|
|
|
Those known to have served at RAF Blida, North Africa during the Second World War 1939-1945. 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
|
|
|
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.
- 19th Nov 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
264989 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 RAF Blida, North Africa? There are:36 items tagged RAF Blida, North Africa 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. |
|
Sgt. Maurice "Paddy" Hayes 150 Squadron    My dad Maurice Hayes, was a Rear gunner with 150 Squadron and was based in Blida, North Africa. He was involved with the Tunisian, Sicilian and Italian campaigns. I have a picture of him and his crew and also their names. He wouldn't talk much about his activities during the war but retained his log book and flying mask. I do know that most times I went away on holiday to Europe he'd say "I flew over there" or "I dropped a few on there". That was always the only time he'd open up. But he kept the photo I am attaching of his colleagues in his treasure tin, so I am sure he looked at it many times and remembered the camaraderie and good times that I am sure were had in the face of the adversity.
The crew (I believe) are: L - R:
- Sgt. J. Baxter, Scotland. Bombardier
- Sgt. F. Doyle, Crosby, Liverpool. Navigator
- Sgt. M. Hayes, Lismore, Ireland. Rear Gunner
- Sgt. J. Umbers, Coulsdon, Surrey. Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
- Flght. Sgt. SSM Tunstall, Boonah, Australia. Pilot
|
P/O. Donald Charles Seymour Atkins 148 Sqdn My uncle Don Atkins volunteered for the RAF and was trained as a pilot in Pensacola, Florida, before joining 624 (Special Duties) Squadron based at Blida in North Africa in August 1944 as a 21-year-old Flight Sergeant. He flew all of his operations with the same crew, with a change of navigator in March 1945.
They flew Short Stirlings, the first of the RAF's four-engine heavy bombers, which by then was considered obsolete in that role but widely used for the dropping of agents and supplies by parachute into occupied Europe. Don and his crew flew one operation on the night of 30/31 August, Operation Caracole, dropping supplies to the French Resistance engaging retreating German forces in southern France. In light of the success of the Allied invasions of June and August 1944, 624 Sqdn was disbanded, and Don and his crew were transferred to another Special Duties squadron, No 148, part of the Balkan Air Force at Brindisi, Italy.
148 Sqdn had sustained terrible casualties in the operations to supply the Warsaw Uprising, and many replacement crews arrived at Brindisi at that time. Don had a circuits-and-bumps conversion to flying the squadron's four-engine Handley Page Halifax aircraft courtesy of a very experienced pilot, Larry Toft. He then flew 36 operations with the squadron until the end of the war. They dropped supplies and agents and on one memorable occasion - in support of Operation Tombola - a jeep, to partisans in the Balkans and southern central Europe.
The life of a Special Duties crew was very different to that of a "typical" i.e. Bomber Command crew - for security's sake there were few communal activities with other crews, even operational briefings were usually individual, and the men lived isolated and fairly uncomfortable lives. In addition they faced danger on each operation: typically at this time, a drop was made in daylight at very low altitude, a few hundred feet, and often entailed several passes over the drop zone to make sure the reception party was there and was from the right side! Small arms and anti-aircraft fire from the ground caused casualties, as did mechanical failure and the weather; on top of this was the danger of low-flying between mountains, etc. The strain was considerable - the chances of bailing out safely at low altitude are low, and this alone must have given those young men considerable pause for thought - and increased as the end of the war in Europe approached. Don and his crew all survived the war, and went their separate ways on demobilisation. Don himself died in Brighton at the age of 42 in 1966.
The original crew (ranks given as of May 1945) were: P/O DC Atkins; P/O EF Lock; P/O WA Belson DFC (an Australian); F/Sgt D Sullivan; Sgt J Allcock; F/Sgt BA Lawler; F/Sgt J Sharples. F/O AS Allen (also an Australian) replaced P/O Belson DFC as navigator from March 1945.
The following aircrew flew with them on one or more occasions: Sgt JR Evans, F/Sgt FW Hubbard, W/O DF Hinsby, F/Sgt HS Milman, F/Sgt EG Ambrose, Sgt RG Heyward, F/Sgt PH Small, F/Sgt CW Bromage, F/Sgt RA Walkden.
|
Roy "Corks" Cornell 624 Squadron Roy Corks Cornell was with 1575 SD Unit stationed at Desborough in the UK and then at Blida, Algeria in Stirling aircraft.
|
SAC. William Gill 210 Squadron Bill Gill was my father, he was Assigned to Coastal Command 210 Squadron, then off to 1PRU and 540 Squadron at Station Benson in the early days of Photo Reconnaissance. He was posted after 1PDC to 156 Maintenance Unit, Northwest Africa Aircraft Repair Unit as a Senior Aircraftsman. I was 14yrs when he passed in May 1969 and I am now tracing his WWII experiences. His War Record states he was a Commercial Photographer in Civilian Life, Glasgow, Scotland.
|
F/Lt. Julius "Staff" Stafford-Baker Julius Stafford-Baker, a/q officer was Wing Intelligence Officer at Blida during WW2. Also OiC Entertainments Cafe Coastal show planned for one night, but ran for a week, many of the 8th Army travelled to see it. Chorus girls were very senior officers in grass skirts with cocoa nuts. I have a copy of the programme and some photos.
There were ex Vichy French aircraft about, which we had disabled to prevent take off. Free French pilots were training on Spitfires, much too elderly for this - kept on crashing.
Bilda was the base for the Gliders used in the Sicily landings. Gliders towed from Gibraltar round the back of the Atlas to Blida so as not to be seen on German radar.
The Fleet Air Arm contingent from sunk HMS Ark Royal operating one or two Swordfish, and also saluted the quarterdeck of HMS Blida!! on passing through the gate!!
Also Warwick aircraft on lifeboat dropping ASR work and Halifax Special Duties Flight with no gun turrets, black all over. Engines changed every flight, they landed in occupied France with oxygen boosted take off, which is why engine rebuilds were required. Yes four engines did land in southern France. Flight commander had the shakes off duty after too many ops in Europe, but at take off he was back to normal.
Father was also the RAF's pet War Artist, he has many pictures at Hendon incl. Blida, also pictures in the IWM and world-wide.
|
Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
|
|
|
