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Those known to have served at RAF Eastchurch 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
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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. |
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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.
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Want to know more about RAF Eastchurch? There are:87 items tagged RAF Eastchurch 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. |
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Act.Grp.Capt. William Robert Sadler 142 Squadron My late father, Group Captain William Robert Sadler, was posted to 142 Squadron RAF to command on 24/9/40 and remained with the squadron until 4/7/41 when he moved to HQ 1 Group. During his time with 142 Squadron, at Binbrook and Eastchurch, he oversaw the conversion to Wellingtons from Battles, the training of the squadron in night bombing, and then led it on raids on four occasions (flying Q for Queenie). When the Wellingtons arrived he found that no thought had been given to training captains of aircraft in how to captain a multi-crew aircraft where the crew was dispersed and members could only keep in touch by intercom. He, therefore, typed and carbon copied his own manual to all captains, and I believe Group later showed an interest in this and that it formed the basis for the official RAF manual. I still have a copy of his original, photos of him and his air and ground crews, some of the red, white and blue ribbon he flew from his wireless antenna, and his log books and clippings from newspapers about raids. My father survived the war, unlike sadly the rest of his crew who perished after his posting. After I was born in 1943, my father was posted to Turkey to teach at the Air Staff College, and to work to keep Turkey out of the war on the Axis side. After VE Day he returned to Binbrook as station commander, and I can remember being in my pram with Lancasters taking off overhead, and three German POWs working around the house; one gave me a wooden model of a Lancaster for my third birthday. My father then went to Copenhagen as Air Attache, to Andover as Deputy Chair of the RAF Officers Selection Board, and to Washington with the NATO Joint Chiefs of Staff Intelligence Group. He retired from the RAF in 1954 to devote the rest of my life to painting. He painted professionally and successfully for another 46 years, dying in 2001 a few weeks after his last exhibition. We try to have at least one exhibition of his paintings every year.
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Flt.Sgt. John Alan Stace 111th Sqd. My Dad, John Stace, served in the RAF Bomber Command on Lancasters. I believe his crew were:
- Johnny Brown Pilot Flight Engineer
- John Stace Wireless Operator
- Peter Bishop Mid Air Gunner
- Gordon Cox Rear Gunner
- Nobby Clark Observer or Bomb Aimer Hadfield
Dad joined the RAF in 1942 from school having been an Air Cadet. He left in 1946.
The only time he crashed was not whilst with his own crew but with another crew in 1946 he survived but the pilot died. I believe he was at Eastchurch and Feltwell amongst other bases. He flew with 115 Sqadron and also 44 Squadron. He was at Cranwell and also Scampton
I would love to know more about his life as sadly he died in 1977 so I didn't get time to ask him.
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Wilfrid Hartley My father, Wilfrid Hartley, was based at RAF Eastchurch towards the end of the 1939-45 war and I was born in a house called "The Warren" near the airfield, moving away at the beginning of 1946. My parents have passed away now, but they never talked about Eastchurch, or the airfield. To fill this gap in my history I would appreciate any information about Eastchuch, the house where I was born or the airfield/base.
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Sgt. Rupert Ormonde "Bob" Bromley Rupert Bromley was a Sergeant Pilot based at Eastchurch from 30th of December 1944 to 11th of January 1945.
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LAC James Michael Baker My Dad, James Baker, enlisted before the start of the Second World War. First he was in the RAF and was at West Drayton in June 1939. He later transferred to the Army and was with the Welsh Guards in Italy in 1945.
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