Air Force Index

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No. 158 Squadron Royal Air Force    No 158 Squadron was originally formed and disbanded in late 1918 without ever becoming operational. It re-formed at Driffield as a bomber squadron in No 4 Group, beginning with Wellington medium bombers in February 1942, converting to Halifax heavy bombers over the summer of 1942. No 158 took part in many major raids on naval and industrial targets, and participated in the mine-laying campaign. No 158 Squadron's final wartime operation was an attach on Wangerooge in April 1945. The squadron was disbanded on the 16th August 1945. Airfields No. 158 Squadron flew from: RAF Driffield, Yorkshire from the 14th February 1942 (formed. Wellington II) RAF East Moor, Yorkshire from the 6th June 1942 (Halifax II. detached to Coastal Command) Detachment to RAF Beaulieu, Hampshire from the 25th October 1942 RAF Rufforth, Yorkshire from the 6th November 1942 (returned to Bomber Command) RAF Lissett, Yorkshire from the 28th February 1943 (Halifax III. moved to Transport Command May 1945)    History of RAF Lisset     3rd January 1942 Move to Egypt 31st January 1942 RAF Squadrons renumbered 14th February 1942 New Squadron designation 27th February 1942 Crash 10th March 1942  Crash on landing 18th March 1942 Lost without trace 9th April 1942 Shot down over Hamburg 10th Apr 1942 Wellington Lost 12th April 1942  Two Wellingtons lost 14th Apr 1942 Wellington Lost 29th April 1942 Taken PoW in Denmark 30th April 1942  Missing on raid to France 9th May 1942 Four Wellingtons of 158 Squadron fail to return 1st June 1942 Two Wellingtons of 158 Squadron shot down on first 1000 bomber raid 2nd June 1942 Stood down for new aircraft 6th June 1942 Relocated for new aircraft 26th June 1942 1000 bomber raid on Bremen 14th July 1942 158 Squadron lose two Halifaxes 16th July 1942 Five airmen killed in training accident 20th July 1942  Two Halifaxes missing 22nd July 1942 Shot down 26th July 1942  Halifax abandoned over the Netherlands 27th July 1942 Halifax shot down 1st August 1942 Halifax ditched 6th August 1942 Halifax shot down over the Netherlands 7th August 1942 Airmen avade capture 10th September 1942 Eight airmen lost in the North Sea 11th September 1942 Bomb Aimer killed 14th September 1942 Halifax crew taken PoW 17th September 1942 Halifax crashed in Germany 19th September 1942  Halifax broke up in midair 15th October 1942 One survivor 25th October 1942 Halifax Detachment 6th November 1942 Halifax squadron relocated 8th November 1942 Halifax Lost 18th November 1942 One crash survivor 9th January 1943 Rear gunner survived 21st January 1943 Halifax lost on minelaying sortie 14th February 1943 Halifax shot down over the Netherlands 28th February 1943 Bomber Squadron moves to new base 11th March 1943 Air crew buried in France 27th March 1943 Crashed in Bremen 30th March 1943 Halifax shot down at Hamburg 3rd April 1943 Aircrew missing for 70 years 3rd April 1943 Shot down in the Netherlands 15th April 1943 Damaged in mid-air collision 16th April 1943 Halifax Lost; crew survived 16th Apr 1943 Halifax Lost 21st April 1943 19 Aircraft lost 21st April 1943 Halifax crashed in Denmark taken to Germany 26th Apr 1943 Halifax Lost 28th Apr 1943 Aircraft Lost 24th May 1943 Shot down in Germany 28th May 1943 Halifax shot down over the Netherlands 30th May 1943 Two Halifaxes shot down over the Netherlands 12th June 1943 Two bombers from 158 Squadron lost 13th June 1943 Attack on Bochum 22nd June 1943 Halifax shot down 23rd June 1943 Killed on first mission 4th July 1943 Three airmen survive air crash 14th July 1943 Pilot killed 15th Jul 1943 Aircraft Lost 24th Jul 1943 Aircraft Lost 26th July 1943 Aircraft Lost 26th Jul 1943 Night Operations 3rd Aug 1943 158 Squadron Halifax lost 18th Aug 1943 158 Squadron Halifax lost 24th August 1943 Halifax shot down 3rd Nov 1943 Bomber Command 20th Dec 1943 Two 158 Squadron Halifaxes lost 7th January 1944 New bomber squadron formed 15th Feb 1944 Two 158 Squadron Halifaxes lost 20th Feb 1944 Halifax Lost 19th Mar 1944 Halifax lost 22nd Mar 1944 Two Aircraft Lost 24th Mar 1944 Aircraft Down 31st Mar 1944 Four Halifax bombers of 158 Squadron lost 10th Apr 1944 Aircraft Lost 11th Apr 1944 Halifax Lost 18th Apr 1944 Halifax bombers in mid-air collision 18th Apr 1944 Halifax Lost 18th Jul 1944 Aircraft Lost 13th Aug 1944 Aircraft Lost 25th Oct 1944 Bomber Command 25th Oct 1944 158 Squadron Halifax lost 3rd March 1945 Operation Gisela 24th March 1945 Shot down at Gladbeck July 1945 New transport role 17th August 1945 Transport Squadron relocated If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Logbooks Do you have a WW2 Flying Log Book in your possession? If so it would be a huge help if you could add logbook entries to our new database. Thank you. View Logbook entries Those known to have served with No. 158 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War 1939-1945. Ackling DFC Philip Haddon. F/Lt Andrews Frank Henry. Flt.Sgt. Badcock DFC James Herbert. Sgt. Baldwin Bernard Oliver. P/O. (d.24th May 1944) Bartsch . F/Lt Black Bruce Graham. F/O. (d.3rd June 1944) Brindley Russel Walter. F/Sgt. (d.14th July 1942) Chambers Harold. Flt.Sgt. Durrant Eric. Sgt. Furniss John William. Sgt. (d.11th December 1942) Grey James Leslie Rixon. Flt Sgt. Hall Don. F/O Hare Stan. F/Sgt. Jenkins Gwyn. Johnstone Eric. P/O Macdougall Stanley Herbert. Sgt. Macdougall Stanley H.. Sgt. Marshall Harold William. F/Sgt. (d.21st Feb 1944) Mewis Les. Prowse Ronald George Frederick. Sgt. Reed Samuel. LAC Rennie John Robertson. Sgt. (d.20th July 1942) Robertson William A.. Ryan DFC Alan Howard. Salter A. G.. Showler Roy Arthur Collins. Sgt. (d.11th June 1943) Sibbley Cyril. Sgt. Smith Kenneth L.. Toogood . Westmoreland DFC. George. Flt/Lt. Widdowson Alan Charles. F/Sgt. Widdowson Alan Charles. F/Sgt. (d.22nd Feb 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 Records of No. 158 Squadron Royal Air Force from other sources. 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. 16th Jan 2025 - 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 265273 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 No. 158 Squadron Royal Air Force? There are:2091 items tagged No. 158 Squadron Royal Air Force 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. Kenneth L. Smith 158 Squadron My grandfather, Kenneth L. Smith, served as Rear Gunner 158 Squadron, on Halifax, J-Jiggs out of Lissett England. We would love to be able to find someone that flew with him or served at the same time as him. Sue Sharpe Add to this record. A. G. "Pop" Salter pilot 158 Sqd. My father, Gwyn Jenkins, flew 16 sortees with A.G. "Pop" Salter from Lisset. Pop Salter was completing his second tour. If anybody remembers my father or any of the others in Pop Salters crew please send me an email. Peter Jenkins Add to this record. Gwyn "Snowy" Jenkins flt eng. 158 Sqd. My father, who is the last surviving member of A.G. "Pop" Salter's crew was based at Lisset from June 1944 until the Squadron moved to Stradishall and exchanged their Halifaxes for Stirlings and changed destinations from Fortress Europe to India. Dad flew 36 operations, 16 of them as "spare" Flight Engineer as Pop Salter "only" had to do 20 ops to complete his second tour. If anybody remembers my father or any of the others in Pop Salters crew please send me an email. Peter Jenkins Add to this record. Sgt. Stanley H. Macdougall 158 Squadron Two days before my Father, Stanley Macdougall was to join his crew for their first sortie, another crew requested a volunteer to replace a sick Mid Upper Gunner, so on Boxing day 1944 Dad flew to St Vith as part of The Battle of the Bulge. Thank You for your service. Add to this record. F/Sgt. Alan Charles Widdowson 158 Squadron (d.22nd Feb 1945) Charles Widdowson flew with 159 Squadron. Add to this record. F/Sgt. Russel Walter Brindley 158 Squadron (d.14th July 1942) Russel Brindley signed up for air crew RAAF in Melbourne on 5th of January 1941. He went to Canada for training then was posted to Fighter Command in Lincolnshire later was posted to 158 Squadron Bomber Command in Yorkshire. He failed to return on 14th of July 1942. A great loss for Aunty Ethel, his Mum back in Australia, he was her only child. Add to this record. F/O. Bruce Graham Black 158 Squadron (d.3rd June 1944) On Friday 2nd of June 1944, Flying Officer (Bomb Aimer) Bruce Black, took off from Lissett in the United Kingdom. The plane left at 22:13. Crew: Flying Officer (Pilot) W. M. Chant Flying Officer (Bomb Aimer) B. G. Black Flying Officer (Air Gunner) C. J. Nibblet Sergeant (Flight Engineer) S. Thompson Sergeant (Wireless Operator) J. K. Dunn Sergeant (Air Gunner) W. Wales Warrant Officer CL2 (Navigator) S. T. Lawrence They flew with 158 Squadron in a Handley Page Halifax MK III, serial LV921, code NP-B. His mission and that of the other crew members was planned for Saturday, 3rd of June 1944. The mission was a bombing raid on the railway marshaling yards at Trappes. After bombing the target and before the pilot could gain altitude their plane was hit by a ME110 flown by Ltn. Frithjof Fensch of NJG 4. The plane was on fire and Bill Chant the pilot gave the order to bail out immediately. Stan Lawrence bailed out through the escape hatch below his seat and Bruce Black was ready to bail out, however it is assumed that his parachute did not fully deploy because of the low altitude. The plane made a large circle and crashed into a wooded area near the small town of Emance (Yvelines), 11 kms South West of the town of Rambouillet. Stan Lawrence was the only survivor and was rescued by the French Resistance, the remaining six crew members died in the crash. Add to this record. Sgt. Stanley Herbert Macdougall 158 Squadron Stanley Macdougall served with 158 Squadron. I would love to hear from family of the crew Dad flew with, and to share pictures and correspondences collected over the years. They were Campbell Lewis Gardner (Pilot) j27028, Patrick Joseph Griffin 1900581, Walter Macleod j23358, Roy Macdonald Powell R184913, Kenneth Le Roy Smith R264882, Leslie John Edward Toogood 190379 and Albert Stewart Vernon R207146. Gary Macdougall Add to this record. F/Lt Philip Haddon Ackling DFC 158 Squadron Pip Ackling served as a Bomb Aimer with 158 Squadron. Edwin Haddon Ackling Add to this record. Sgt. John Robertson Rennie 158 Squadron (d.20th July 1942) Sergeant (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) John Rennie was the son of John Robertson Rennie and Margaret Russell Rennie of Tullibody, Clackmannanshire. He was 22 when he died and is buried in the Franeker General Cemetery, Friesland, Netherlands. S Flynn Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices.

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