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Those known to have served at RAF Wing during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Basnett William.
- Brown Peter William.
- Clark John Thomas. PO,
- Keogh Frank. Stkr. (d.20th Mar 1945)
- Martin Lillian. L.Wren. (d.26th October 1943)
- Mitchell Frank. Ldg.Photo(A)(Ty)
- Mortimer Bobbie. Ldg.Tel. (d.20th March 1945)
- Stanley Hubert Sydney. Skr.1st.Cl. (d.20th Mar 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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Want to know more about RAF Wing? There are:17 items tagged RAF Wing 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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Peter William Brown 102 Squadron My father, Peter William Brown, served with 102 in Halifaxes and, I think, wireless operator at at Pocklington, Yorkshire. His knowledge on wartime radio/ radar equipment was unbelievable. As far as I can remember, as a young lad, was him telling me and my brother about Pocklington, and his training in the Isle of Man, and being at Wing in Buckinghamshire.
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Stkr. Frank Keogh HMS Lapwing (d.20th Mar 1945) Frank Keogh enlisted in the Royal Navy at Great Malvern, Worcestershire on 25 January 1943 aged 17. He followed his elder brother Richard into the Navy. He started out as a Stoker 2nd Class initially on HMS Duke Anson Division (the Royal Naval shore establishment based in Great Malvern). His brother was also a stoker.
During May 1943 he was on convoy support services in the Atlantic onboard the destroyers HMS Milne and HMS Onslought.
July 1943 saw Frank off of the Norwegian Coast onboard HMS Manhratta (Destroyer), where he was involved in diversionary offensive sweeps (this was the same time as invasion of Scicily was ongoing).
In August 1943 Frank was onboard HMS Oribi (Destroyer) and was present at the Royal visit by HM King George VI to the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow and he also took part in demonstrations with ships of Flotilla on the following day.
Following further training in Scapa and Plymouth, Frank was promoted to Stoker 1st Class in January 1944.
He subsequently joined the newly commissioned HMS Lapwing (a Black Swan Sloop in March 1944 and was deployed in the Western Approaches for convoy escort.
In May - HMS Lapwing was nominated for service with the 111th Escort Group in support of the allied landings in Normandy, based at Plymouth, but joined the Group at Milford Haven in June for escort of Convoy EBP1. Although the operation was delayed by 24 hours until the 5th, whne they joined Convoy EBP1 with Group in the Bristol Channel.
Frank and the Lapwing arrived on the beach head on 7th June with EBP1 after passage through the swept channel. They then returned to Plymouth with Group in order to continue escort of follow-up convoys.
After termination of Opeation Neptune, the ship remained in the Channel area for convoy escort and anti-submarine operations. Before transferring to 8th Escort to Group for convoy defence in the North West Approaches.
In October 1944 - HMS Lapwing was detached for Russian convoy escort duty with the Home Fleet and was deployed for Convoy JW61 during passage to Kola Inlet.
In November she took part in anti-submarine operations against U-Boats assembled off Kola Inlet before returning with Convoy RA 61. Although she suffered severe weather damage during the return and had to go into Clyde shipyard for repairs.
At the end of November she joined the Russian bound convoy JW62 arriving in Kola Inlet on 7th, starting the return on the 10th with convoy RA62 follow more UBoat sweeps
The next convoy for Russia was Convoy JW63 arriving safely and starting her return on the 11th with Convoy RA63 although it was an exceptionally stormy passage which forced the convoy to take shelter when North East of the Faeroes, and again causing more weather damage repair work in the Clyde shipyard.
The 3rd February 1945 Saw HMS Lapwing joining Russian Convoy JW64 arriving in Kola Inlet on the 15th, but only after HMS Denbigh Castle had been torpedoed by U993 and sustained major damage from which she eventually sank. Following heavy and sustained air attacks during the passage with one escort.
The ship was deployed with other escorts to carry out anti-submarine hunts assisted by Russian aircraft to attack U-Boats assembled outside Kola Inlet and during these operations U425 was sunk by HMS Lark/HM Alnwick Castle. Although HMS LARK was subseuently hit by a homing torpedo from U968 and abandoned and HM Corvette was also sunk by U711 using the same type of weapon, with only 12 survivors.
They commended their return convoy on the 19th February after dispersal by very heavy weather and sustained air attacks which were driven off by AA fire from escorts and aircraft from HM Escort Aircraft Carrier Nairana. On the 23rd Hurricane force winds again dispersed the convoy which was reassembled, but eventually RA64 arrived back in the UK.
On the 11th March Frank and HMS Lapwing commenced their final trip to Russia, joining Russian Convoy JW65 to Kola Inlet. On the 20th she was hit amidships by a T5 homing torpedo fired from U968 off Kola Inlet in position 69 26N 33.44E. The ship broke in two but the stern section remained afloat for 20 minutes which enabled some survivors to be rescued, but unfortuanately Frank was not amongst the few. There were 61 survivors and 158 men died.
Upon his return from this trip, Frank was due to be best man at his elder brothers wedding.
Last year my mother applied for the Atlantic Medal on behalf of her brother Frank, it took a long time to arrive, but was finally delivered the day after she had passed away.
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Skr.1st.Cl. Hubert Sydney Stanley HMS Lapwing (d.20th Mar 1945) Hubert Stanley (Stoker 1st class) served on HMS Lapwing. He came from Whalley in Lancashire. He was aged 20 when he was killed and is commemorated on thPlymouth Naval Memorial, Devon.
I presume like many if not all of his comrades they were never recovered or found.
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Ldg.Tel. Bobbie Mortimer HMS Lapwing (d.20th March 1945) Bobbie Mortimer was my father's cousin born on the 10th May 1922 in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.
In 1943 he married Mary Helliwell and just two years later, while serving as a leading telegraphist onboard his ship HMS Lapwing, he died at sea. HMS Lapwing was sailing off the North Russian coast, North of Murmansk when she was torpedoed by a U boat and sank in approximately 12 minutes at 10.58 GMT. The torpedo hit amidships killing 158 men. 61 men were rescued but sadly Bobbie was not one of the lucky ones.
He is remembered on the Plymouth Naval Memorial and on a plaque in St. Michael's Church, Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire.
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Ldg.Photo(A)(Ty) Frank "Snaps" Mitchell
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William Basnett HMS Ameer My father, William Basnett, was in the Royal Navy from 30th of November 1942 to 15th of May 1946.
He had relatively short periods onHMS Gosling, HMS Daedalus, HMS Tern,HMS Raven, HMS Waxwing, HMS Malagas and HMS Bermuda but spent most of his service on HMS Ameer from 5th of December 1944 to 18th of November 1945.
They were carrying 845 squadron & later 804 squadron avengers & wildcats. On 26th of July 1945 they were attacked by a Japanese Kamikaze but managed to deflect it into the sea with the ships armaments. During his time on HMS Ameer they were involved in operations, Lightning, Matador, Sankey, Stacey, Collie, Carson, Jurist, Beecham, Tideraceand Zipper in the Battles in Burma and Malaya and to re-occupy Malaya and Singapore.
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L.Wren. Lillian Martin HMS Waxwing (d.26th October 1943) Lillian Martin was the daughter of John Martin and Mary Elizabeth Martin, sister to Robert Martin and Aunty to John Martin. She died in Service on 26th Oct 1943.
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PO, John Thomas Clark HMS Raven My late grandfather, John Clark, was an aircraft mechanic, Chief Petty Officer. He served in World War Two with the Royal Navy, and then backed up in the Korean War with the Royal Australian Navy.
Ships that Jack served on:
- HMS Drake
- HMS Raven
- HMS Condor
- HMS Illustrious
- HMS Owl
- HMS Jackdaw
- HMS Waxwing
- HMS Haloford
- HMS Daedalus
- HMS Saket
- HMS Bheninda
- HMS Landrail
- HMS Sydney
- HMS Albatross
- HMS Glory
- HMS Nirimba
- HMS Penguin
- HMS Vengeance
- HMS Heron
Jack was a merchant seaman before he joined the Royal Navy. He spent about 15 years at sea.
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