|
|
|
No. 214 Squadron Royal Air Force
No 214 Squadron was formed in 1917 as a heavy night bombing squadron (No 14 RNAS, becoming No 214 RAF in April 1918). It flew in France and Belgium during WWI and in Egypt in 1919, disbanding in 1920. It reappeared as a bomber squadron in 1935 at Boscombe Down.
During WWII, No 214 served in No 3 Group, flying many missions against naval and industrial targets in Fortress Europe and taking part in mine laying operations. Its tour with No 3 Group ended in January 1944, it was re-equipped with American Flying Fortress aircraft and up until May 1945 was engaged in radio counter-measures - the detection and jamming of enemy radio and radar equipment.
Airfields
No. 214 Squadron
flew from:
- RAF Methwold, Norfolk from 3rd September 1939 (Wellington Ia)
- RAF Stradishall, Suffolk from 12th February 1940 (Wellington Ic, Wellington II)
- RAF Honington, Suffolk from 5th January 1942
- RAF Stradishall from 12th January 1942 (Stirling I)
- RAF Chedburgh, Soffolk from 1st October 1942 (Stirling III)
- RAF Downham Market, Suffolk from 10th December 1943 (to 100 Group)
- RAF Sculthorpe, Norfolk from 16th January 1944 (Fortress II)
- RAF Oulton, Norfolk from 16th May 1944 (Fortress III)
- disbanded 27th July 1945
14th Sep 1939 Posting
31st August 1940 Bombing raids over Europe
6th Apr 1941 Posting
7th April 1941 Aircraft Lost
8th Apr 1941 Aircraft Lost
8th May 1941 Aircraft Lost
9th May 1941 Aircraft Lost
11th May 1941 Aircraft Lost
2nd Jun 1941 Aircraft Lost
4th June 1941 Aircraft Lost
24th Jun 1941 Aircraft Lost
7th Jul 1941 Aircraft Lost
14th Jul 1941 Aircraft Lost
29th Aug 1941 Aircraft Lost
2nd Sep 1941 Aircraft Lost
7th September 1941 Aircraft Lost
13th Sep 1941 Aircraft Lost
14th Sep 1941 214 Squadron Wellington lost
20th Sep 1941 Aircraft Lost
29th Sep 1941 Aircraft Lost
12th Oct 1941 Aircraft Lost
7th November 1941 Aircraft Lost
15th Nov 1941 Aircraft Lost
30th Nov 1941 Aircraft Lost
15th Jan 1942 Aircraft Lost
1st Apr 1942 Aircraft Lost
31st May 1942 Postings and Awards
5th October 1942 Bombing raid a failure
24th Jul 1943 Aircraft Lost
31st Aug 1943 Bomber Command
31st Aug 1943 Bomber Command
25th May 1944 214 Squadron Fortress lost
6th Jun 1944 Messages
20th April 1944 Operations
25th Feb 1945 214 Squadron Fortress lost
25th Feb 1945 214 Squadron Fortress lost
8th Mar 1945 214 Squadron Fortress lost
15th Mar 1945 214 Squadron Fortress lost
21st Mar 1945 214 Squadron Fortress lost
26th Aug 1944 214 Squadron Fortress lost
15th Mar 1945 214 Squadron Fortress lost
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. 214 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Birch Alfred Broyden. LAC.
- Carlyon DFC Paul Winstanley Manners. Sq.Ldr. (d.15th January 1943)
- Carlyon DFC P. W.M. . S/Ldr. (d.16th Jan 1943)
- Carr Lawrence. Sgt. (d.15th January 1943)
- Clarke William. Sqd.Ldr. (d.3rd Feb 1943)
- Cooper Eric Harold. Sgt. (d.24th Jul 1942)
- Cooper Eric Harold. Sgt. (d.24th July 1942)
- Dent Harold Charles . (d.15th Apr 1943)
- Dutton Robert Ernest . (d.15th Apr 1943)
- Ingram Eric Harold. Flt.Sgt. (d.15th Apr 1943)
- Jacques Douglas Harold Morton. (d.15th April 1942)
- James Ron.
- Johnson George Eric. Sgt. (d.3rd Feb 1943)
- Kemmett Kenneth Albert John. Flt.Lt.
- Kemp John Lawrence. Sgt. (d.15th January 1943)
- Nash John Desmond. F/O.
- O'Donnell David Keith. F/O (d.15th Jan 1943)
- Page Edgar James. Sgt. (d.7th September 1941)
- Peck John Nelson. P/O (d.15th January 1943)
- Pinder Peter Francis. F/O (d.15th January 1943)
- Pittman William Henry. Cpl.
- Powell Leslie. P/O. (d.15th Apr 1943)
- Ransom Charles Edgar. Sgt. (d.15th January 1943)
- Robertson Maxwell George. Sgt. (d.8th May 1941)
- Scott Edward Henry . F/O. (d.15th Apr 1943)
- Shepherd Thomas. Sgt. (d.15th Apr 1943)
- Stokes Roland William James. WO.
- Taylor Albert Edward. Sgt. (d.23rd Nov 1940)
- Van Den Bok DFC. Ralph. A/Sqd.Ldr.
- Van Den Bok DFC & 2Bar. Ralph. Sqdn Ldr
- Waters Douglas Wilmott. Sgt.
- Williams John William . (d.15th Apr 1943)
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. 214 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. 214 Squadron Royal Air Force? There are:2042 items tagged No. 214 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. |
|
Sgt. Eric Harold Cooper 214 Sqd. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (d.24th Jul 1942) Eric Cooper answered his country's call and joined the RAF and became a rear gunner in 214 Sqn RAF flying Stirling bombers. His aircraft was shot down over Holland on the night of 24th July 1942, Eric along with all but one of the crew perished. Eric Harold Cooper was 21 years old. He is buried alongside his comrades in arms at Werkendam CWG cemetery in Noord-Brabant.
|
WO. Roland William James Stokes 214 Squadron Roland Stokes served with 214 Squadron and 138 Squadron.
|
Sgt. Douglas Wilmott Waters No. 214 Squadron Douglas Waters flew with No. 214 Squadron, he was held as a Prisoner of War in Stalag Luft 1.
|
Sgt. Edgar James Page 214 Squadron (d.7th September 1941) Edgar Page served with 214 Squadron was my grandfather's cousin. I know very little at the moment but I'm researching my family tree.
|
Cpl. William Henry Pittman 214 Squadron My father, William Pittman was stationed at Stradishall during WW2.I I have a book which Dad wrote about his time in the war. Dad was ground crew and an electrician.
|
Flt.Lt. Kenneth Albert John Kemmett 214 Squadron Kenneth Kemmett learned to fly in Canada in 1942-44 and was commissioned after receiving his wings. He remained in Canada as an instructor.
He returned to England in January 1944 and was posted to 214 Squadron. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant and flew Pathfinder missions over Germany in Flying Fortresses. He and his crew had a special bond of great friendship. He took part in the last raid of the war over Kiel on 2nd of May 1945.
After the war he was offered a permanent commission, which he regretfully declined due to family circumstances. He loved the RAF all his life and died in 1993.
|
Sgt. George Eric Johnson 214 Squadron (d.3rd Feb 1943) Sergeant (Navigator) George Johnson was the son of Lawrence George and Hilda Mary Johnson of Darlington, Co. Durham.
He was aged 21 when he died and is buried in the Benschop General Cemetery, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
|
Sqd.Ldr. William Clarke 214 Squadron (d.3rd Feb 1943) Squadron Leader William Clarke was the son of George Alfred and Tallulah Clarke, husband of Winefride Mary Clarke of New Milton, Hampshire.
He was aged 32 when he died and is buried in the Benschop General Cemetery, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
|
LAC. Alfred Broyden "Pop" Birch 214 Squadron My father was Alfred Birch. He served in the Heavy Conversion Unit attached to 214 Squadron at Stradishall and Chedburgh. He was a ground crew member and was a L.A.C. He was also in some way attached to the US Army Air Corps as he told me of the horrific things he saw which had happened to the American fliers. I don't know if there are any personnel alive who remember him or if any pictures of him there exist. He was one of the oldest on the base and was given the nickname Pop because of his age.
|
F/O Peter Francis Pinder 214 Sqdn. (d.15th January 1943) Stirling W7637 was lost on a bombing run on Lorient on 15th/16th January 1943. T/o 1826 Chedburgh and lost without trace. All the crew members are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. They were:
S/L P.W.M. Carlyon DFC
Sgt C.E.C. Ransom
F/O D.K. O'Donnell RNZAF
Sgt J.L. Kemp
Sgt L. Carr
F/S J.N. Peck RCAF
P/O P.F. Pinder RCAF
|
Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
|
I Was One of the Brylcreem BoysRon James
Ron James was born in Northampton, England in 1923 and he joined the RAF in 1942, aged 18. After the war, he served two years in South East Asia as Movements Control Officer, helping to release the prisoners of war and internees held by the Japanese in the prison camps of Java. Ron later worked in the commercial side of the engineering industry, owned a transport motel and later fulfilled his lifetime ambition by opening a bookshop in Northampton. He was a keen amateur historian and published a history of 214 Squadron 'Avenging in the Shadows' in 1989. His autobiographies 'I was one of the Brylcreem Boys' and 'Mercy Mission to Java' were completed a couple of years before his death in 1995 and published by his daughter in 2013.
|
|
|
