club. A little while later he and the crew of his Wellington had to bale out over the Sahara and had a long walk home back to their lines. For this Peter joined the Caterpillar Club and the Late Arrivals Club. Peter survived the War and lived in Easington until the grand old age of 87. Add to this record. AC1. William A Seymour A Flight 37 Squadron (d.30th Apr 1940) My uncle AC/1 Bill Seymour an air gunner (front turret) was killed during a raid on Sola (Stavanger) airfield in Norway at approximately 20:50 hours on the evening of 30th of April 1940. The raid was carried out by four Wellington 1A aircraft of 37 Squadron based at RAF Feltwell, Norfolk. Two of the four Wellingtons P9213 and P9215, both from A flight were probably damaged by flak on their bombing run over the airfield and finally shot down by a mix of German fighters, Messerschmitt Bf109Es of II./JG77 and Messerschmitt Bf110Cs of I./ZG76. Both Wellingtons crashed in to the sea somewhere North of Rott Island about a mile South of Stavanger Peninsula. P9215's Crew were: F/O G V Gordon, P/O T Kerr, Sgt W Eddlestone, LAC W E Brewster and AC/1 W A Seymour. Colin Huggins Add to this record. WO. William Hanlon Manwaring 37 Squadron William Manwaring served with 37 Squadron. Meryl Dodds Add to this record. Flt.Sgt. Thomas Edward Fannon 37 Squadron My late father, Thomas Fannon, served at Foggia during WW2 as a bomb aimer with 37 Squadron flying Vickers Wellingtons. T.E.Fannon Add to this record. Sgt. Stanley Newman 37 Squadron (d.16th Mar 1941) Sgt. Stanley Newman was buried in the Tirana Park Memorial Cemetery in Albania but the grave is now lost. He is mentioned on Special Memorial E. s flynn Add to this record. Sgt. Dennis Charles Murrell 37 Sqd. (d.16th March 1941) Pilot Dennis Charles Murrell is buried in the Tirana Park Memorial Cemetery in Albania. s flynn Add to this record. P/O Peter Denys Parkes 37 Sqn (d.5th May 1944) Peter Denys Parkes was the son of Major Denys Parkes and Mrs Dorothy Parkes of Lingfield, formerly of 15 Green Curve, Banstead, Surrey. He was born on the 22 September 1924 and attended The Priory, a boys’ school at the western end of Banstead village and then Sutton County Grammar School. In 1940 he joined the RAF Voluntary Reserve and spent part of 1942 and 43 training in Canada. Following the end of his training, Peter went to RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland to 20 Operational Training Unit. His training completed, Peter joined 37 Squadron in North Africa. At the end of December 1943, the Squadron moved to Tortorella. During the early months of 1944, 37 Squadron was kept busy conducting bombing raids against the enemy, often in an attempt to disrupt supply lines to the front line. In May, roads, railways, marshalling yards and docks were again to be targeted by the Squadron. Peter Parkes and his crew failed to return from a mission to bomb the Ploetsi oil refinery in Rumania on the 5th May 1944. Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices. Duty With Honour: The Story of a Young Canadian With Bomber Command Elizabeth Reynolds Lindsay Reynolds or Monk as he was known to his crew, enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in November 1940. Following BCATP training as an Observer in western Canada he set sail for Britain in August 1931. He was assigned to No. 22 OTU at Wellesbourne. Later he was sent to the Middle East. More information on: Duty With Honour: The Story of a Young Canadian With Bomber Command Links Suggest a link

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