- Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War -
Naval Index
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.
If you enjoy this siteplease consider making a donation.
Site Home
WW2 Home
Add Stories
WW2 Search
Library
Help & FAQs
WW2 Features
Airfields
Allied Army
Allied Air Forces
Allied Navy
Axis Forces
Home Front
Battles
Prisoners of War
Allied Ships
Women at War
Those Who Served
Day-by-Day
Library
The Great War
Submissions
Add Stories
Time Capsule
Childrens Bookshop
FAQ's
Help & FAQs
Glossary
Volunteering
Contact us
News
Bookshop
About
Fleet Air Arm
1771 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm was formed during February 1944 and flew the Fairey Firefly, deployed from the aircraft carrier HMS Implacable in the North Atlantic during 1944 and in the Pacific with the British Pacific Fleet from May to September 1945.
815 Squadron was formed on 9th of October 1939 at RNAS Worthy Down. They were equipped with Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers.
15th Sep 1939 Convoy
9th Oct 1939 Reorganisation
17th Nov 1939 Move
Jan 1940 Move
April 1940 Move
10th Apr 1940 Ship Sunk
13th April 1940 2nd Battle of Narvik
12th May 1940 Attack Made
26th May 1940 Ship Commissioned
21st June 1940
30th August 1940 Relief convoys successful
10th November 1940 Squadron moves to Malta
11th Nov 1940 Attack Made
15th January 1941 Aerodrome bombed
16th Jan 1941 HMS Illustrious
18th January 1941 Malta's Airfields bombed
19th January 1941 Dive bomber attack
22nd January 1941 Italian airfields attacked
5th February 1941 Move
11th February 1941 Rotation of crews
15th February 1941 Shipping and airfields attacked
1st March 1941 Reorganisation
12th April 1941 Taken prisoner by the French
16th April 1941 Battle of Athens
17th April 1941 Withdrawal to Crete
12th May 1941 Move
3rd June 1941 Blenheim lost
25th June 1941 Convoy attacked
12th September 1941 Italian convoy attacked
26th October 1941 Convoys ceased
22nd December 1941 U-Boats driven off
28th January 1942 Troop ship sunk
25th Feb 1942 Embarked for the Far East
31st Mar 1942 Orders
5th April 1942 Japanese air raid
8th Apr 1942 On the Move
9th Apr 1942 On the Move
5th May 1942 In Action
6th May 1942 In Action
7th May 1942 In Action
8th May 1942 Torpedo Attack
Sep 1942 Preparations
12th September 1942 Convoy comes under attack
10th May 1943 Convoy escapes unscathed
11th May 1943 11th May 1943
12th June 1943 Squadron moves for offensive ops
15th June 1943 Move
16th Jul 1943 Torpedo Attack
16th Jul 1943 Enemy Aircraft
30th/31st July 1943 Flight Commander missing from firing practice
11th November 1943 Construction works bombed
19th February 1944 Postings
2nd March 1944 Ground crew reinforcements
May 1944 On the Move
June 1944 On the Move
6th June 1944 Invasion
15th Aug 1944 Assault Launched
23rd Aug 1944 Air Sea Rescue
23rd Aug 1944 In Action
18th Sep 1944 Attack Made
23rd Oct 1944 Attacks Made
26th Oct 1944 Ships Attacked
27th Oct 1944 UBoat Attacked
27th Nov 1944 Air Attacks
7th Dec 1944 Mines
8th Dec 1944 Shore Attacks
Jan 1945 Training
Jan 1945 Preparations
4th Apr 1945 On the Move
8th Apr 1945 On the Move
10th Jun 1945 On the Move
12th Jun 1945 On the Move
14th Jun 1945 Attack Made
14th Jun 1945 Poor Conditions
6th Jul 1945 On the Move
17th Jul 1945 Air Attacks
3rd Aug 1945 Bad Weather
5th Aug 1945 Air Attacks
12th Aug 1945 FuelIf you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
Those known to have sailed in
Fleet Air Arm
during the Second World War 1939-1945.
- Anderson Lawrence Hogg. AM.
- Ashforth Ernest Geoffrey.
- Austin Charles William.
- Badger Reg. AM/O 1st class.
- Baker George. LAC
- Baker Thomas Alfred. L/Sig.
- Basnett William.
- Beardsley DSM James. LAC (d.30th July 1941)
- Bias John Charles. LAM.
- Blackburn Douglas Gerald. L/Stkr.
- Bunyan Dennis Jenkin. Lt.
- Burke Edmund Seymour. SLt (d.30th July 1941)
- Cadman Richard John. Air Mech.
- Chapman Tom Christopher. Slt.
- Chesney Henry. CPO.
- Clarke Joseph.
- Coward Denis.
- Dow James.
- Dow James.
- Duncan John.
- Esmonde VC, DSO Eugene. Lt.Cmdr (d.12th February 1942)
- Forrest James Henry.
- Gardner Ronald.
- Godfrey Reginald George.
- Goldsmith Ernest Henry. PO
- Gray VC, DSC Robert Hampton. Lt. (d.9 August 1945)
- Gregory Robert James. PO.
- Howatt George Donald. PO.
- Irving John McKie. LAM(L)
- Jennings James William.
- Jones Francis Thomas William. AM2. (d.17th January 1941)
- Jones Joseph Edgar. Sub-Lt. (d.10th March 1945)
- Lodge Denis. AFO.
- Maguire Albert Edmund. AM2.
- Maher DSC. Arthur Derek. Sub-Lt. (d.24th Jan 1942)
- McGeoch Boyd Heath Reynolds.
- Mercer Robert. AM2.
- Mills Walter Jack. AM1.
- Mitchell Frank. Ldg.Photo(A)(Ty)
- Mitchell Geoff.
- Mitchell William.
- Morgan William.
- Poe John Charles Leonard. PO.
- Price Albert Ernest. P.O. (d.5th Apr 1942)
- Radburn Stanley Gordon. PO.
- Richardson Norman Alfred. Air Mech.(E)
- Roberts James Harry. Ord.Sea.
- Rockett Arthur Herbert. 2AM.
- Ryan William Charles. L.M.
- Shirley Edward Walter. LAC. (d.27th March 1943)
- Sidwell Sydney Herbert.
- Skinner Frank Alfred. AirMech.1st.
- Stamp John Herbert. AM1. (d.15th Nov 1942)
- Syddall William Henry.
- Taylor Archibald. Ord.Tel.
- Warren Patrick. Sub.Lt(A) (d.16th May 1945 )
- Whitehead George Herbert. Lt. (d.3rd Oct 1944)
- Wilkinson Geoffrey Arthur. AM2.
- Williamson George.
- Wines Charles Herbert. Lt.Cmdr.
- Winfrow Arthur. 1Mech.
- Wright Frank. Chief Petty Officer
- York William. AM.
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 Fleet Air Arm 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.
- 18th Dec 2024 - 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 265120 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 siteplease 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 Fleet Air Arm?
There are:2084 items tagged Fleet Air Arm 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.
Ord.Tel. Archibald Taylor H.M.S. Royal Arthur
Archibald Taylor served with the Fleet Air Arm. He trained at H.M.S. Royal Arthur.Allan Mornement
2AM. Arthur Herbert "Chocca" Rockett 1834 Squadron Fleet Air Arm
My Grandfather, Arthur Rockett, known as Bert served as Air Mechanic in 1837 and 1834 squadrons from 1942 to 1945. He finished the war on HMS Victorious in the Pacific, where he serviced and repaired Corsairs. The family has a photo album from that time and also his diaries which I am trying to decipher.Sue Samuel
Lt. George Herbert Whitehead 880 Squadron (d.3rd Oct 1944)
George Whitehead lost his life while serving wth 880 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service.Lesley Helm
Air Mech.(E) Norman Alfred Richardson Fleet Air Arm
Whilst working on my family history, I have discovered that my father, Norman Richardson, began his war service in the Royal Air Force in 1942 and subsequently transferred to the Fleet Air Arm in 1944. He is recorded as serving on HMS Fencer at the end of the war and also as part of the ships company of HMS Bambara from 26 December 1945 to 17th July 1946.I would love to know if there is any information out there about the men Norman would have served with as he passed away in 2010 but rarely spoke about his war service.
Nigel Bruce Richardson
Reginald George "Fanjo" Godfrey Fleet Air Arm
Reginald Godfrey served with the Fleet Air Arm. I only have stories about the Kamikasi and would be grateful if any one remembers my dadPauline Godfrey
AFO. Denis Lodge 794 Squadron
Denis Lodge served at H.M.S. Vulture and with 749 Squadron RNAS. I don’t know much about my father’s service record, I found this ID card among my mother’s effects.John Lodge
PO. George Donald Howatt Fleet Air Arm
My father, Don Howatt, joined the Navy from the Falkland Islands in 1929. He became a telegraphist air gunner in 1936. His instructor was Lt.Cdr Montbatton. He served on various ships: HMS Furious, HMS Courageous and in 1939 posted to HMS Kestrel on instructional staff. Next he went to HMS Ark Royal, then HMS Hermes as PO then to West of Scotland as senior instructor where he lost an eye when a bomb exploded on the plane he was in.He remained in the Navy changing to the Electric branch. Various ships later including HMS Ariel. He retired in 1962 as Lt.Cdr. rank.
I.Howatt
PO. Robert James Gregory No. 1771 Squadron
Robert Gregory served with the Fleet Air Arm in No. 1771 Naval Air Squadron, which flew the Fairey Firefly, deployed from the aircraft carrier HMS Implacable in the North Atlantic during 1944 and in the Pacific with the British Pacific Fleet from May to September 1945.Becky Silver
Ronald Gardner HMS Daedalus
Ronald Gardner was an air frame fitter with the Fleet Air Arm and served in HMS Daedalus.Kathryn Shields
L.M. William Charles Ryan Fleet Air Arm
My grandfather William Ryan served in the Fleet Air Arm until 12th February 1945.William Whitmore-Ryan
L/Sig. Thomas Alfred "Bagsy" Baker HMS Raven Fleet Air Arm
My father Thomas Baker was known as Alf or Bagsy. He lived in East Ham, then moved to Leigh-on-sea Essex. He joined the Navy training ship Arethusa aged 13 and a half in 1931 when life was tough for all the boys. He then went to HMS Ganges 1933-1935, HMS Pembroke, Cairo, Woolwich, Victory, Kestrel.He was assigned to HMS Raven in Eastleigh 1939 at the start of the war as Acting Leading Signalman where he met my mother on Eastleigh rec at the bandstand with his friend Charlie Taffe. Dad confided in his friend Bob Aggas that he was very fond of mum. Mum & Dad married in Eastleigh Parish church in September 1940. They had a few honeymoon days in Torquay, then dad was away for 3 years.
He served aboard HMS Grebe until April 1943, during which time he flew Albacore, Fairey and Swordfish as an air gunner flying scout over the desert observing enemy movements. He was happened to be aboard (not sure which vessel) just as the Germans were invading Norway. The inhabitants gave the Allies all of their valuables so the Nazis wouldn’t have them. Dad was given a bag of silver, but just as the ship was departing it was torpedoed. Unfortunately, he jumped one way and bag went the other. Once back home, he had a medical which showed a shadow on his lung which landed him in a sanatorium for best part of a year. It was actually because he had had double pneumonia and pleurisy when he was a child. After hospital discharge, he was mainly based in HMS Daedalus, still flying the Swordfish.
All during Dad’s career he gained many qualifications, including the German language. Because of this, he was lent to the German Air Arm in Bremen during the late 1950s. Then he served with RNAS Lossiemouth late 40s early 50s, living in Nissen huts the Army and RAF didn't want. He served on HMS Bulwark 1963-65 during another crisis. Dad’s last posting was HMS Seahawk (Culdrose, Cornwall) where he retired in 1968. We returned to Hampshire in 1976. Dad developed cancer and passed in September 1983. I have various photos and letters etc.
Heather Shepherd
AM1. Walter Jack Mills MONAB X Fleet Air Arm
Walter Mills served with the Fleet Air Arm.Dermot Beatty
AM2. Francis Thomas William Jones HMS Daedalus (d.17th January 1941)
Francis Jones served with the Royal Navy aboard HMS Daedalus in WW2. He died 17th of January 1941 aged 21 years and is remembered the Lee-on-Solent Memorial in Hampshire. Son of William and Martha Louisa Jones, of Hereford.Jeanette Jones
Recomended Reading.
Available at discounted prices.
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.
The website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.
If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.
Hosted by:
Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
- All Rights Reserved
We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.