Air Force Index

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No. 424 (Tiger) Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force    No. 424 (Tiger) Squadron was an RCAF squadron formed at Topcliffe in October 1942 as part of No.4 Group Bomber Command. On the 1st January 1943 424 Squadron tranferred to No.6 (RCAF) Group. The squadron flew its first operation on 15 January 1943, moving to North Africa to support the invasions of Sicily and Italy in the spring. The ground echelon left Britain on 15 May 1943, followed by the aircraft on 5th June, and the squadron was reunited at Kairouan on 23 June 1943. No. 424 Squadron returned to the UK on 26 September 1943, leaving its Wellington aircraft behind. They were re-equipped with the Halifax III at Skipton on Swale and resumed operations with Bomber Command on 18th February 1944. The first delivery of Avro Lancaster aircraft arrived at the start of 1945 and remained in use to the end of the war. After the end of hostilities in Europe, No. 424 became a transport squadron, transporting troops to and from the continent until it was disbanded on the 15th of October 1945. Airfields at which 424 Squadron were based during the Second World War: Topcliffe. 15th Oct 1942 to 19th Apr 1943 Leeming. 19th Apr to 3rd May 1943 Dalton. 3rd to 15th May 1943 Kairouan. from 16th June Zina. to 26th September 1943 Skipton-on-Swale. 6th Nov 1943 to 15th Oct 1945 Currently Out of Stock A 60 minute DVD of the Memorial Service for 420, 424, 432 and 433 Squadrons held at the former RAF Skipton on Swale in June 2009 is now available for purchase. The service features a flypast by a Spitfire of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, music from the Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment, readings and tributes set against views across the runways filmed from the usually inaccessible old control tower. Prices including postage UK Delivery 13.50 GBP International Delivery 15.50 GBP ?>   15th Jan 1943 Enemy Aircraft 21st Jan 1943 Gardening 26th Jan 1943 Ops 27th Jan 1943 Ops 29th Jan 1943 Enemy Aircraft 29th Jan 1943 Ops 30th Jan 1943 Ops 24th Mar 1944 Berlin Targeted 30th Mar 1944 Aircraft Lost 30th Mar 1944 Aircraft Lost 28th May 1944 424 Squadron Halifax lost 6th Jun 1944 Coastal Defences 6th Jun 1944 Supply Lines 3rd August 1944  5th Jul 1944 New Training Equipment 6th Jul 1944 Operations 7th Jul 1944 Ops Cancelled 8th Jul 1944 Operations 9th Jul 1944 Foggy 10th Jul 1944 Stand by 11th Jul 1944 Stand by 12th Jul 1944 Operations 13th Jul 1944 Local Flying 14th Jul 1944 Operations 15th Jul 1944 Training Aug 1944 Arriving on the Squadron 1st August 1944 Bombing mission abandoned just short of target 1st August 1944  2nd August 1944 Orders 3rd August 1944 Operations 3rd August 1944  3rd August 1944  3rd August 1944  4th August 1944 Heavy Flak 4th August 1944  4th August 1944  4th August 1944 424 Squadron some good concentrated attacks 5th August 1944 Orders 6th August 1944 Time Off 7th August 1944 Operations 8th August 1944 Mining 9th August 1944 Attack Made 10th August 1944  11th August 1944 Royal visit 12th August 1944  13th August 1944 Standby 14th August 1944 Retreating Germans 15th August 1944 New C.O. 16th August 1944 Operations 17th August 1944 Operations 18th August 1944 Targets 18th August 1944 Attack on German armoured column 19th August 1944 Poor Weather 20th August 1944 Lecture 21st August 1944 Stand by 22nd August 1944 Training 23rd August 1944 Stand by 24th August 1944 Orders 25th August 1944 Operations 26th August 1944 Training 27th August 1944 Orders 28th August 1944 Operations 29th August 1944 Training 30th August 1944 Orders 31st August 1944 Orders 26th Dec 1944 Merry Christmas 5th Jan 1945 Night Ops 27th Feb 1945 Night Ops 2nd Mar 1945 Night Ops 3rd Mar 1945 Night Ops 8th Apr 1945 Night Ops 13th Apr 1945 Night Ops 22nd Apr 1945 Night Ops 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. 424 (Tiger) Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War 1939-1945. Bellantino Dominic. Flight Sergeant Campbell James Arthur. Sgt. Critchley DFM James Whittle. Cumbers DFM John William. P/O. Dowding Alexander Francis. Pilot Officer (d.16th Feb 1944) Grace John Peter. FO (d.15th October 1944) Grigg William Hamilton. Flt.Sgt. Guild Robert Douglas. F/Lt. (d.15th October 1944) Jackman DFC John Milton. F/Lt. Jackman DFC. John Milton. F/Lt. Lee DFC Jack Griffin. F/Lt. (d.15th Oct 1944) Loudoun DFC N. Loughran Hugh Joseph. FO (d.15th October 1944) McDonald Clarence. Pearson Ray Sidney. Tech Sgt. Plummer Syd. Sgt. Prediger George. F/Sgt. Riley Virgel Lee. FO (d.15th October 1944) Roberts Lyman Anderson. Cpl. Ross Donald Alexander. F/Lt. (d.5th Mar 1945) Ross DFM. John Murdoch. F/O Rowe Keith. Sgt. Sanders DFC. Samuel Donald . Flt.Lt. Smith Norman Alfred. PO (d.15th October 1944) Warburton Denis. Witham Arthur Harris. Sgt. 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. 424 (Tiger) Squadron Royal Canadian 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. 424 (Tiger) Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force? There are:2073 items tagged No. 424 (Tiger) Squadron Royal Canadian 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. Denis Warburton 424 Squadron My Dad was based at RAF Skipton on Swale during WW2 and was in 424 Squadron. His name is Denis Warburton and he was a flight engineer, I know their plane was called Oscar and they flew 32 missions. My dad is the only survivor of his crew, I think the rest of his crew were Canadians. Helen Abrahams Add to this record. Flight Sergeant Dominic Bellantino 434 Squadron My uncle Dominic Bellantino served with the RCAF in 424 Squadron and was killed on the 7th March 1945. He is buried at Rheinberg War Cemetery. I believe he was stationed at Skipton on Swale and was a gunner for a Lancaster "N". The pilot of his plane was W.D. Lighthall. Does anyone have have some info or photos of his squadron, his plane, etc. or any photos of the Air Base at that time? Nancy Bellantino Add to this record. N Loudoun DFC 424 Squadron My dad, F/Lt N. Loudoun, served with the RCAF 424 Sqd at Skipton on Swale as a Halifax III pilot. His name comes up in some of the Daily Operations on the Group 6 website Aug/44 - Feb/44. He flew 39-40 sorties and ended up with a D.F.C. I am sure one proud son of my dad for what he did back then. Mark Loudoun Add to this record. F/Lt. John Milton "Jake" Jackman DFC. 424 Squadron My dad, John Jackman, was a bomb aimer in 424 Squadron based at Skipton on Swale, Yorkshire Mike Jackman Add to this record. Flt.Lt. Samuel Donald "Sandy" Sanders DFC. 424 Squadron Don Sanders enlisted in July 1942, and trained in Claresholm, Alberta. He travelled to Britain on the Queen Elizabeth in late 1943, and was eventually posted to Skipton-on-Swale for his Operational tour. He flew Wellingtons and Halifaxes, but Lancasters were the best! He was awarded the DFC for a raid on Duisburg, when he continued to target after losing one engine, dropped the bomb load and returned to base. Falling behind the bomber stream, the aircraft was more exposed to enemy fighters and flak. After the war, he settled in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, where he married, raised four children and was a successful businessman and community promoter. He died in Sioux Lookout at the age of 65. Don mostly told amusing stories of his war years. He told of the time two members of his crew, after a night drinking in town, came back after curfew, and when stopped by military guards, tried to hold them up with home-made bows and arrows. He told stories of how the service men would go to the local pub, and after closing time, would often be invited into the private quarters of the publican's family for a feed of bacon and eggs. He talked about the easy camaraderie between the men. But he rarely mentioned the daily stress which took its toll on all of them. He formed friendships that lasted a lifetime, and when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer in his early 60s, he said he felt lucky that he had been given all the years that followed the war. After seeing so many young men die during the war, the rest of his life was a bonus. Christine Sanders Add to this record. Sgt. James Arthur Campbell 428 Squadron Art Campbell was born in the Town of Lanark, Lanark County, Ontario in 1921. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force on 3rd September 1940 with 424 (Tiger) Squadron, when he was 19 years old. He later transferred to 428 (Ghost) Squadron, around November 1942. He attained the rank of Sergeant, Wireless Operator and Aft Gunner. He apparently was discharged from the service around 5th September 1945. He married a girl from Calgary named Kaye and settled in Edmonton. It is believed that Kaye worked for the Alberta Premier and Art was involved automobile sales. He apparently suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from his night sorties over Germany and died at his own hand in 1966. He is buried at Beechwood Cemetery in Edmonton, Canada. Philip Add to this record. P/O. John William "Junior" Cumbers DFM 424 Squadron John Cumbers was an Air Gunner on Halifax QB F, which ahd the Nose art Der Fuehrers Fate. He completed 39 Ops and was wounded in action by shrapnel. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for helping to shoot down an Me-109 and FW-190. Add to this record. PO Norman Alfred Smith 424 Sqdn. (d.15th October 1944) Pilot Officer (Flight Engineer) Smith was the Son of Alexander James and Florence Essex (nee Hooper) Smith of Kelowna, British Columbia. Brother of Arthur, Irene, Dorothy, Una and Mrs. E.R. Saunders. He was 26 when he died and is buried in the Collective grave 270-276 in the Idum Churchyard in Denmark. He was awarded the 1939-45 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp. Posthumously awarded RCAF Operational Wings in recognition of gallant service in action against the enemy, 6 February 1947. S Flynn Add to this record. FO Virgel Lee Riley 424 Sqdn. (d.15th October 1944) Flying Officer (Air Bomber) Riley was the Son of Arthur Scott and Thelma Annie I. (née Talley) Riley of Rossland, British Columbia. Brother of Ralph, Lester, Carl, Charles, Alexander, George and Velma. Husband of Ivy Kazia (nee Belbeck) Riley and father of Sherrel Anne and Carol Lee, of Castlegar, British Columbia. He was 33 when he died and is buried in the Collective grave 270-276 in the Idum Graveyard in Denmark. He was awarded the 1939-45 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp. S Flynn Add to this record. FO Hugh Joseph Loughran 424 Sqdn. (d.15th October 1944) Flying Officer (Air Gunner) Loughran is buried in the Collective grave 270-276 in the Idum Churchyard in Denmark. He was awarded the 1939-45 Star, France and Germany Star, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, War Medal 1939-45, Defence Medal. Posthumously awarded RCAF Operational Wings in recognition of gallant service in action against the enemy, the 21 April 1947. Son of Patrick and Ellen (nee McManus) Loughran of Belfast, Ireland. Brother of Henry, Gerald, Joseph and Elizabeth. S Flynn Add to this record. Recomended Reading. 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