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- Special Operations Executive during the Second World War -


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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

Special Operations Executive



Those known to have served with

Special Operations Executive

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

  • Ball CdeG. Edward lawrence. Sgt.
  • Boelskov Erik. 2nd Lt. (d.25th Aug 1943)
  • Bradley William. Sgt. (d.31st August 1944)
  • Brown William Wallace. F/O (d.31st August 1944)
  • Button Harold Victor. Sgt. (d.12th Oct 1944)
  • Bégué MC. Georges.
  • Careless Alfred. Capt. (d.20th Oct 1943)
  • Careless Alfred. Captain (d.20th October 1943)
  • Carnegie Thomas Edward. F/O. (d.1st June 1944)
  • Cloutier Joseph Darie Louis. F/O (d.15th September 1943)
  • Dove A. S.. Sgt.
  • Fuke Harry. Cpl.
  • Gay Leonard Charles. Sgt. (d.15th September 1943)
  • Goss James. W/S/Sgt.
  • Green Frederick George. Flt.Sgt. (d.27th Sep 1942)
  • Hart Edward Chichester. F/O. (d.15th Sep 1943)
  • Howells Henry Spencer. Flt.Sgt.
  • Johannessen Poul Herman Johannes. 2nd Lt. (d.5th September 1942)
  • Kempton Henry John. Sgt.
  • Layzell Gordon Edward. Maj. (d.2nd Feb 1944)
  • MacDuff Robert Denver. F/O (d.31st August 1944)
  • Martin-Leake Stephen Philip. Major (d.7th June 1944)
  • Mudge William Henry. Sgt. (d.15th September 1943)
  • Nearne Nancy.
  • Nicholls GC, ERD. Arthur Frederick Crane. Brig. (d.11th Feb 1944)
  • Norie Kenneth Ross. Sgt. (d.15th September 1943)
  • Parramore Eric George. Capt.
  • Pearson Frederick. F/Sgt. (d.31st August 1944)
  • Peterson DFC, CdG. Malcolm Albert.
  • Roberts MM. Sydney George. Cpl. (d.22nd Dec 1943)
  • Rockingham David William. Sig. (d.20th Oct 1943)
  • Sayles DFM Francis. F/O (d.31st August 1944)
  • Smith John Bonsall. F/Sgt. (d.31st August 1944)
  • Smith Sidney John. Sgt. (d.15th September 1943)
  • Stiles . (d.27th Jun 1944)
  • Stroud Bernard. Flt.Sgt. (d.19th July 1944)
  • Taylor Charles Richard.
  • Tuyl Daphne Joan.
  • Vieuxbled Jacques Robert. Cmdr.
  • Wake Nancy.
  • Wallace David John. Major (d.17th August 1944)
  • White Norman Arthur. Flt.Sgt. (d.31st Dec 1944)
  • Windsor Kenneth Charles. Sgt. (d.15th September 1943)
  • Zygmuntowicz Ryszard. F/O (d.21st April 1942)

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 Special Operations Executive from other sources.



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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.




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 Special Operations Executive?


There are:1628 items tagged Special Operations Executive 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.


Malcolm Albert Peterson DFC, CdG. No. 138 Squadron

I know so little about my father Malcolm Peterson's war record. I have his log books and I know he trained to be a pilot in Blenheim NZ before travelling via Canada to Britain where he first joined 51 Squadron in Sept 1941, during which time he flew on bombing ops over Europe. Following that he joined No. 138 Squadron in January 1942, and this is where the information becomes sketchy because his logbook states 'ops as ordered', rather than mentioning towns which were bombed as happened during the time with 51 Squadron. I think this is when he was with SOE flying out of RAF Stradishall.

From July 1942 there was a stint at No. 10 OTU Abingdon followed by one at No.24 OTU Honeybourne, and on 14th February 1943 a crash at RAF Greenham Common, where the aircraft was totally destroyed. There were no injuries sustained by the crew, but my father was very badly injured and out of the war for 10 months. He recuperated at Stretton Hall, Staffordshire where he met my mother who was a nurse there. There seems to have been a long period of training when my father returned to the war, and finally he joined No. 692 Squadron in Feb 1945. He was awarded the DFC and also the Croix de Geurre avec palme for his war efforts.

Jane Ivers



Stiles (d.27th Jun 1944)

I am looking for any information about a parachute Joe possibly named Stiles, in Larra, France, landed 20th of September 1943 in Operation Horde conducted by No. 138 Squadron, RAF. We believe that this agent was arrested by the Gestapo of Toulouse and shot in the wood of Reulle (Castelmaurou) on 27th of June 1944.

Patrice Castel, Professor of History and Geography.



Flt.Sgt. Henry Spencer "Taffy" Howells Special Duties Flight 240 Squadron

W8405, the aircraft.

Henry Howells, Taffy was in W8405 Catalina flying boat of 240 Squadron. The flight flew operations of up to 32 hours from Redhills Lake Madras to the Gulf of Siam. They were dropped off, picked up and around re-supplied SOE and OSS agents tasked with disrupting Japanese held territory.




Sgt. Henry John Kempton 161 Squadron

My uncle, Henry Kempton, was a gunner in a Halifax, flying out of RAF Tempsford. On his last mission, Operation Iridium, which was to drop some Czechoslovakian operatives, the aircraft was shot down and crashed with the loss of all crew. They were buried in Durnbach Cemetery in Bavaria.

Michael Wallace



Flt.Sgt. Bernard Stroud 138 Squadron (d.19th July 1944)

Bernard Stroud was a Flight Sergeantin the RAF in 138 Squadron based at Tempsford. He was tragically killed aged just 20 on a World War 2 night SOE mission when his Halifax Mk.V plane LL364 NF-B was in collision with an American Liberator B24H aircraft of the 801st Bomber crew over a drop zone at Mazignien, Nievre, France at 01.00hrs on 19th July 1944.

A tragic twist of fate was that Bernard had in fact finished his tour of duty prior to this mission and was on leave at home when the MP`s turned up to call him back to RAF Tempsford to replace a crew member who had broken his leg in a motor cycle accident!!

All 15 persons on board both planes were killed. There were 8 American crew. The British crew of 7 are buried together at the Communal Cemetery Graveyard at Marigny L`Eglise, Nievre, France and are always remembered there by villagers each year and many official ceremonies have been held in remembrance of them. There is a plaque with Bernard`s name on in the Lady Chapel of Hereford Cathedral where he had been a chorister.

Paul Stroud



F/O. Thomas Edward Carnegie 138 Squadron (d.1st June 1944)

My Uncle Tom Carnegie was a navigator on board Halifax LL419, one of two SOE Osric missions flying out of Tempsford to be lost in the night on 1st of June, 1944. It is assumed that they were shot down by a night-fighter somewhere over the North Sea west of Schouwen, The Netherlands. All eight crew are listed as Missing.

John Carnegie



Flt.Sgt. Norman Arthur White 620 Squadron. (d.31st Dec 1944)

I was named after my uncle Norman White shortly after he was shot down near Lister, Norway at the mouth of Skaggerak while on a Special Duty Operation. He was the rear gunner in a Short Stirling Mk IV LJ914. There were no survivors.

A H N Palmer



Sgt. Edward lawrence Ball CdeG. 1663 Conversion Unit

My father Edward Ball served at at Pocklington and in Algiers (S.O.E.).

Anthony Ball



Major David John Wallace attd. Special Operations Executive King's Royal Rifle Corps (d.17th August 1944)

Major Wallace was the Son of Capt. the Rt. Hon. Euan (David) Wallace, M.C., P.C., and of Lady Idina Wallace (nee Sackville), of Petworth, Sussex; husband of Joan Prudence Wallace, of West Kensington, London.

He lost his life while attached as an observer to the 10th Greek Division, the strongest national resistance force fighting against the Germans

He was 29 when he died and is buried in the Paramythia Civil Cemetery in Greece.

s flynn



2nd Lt. Erik Boelskov Special Operations Executive (d.25th Aug 1943)

Second Lieutenant Erik Boelskov was the son of Jorgen and Olga Boelskov of Koge, Denmark. He was aged 22 when he died and is buried in the Koge Cemetery in Denmark.

S Flynn









Recomended Reading.

Available at discounted prices.



Forgotten Voices of the Secret War: An Inside History of Special Operations in the Second World War

Roderick Bailey


Told through interviews recorded by the Imperial War Museum...Roderick Bailey has skilfully braided their stories into a coherent narrative, and the quality of their egregious courage catches at the heart.









Links


















The free section of the Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers. We have been helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items.

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