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Those known to have served at RAF Witchford during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Baker Charles Henry. Sgt. (d.16th Mar 1944)
- Bradley Wilbert Alymer. Flt.Sgt.
- Capstick Nicholas Jackson. Sgt. (d.16th Mar 1944)
- Casey Lawrence Joseph. Sgt
- Deaville Aurther Kenneth. Flt.Sgt.
- Favager Reginald. Sgt.
- Gibson DFC.. Eric William. F/O.
- Gooch Ernest. WO
- Jory Anthony. Sgt. (d.16th Mar 1944)
- Rodger James Menzies. P/O (d.16th Mar 1944)
- Rossiter Henry Charles. WO
- Smith Eric Raymond. LAC.
- Werrett Ronald Arthur. Flt Sgt. (d.16th Mar 1944)
- Whitcombe DFC.. Sydney.
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.
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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
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Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a
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Want to know more about RAF Witchford? There are:85 items tagged RAF Witchford 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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Sgt Lawrence Joseph "Larry" Casey 115 Sqn My father, Larry Casey was shot down on 16 March 1944. He was one of 2 survivors from the Lancaster. He spent many months at camp 357 at Fallingbostel. The story of his brave crew is told on this web site lancasterll693
His crew were:
- Pilot Officer Jim Rodger
- Flt Sgt Tony Jory
- Sgt Lawrence Casey
- Sgt Jack Capstick
- Sgt CharlesBaker
- Sgt Reg Favager
- Sgt Ron Werrett
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WO Henry Charles Rossiter 'A' flight. 115 Squadron I served with 115 squadron based at Witchford from 15th August 1944 to 9th January 1945. I was the wireless operator of Flt Lt Jenkins's crew of 8. (We had a mid under gunner). In November and December our Lancaster KO-C serial number hk578 was a gh leader bombing through cloud in daylight raids. We were one of the luckier crews surviving without any damage although during night raids we survived several night fighter attacks. One attacking JU88 was damaged by our gunners over Frankfurt I believe.Our crew was also chosen to experiment with the photo flash exploding when bombs burst(That was before we acquired our mid under gunner). Flight Lt Jenkins was awarded the DFC for his cool conduct when under pressure. He now lives in Kansas City, USA and he and I are the only surviving members of our crew. I keep in touch with him. HK 578 survived the war and was eventually demolished.
One sad story. In November 1944 an order was published stating that any crew completing their first tour of 30 ops, if thay had 7 or more French targets among their 30, they were required to do 5 more ops. Flt Lt Davidson RCAF and his crew were in this category and on their 31st were all killed in a collision with our 'A' flight commander Sqdn. Ldr Hugh Castle who also perished along with his crew. Their names appear on the Runnymede Memorial which I have visited. I had several friends among those lost.
Note. I held rank of Fl/Sgt whilst on the squadron.
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Sydney Whitcombe DFC. 195 Squadron My father Sydney Whitcombe did not talk much about his experiences of his service in the RAF.
He was a navigator for the 195 Squadron and received the DFC for his bravery.
Interestingly enough he was at first a conscientious objector when war broke out, later joining the RAF having spent most of the initial years dragging bodies from bombed buildings in London. I have a photograph of him and some of his crew with their names but would love to find out more about anyone connected to the 195 squadron and any other photographs.
The names of the crew members were:
Frank Wilcock (wireless operator)
Len Parsons (bomber)
‘Paddy’ (air gunner)
Stan Renaut (air gunner)
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Flt.Sgt. Aurther Kenneth "Dev." Deaville 61 Sqd. My father Ken Deaville, flew Mk 1s, Mk 11s and Mk 111s as a Flight Engineer from 1943 to 1945 for 115 Sqd and 61 Sqd.
In June 1944 he was in 115 Sqd at Witchford in Don Cameron's crew flying ME836 C-Charlie.
By April 1945 he was in 61 sqd at Skellingthorpe in Danny Boon's crew flying NF997 H-How.
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LAC. Eric Raymond Smith I am not sure how long my grandad, Eric Smith was at RAF Witchford, but I have some photos which where posted to him there. I do know that he worked on the Avro Lancaster. The letter is addressed to what looks like L.A.C. Smith. E.R 1068451, Electrical section. I also know he was based in Reykjavik, Iceland sometime around 1945. I'm told he had painted some of the pictures on the noses of Lancaster bombers. If anybody knows anything about my grandad, any records etc I would love to see them.
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F/O. Eric William "Hoot" Gibson DFC. 115 Squadron    My father initially joined the Australian Army in 1940, but decided he wanted to fly to war instead of walking, so joined the RAAF in early 1941.
His initial training was in Tasmania and then advanced training in Canada. He was then posted to 623 Sqn at Downham Market where he only completed 2 gardening sorties on Stirlings before it was disbanded.
He was then transferred to 115 Squadron at Witchford where he completed his tour of 30 operations in June 1944. His log book records at least two attacks by enemy night fighters and another is confirmed by gunners reports.
At the end of his tour, he was posted to several training units as a flying instructor and managed to survive them as well. He was awarded the DFC in 1944. Whilst he didn't speak much about the war on his return or in later years, he did comment about two particular raids to Nuremberg and Leipzig which were particularly costly to Bomber Command. He also mentioned another occasion where he was forced to land at Downham Market as there was an enemy fighter in the circuit at Witchford. This fighter was responsible for the destruction of two of 115 Squadron's returning aircraft.
The only other trip he mentioned was one where, on their return to base, they found an incendiary bomb lodged in the engine housing of the Lancaster, obviously dropped from an aircraft above. Luckily, it hadn't ignited. I still have the nose weight from that bomb with the date 1943 cast into it. The bomb had been defused by armourers and the nose weight given to Dad's Canadian tail gunner who surprised Dad with it when my parents visited him in Canada.
Dad returned to Australia in 1945 where he was a power station control room supervisor until retirement. He died in 1999 at the age of 83 years of age. He never flew an aircraft again on his return to Australia but retained a keen interest in aviation. I recall him saying that when he was a young lad, he had seen Charles Kingsford Smith's aircraft in western Victoria when it was doing joy rides to help finance his exploits.
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WO Ernest "Teddy" Gooch 115 Squadron Dad, Ernest Gooch was flying his 13th mission over Germany from RAF Witchford and was shot down by flak on 29th of October 1944, one of 2 to survive, the other being the bomb aimer, John Bovill, who was also kept in Bankau Stalag Luft VII. They went on the forced march to Luckenwalde south of Berlin from where they eventually left for the Allied lines when the Germans capitulated.
Bankau was ok for the US, French and British airmen, not so good for the Russians who were systematically starved and and frozen to death. With nothing to wear but what they stood up in, the other nationalities would tip potato peelings over the fence to the Russians on pain of execution, who would then fight to the death for them. Corpses were often seen the next day with flesh missing from them.
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Flt.Sgt. Wilbert Alymer Bradley 115 Squadron My father Al Bradley trained in Canada and was chosen to be tail gunner in the R.A.F. He served with 115 Squadron at Witchford.
He was wounded over Germany.
While in One Wing Hospital he was told his old crew were all killed on their next mission.
I have letters from the pilots' father informing my father of their deaths.
I also have several photos.
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