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Pte. William Harold Walter Arlitz . British Army 2nd Btn. East Surrey Regiment from Camberwell, London (d.21st Sep 1944) Willie Arlitz died as a POW while on the Hofuku Maru Ship. It was bombed and sunk by the US Army who didn't realise it was full of English POW's.
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Sargent T. A. Arlow . Royal Air Force 640 Flight Squadron (d.4 November 1944) Air Gunner Sargent T.A. Arlow was on flight MZ 409 and was lost with all the crew on the 4th November 1944
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Pte. William Charles Armiger . British Army 5th Btn. Royal Norfolk Regiment from Norwich Norfolk (d.15th Feb 1942) William Armiger was injured at Braddell Road, Singapore on the 13th/14th Feb taken to a Military Hospital then transferred to Royal Alexandra Hospital, Singapore on 14th Feb. His date of death is 15th Feb. We all know what happened there on that date, a massacre. He has no grave. He is on Singapore Memorial. He left a 3 year old son behind.
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Sgt. Manuel Anastacio Armijo . United States Army 200 Caa Battery "C" from New Mexico, USA POW camp Fukuoka 17 in Japan
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Sqd/Ldr. Norman "Red" Armin DFC. Royal Air Force Pilot 57,139 & 608 Squadrons from Lanchester My dad joined the RAF in 1942. He had red hair and a quick temper hence the nickname 'Red'. He was not the stereo typical RAF officer and got into numerous scrapes off duty. On the day he signed up the guy behind the desk slung the signing up forms at him and they landed on the floor. Typically he got down on the floor signed the forms and left. He detested arrogance and bad manners.
After a brief introduction to the Lewis machine gun at RAF Shoreham he saw his first action as an AC2 against German tip and run raiders coming in low level across the English Channel. The enemy bombers were so low they had to depress their guns to take aim. They also managed to shoot at each other across the airfield. They did manage to shoot one bomber down and it crash landed in the field next to the airfield. One airman streaked ahead of the rest and by the time they caught up he had bayoneted the emerging pilot who according to him had resisted arrest. The airman's brother had been killed at Dunkirk. The reality of war was never far away.
He completed his flying training in Canada On Tiger Moths and Avro Ansons and passed out as Pilot Officer. On his return to England he joined 57 Squadron flying Vickers Wellingtons. The Wellington could take a tremendous amount of punishment with its geodetic construction and fabric covering. It was a very heavy aircraft to fly. The controls had no power assistance. One night on a raid they were coned after the master searchlight locked on to then. My dad put the aircraft into a dive to evade the searchlights and it took him and his navigator their full combined force with their feet on the instrument panel to pull the aircraft out of the dive.
My dad completed his first tour of operations with 57 Squadron and then joined an OTU Operational Training Squadron at Wellesbourne for a 'rest' He always maintained that this was as dangerous as operational flying because the Wellingtons they used for training were clapped out. On one training flight he was called away and had to leave the student with the aircraft with the engines ticking over. The student failed to periodically open and shut the engines which meant there was a danger of them overheating. He frantically tried to signal from the other side of airfield to the student to open up the engines but to no avail. On getting back to the aircraft he raised merry hell with the student while opening and closing the throttles. On take off they had just retracted the undercarriage when one of the engines caught fire and had to be immediately shut down. Climbing a Wellington on one engine particularly a clapped out one was unheard of at the time. With much cursing the hapless student was given the task of putting out the fire then manually lowering the undercarriage with a lever because the dead engine powered the hydraulics. After what was later considered to be an outstanding piece of airmanship dad managed to land the aircraft in one piece. By then he was raging and in a typical temper got out of the cockpit walked along the wing and peed on the offending engine. Unknown to him a party of WAAF's had been on a visit to the control tower and had observed the entire event. Needless to say the Station CO after commending him for his airmanship gave him a right old earwigging.
On return to operations my dad joined the famous 139 Jamaica Squadron flying Mosquitoes. He loved the Mossie, no crew to worry about apart from the Navigator and they were so fast very few fighters could catch them. More importantly it kept him alive. As he was nearing the end of his second tour of operations he was asked to transfer to the newly re-formed 608 Squadron which needed some experienced crews to help bed the Squadron in. Most of the raids in 1944 were against Berlin and on his last raid he flew with a heavy head cold, came down too fast on his return and damaged his eardrums. This was the end of his flying career as he was grounded. His navigator was re-crewed and was killed over Berlin a few weeks later.
He ended the war in Rangoon running an operational admin unit for General Slim. He caught malaria and it had a marked effect on his health for many years after his return to civilian life.
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CM Armistead . British Army CM Armistead served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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P/O. Arthur Robson "Billy" Armitage . Royal Canadian Air Force 415 Squadron from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (d.2nd Feb 1944) My brother, Pilot Officer Arthur Armitage, was lost over The North Sea on 2nd of February 1944. He was in an RCAF Wellington Bomber which may have been shot down by a German E Boat. He was 21 years of age.
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Benjamin Armitage . British Army King's Own (Royal) Lancashire Rgt. from Wallasey I joined the AFS (Fire Service) for three years, then I was called up for military service and served in the King's Own at Lancaster. There were eleven from Wallasey. I was the only survivor, the last one from Wallasey and still around. My company was sent to Swansea to be in charge of the wooden bridge. It was a past-time and Lil came down, she was here for four or five days. We were also in charge of the fish market. The Sally Army came around with tea and cakes for a nominal fee. We were billeted behind the church hall and I had just got to bed when someone came and kicked me and said a couple was getting married and no best man had turned up, so I was the dogs body. So I went to the church and stood for them. After, I went to their house, had a drink, wished them good luck, and back to my sleep.
We were called back to Lancaster and on to the Pollock Camp, where we were rigged out with tropical kit to go to a hot country. But on the way to Port Said, we were then changed to winter gear and landed at Port Said. We found a NAAFI with clean table cloths. You paid one peasta for bacon, one for tea, one for chips, one for egg, and finally one for cake. One for bread if one wanted. Approximate total about two shillings.
We were the first convoy to travel through the Mediterranean. There were destroyers on the flanks, and cruisers and battleships guarding the merchant men. One particular ship had a red flag, which meant it was carrying ammunition. It was struck and blew to pieces. There were two destroyers and most of the merchant ships went. We entered Pantolere Straits and the heavy battleships and the Arc Royal pulled out. HMS Manchester, which I was on, got torpedoed in the back and a four-inch gun turret. Quite a number of sailors and soldiers were lost. We had to turn around and go back to Gibraltar. You could touch the water from the top deck of the ship and I could not swim, very dicey.
We stayed at Gib for four days, then we embarked on the cruiser HMS Hermione and set sail at midnight, destination again Malta. I was on the upper deck talking to a sailor when the skipper said 'Hear this - we are not stopping at all.' Then we cut an Italian submarine in two. We did not pick up any survivors, just kept on moving. We arrived at Malta and Maltese stood on the walls of Grand Harbour cheering the cruiser in. Malta is only seventeen miles by nine and it had over 9,000 tons of bombs on it. '9020' did not have quite so many and 'Cos' had nothing at all.
Malta was the only island unoccupied. If the Germans had taken it the war may have lasted much longer. But Hitler decided not to send his Eleven division in. 'Haw Haw' said he will leave Malta to starve, which it nearly did. I went down from eleven stone to around eight stone. It was so bad, notices were put up: 'Anyone caught stealing would be severely dealt with.' The cruiser HMS Welshman' and a submarine would come once a fortnight, mostly with ammunition and mail. HMS Welshman was one of the fastest in the Navy, but Jerry got it because of lack of planes, so that Jerry could land and take off at will. The American aircraft carrier USS Wasp had forty-five planes on it and every one was shot before it could operate. One great feature was the oil tanker called the Ohio. It had a hole in it where you could drive two double decker buses through. Either side of the tanker was a destroyer tied to the tanker, to get it into the harbour. One Friday night, a dozen 'E' boats came to attack but our gunners knocked hell out of them. One of our gunners had his arm blown off being too slow to pass an order. Things eased up in Malta and we were off.
Doc Cole was a great fellow and he told me that I could not go as I was downgraded, so I asked him who signed the medical records. He said I did and had better writing than him. So I said 'Here goes, I am upgraded as from now H.A. Cole, doctor.'
We had a few weeks before we left Malta so we still had SLEK parades. Salkeld had a bad neck, full of inflammation. I was treating it using my scalpel. I cut the bad stuff and told him to hold the chair arms while I put on lotion, and he nearly hit the roof. I told him he could go on duty at the airfield, he was chuffed. He was killed before lunch.
It was my turn to go to Luca aerodrome. I got friendly with an airforce officer. He said that he blew up bombs, I said I was medical and would look after him. Then he called me over and said would I listen to this bomb ticking [at] both ends. He put a fuse in both and said 'Over the wall with!' And it nearly blew the wall down. I invited him over to our canteen. He was lucky, a large lump of shrapnel shot through the wall and stuck in his bedding. He was very lucky to be at our place.
This is now cheerio to Malta and we boarded a cruiser, destination: unknown. Crossing the water we got mixed up with Captain Potato Jones's convoy watch. To our advantage we were due to attack Leros but we were too late and the First Battalion went forward in our place and got a severe bashing, so we became the First Battalion King's Own.
We left Egypt and sailed for Italy. Landing at Taranto we moved forward to Ancona. There was a large hotel. Jerry held one part of it, we held the other. We eventually got shut of Jerry, but he left some booby traps for the engineers to sort out. We could climb on to the roof and count how many he had on sick parade. If his red flag was not out our gunners would give him a few shells to liven him up. Sewion Singh was my first Sikh driver, but he ran away to the Tenth Indian Field Section. Sikh number two was worse than the other. I gave him an instruction: straight on and turn right. The poor chap put his head lamps on and Jerry woke him up. [I] jumped in to the ambulance [and] took him back. Captain Jones said he had a good man, an ex-taxi driver, So'an Sing. He was crazy but a good driver. He took control of the ambulance [and] mad, I even got scared he would get off his seat and bang like Hell out of the ambulance. He was a good driver, a little erratic. Threatened him with a big stick. He said: 'give me stick and I will fight you.' [I said]: 'Get behind that wheel and drive or I will fight you without the stick.' I asked him if he had food. He told me that there was only one sheep a marrators cut the sheep's throat across and a Muslim cut the sheep down. An argument ensued, who will win? In the meantime someone did not mind up or down: they swiped it.
Next day we moved on to 'Forlee' and Forlee in Poplar. These were divided by a wooden bridge. Forlee was on time covered by our unit and on the other side was the Devon Light Infantry. We were knocking hell out of each other and to handle the fray Jerry flew over and dropped a bomb right in the centre of the bridge and there endeth that lesson. I still had my mule (Elmer) going toward the River Po. There was a rope stretched across. I had a medical pannier on one side of the mule and a stretcher on the other side. I was up to my armpits but managed to make the trip but Tyson, a Liverpudlian, had a big radio on his back but the weight took him down stream. We found him later on the sand and on the riverside. We went further up and twelve feet back and reburied him.
We caught up with Doc Cole and the padre. Captain Bill Beresford, he was not too happy being so far ahead. We found a deserted Jerry first aid post, all it contained was a full operating kit and paper bandages. The operating kit was worth over five hundred pounds, so I stuck [it] in my medical kit. Doc Cole and I went forward to find a better place for a medical unit. The padre said 'Don't leave me here' and tagged on behind us and lo and behold a six-foot Jerry jumped out of [the] bushes shouting [in English], Bombers, mercy, mercy,' and put his hands up. None of us had a gun to hold him. I persuaded Doc Cole to book out two Tommy guns and ammunition for self preservation. Because you can feel safer with guns than Red Cross armbands at night. We ditched the padre as he was nuisance value. We went to 'A' company and met a Scotch Church army man. He had a mule with pannier with cakes in and a tea urn full. But, alas, the lid was loose and the tea was going over the mule. The faster it was going the faster the tea spilt. The mule was going towards Jerry lines so they got tea and cakes and even a mule for nothing.
The following day we were to attack the Germans, the Canadians on the left and the British on the right. We had a good house for a medical post. Jerry started to shell the post: if the shell burst of the right I dodged to the left and vice versa. I was fixing a Gerry's leg which was badly fractured but I failed to hear this shell and received a big hole in my head. That ended my partnership. It took twelve hours to get to hospital and a further five hours treatment. I had a local anaesthetic. I got over this then I flew to Naples, went into Ninety Second Hospital. After a few weeks I was demobbed long-term. Released from hospital, [I] went on the liner the Oranjee. Left Naples, back to Liverpool. Put on a train to Shaftesbury, Dorset and got my discharge.
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Pte. Benjamin Armitage . British Army Kings Own Royal Regiment from Wallasey The great war was of no significant to me; only later did I realise how many thousands of lives were lost just to take a trench. My earliest recollection of poverty was 1926 General Strike. Miners went on strike for better conditions and Prime Minister Baldwin locked them out long enough to make them return for less cash. You wonder what this has to do with the present. Wallasey always had three tier populous - the rich, the poor and the people in the centre who are not either. They were the worst type to deal with. A large majority went to Liverpool to work others went labouring in factories mills and dock working others in shop.
At the age of 12 I did a newspaper round for half a crown a week. Life today is easier than the thirties. The means test then was very hard if you applied for help you would get a visitor who would look around and if you had a dog he suggests that you get rid of it. Even gramophones or pianos were a luxury which could be got rid of and thus your hardship continues. The unemployment was around three million and around twenty people waiting to take the same job. At fourteen I got a job at a tailors learning the trade. I had a bit of an argument with the Boss, ending with slinging the iron and Rule at him. I was fortunate then to get a job at the Co-op as a milk rounds man.
I was called up for army service June 1940 reporting to Lancaster in the King's Own Royal regt. We had our orientations and were excused duties for 24 hours. To fill the time we were given a lecture by the officer commanding and the reference to the W.A.A.F.S. came up by a stupid remark by him so I asked to be excused because his remarks were derogatory. Penalty being I was put on guard duty. Nothing batter to do, I picked up about one hundred and fifty cig ends. The company sergeant major sneaked up on me and accused me of smoking on duty - sent me to company officer at nine o'clock the following morning. The case was stated against me and the O.C. asked me if I would accept his punishment. I said no I would go before the C.O. He asked why, so I pulled this packet of cig ends out and asked them which one I was smoking. He said that it was immaterial which one. I still I still insisted on C.O. orders. I went in and he asked me if I was smoking. I replied that I was a non-smoker and you will find no stains on my hands; there was no further action. I was chuffed at the expression on their faces.
After initial training, Swansea was my next place guarding the docks and bridges. The Salvation Army came round about ten o'clock with tea and cakes. Coming off the docks in the morning an official came to our bus and said someone had nicked four large fish. We pleaded ignorance but the fish was already on board our bus wrapped up in a groundsheet. We were stationed at Lewton Parish hall at the back on a concrete floor. It was Saturday morning and I had just dropped off to sleep when someone knocked me and asked if I wanted to be a best man at a wedding. There was a soldier from the North Staff reg. whose best man had not arrived. Someone polished my boots, brushed my uniform, got shaving water and within ten minutes I was best man to a couple I never knew.
We left Mumbles and returned to Lancaster and from there to Glasgow. The Glaswegians are not mean, they are very friendly. From there we went to Greenock and on to a heavy cruise ship and joined a big convoy with ten warships, six cruisers, four battleships, one aircraft carrier and sixteen merchant ships. We were informed that we were to be the first convoy through the Mediterranean since the fall of Crete. Every other country from Gibralter to Alex[andria] was in Jerry's hands. That only left Malta. We had 9 merchantmen and five destroyers up to the Spatillia{?] straits when the battleships and the aircraft carrier left us to other jobs. We were attacked on all sides and we were torpedoed and had to leave the convoy to fight our way back to Gibralter. We even had a big burial service: ninety lives, soldiers and sailors. We eventually arrived at Gib[ralter] and put into a room lousy with bugs. 2 days later we were transferred to the French liner 'Hous Pastine'[?]. We thought we were going back to Blighty for a rekit. But then we were taken off there and went on a cruiser, the 'Hermone', and set sail at night. It was funny really. Gib[ralter] in darkness and Spain all lit up about 2 in the morning. The skipper on the tannoy said 'get ready for a run'. Then we suddenly stopped and we had cut an Italian sub in two. We did not stop for survivors but went off full steam.
We arrived in Malta and hundreds of people were on the battlements waving us in. Things got very bad then for an island 17 miles by nine, had 6,636 tons of bombs. There was a food crisis and there were 300,000 Maltees and 30,000 troops to feed. I lost nearly four stone myself. Farmers were not allowed to dig their produce without supervision. There was only food for eleven weeks and ammunition was low. The barrels for the guns was at the bottom of the harbour on the Leominster amd Irish boat.
One great feature was the old tanker 'The 0140' which had a destroyer either side of it keeping it afloat. You could drive three double decker buses through the hole at the rear of it and we needed that oil. 311 spitfires took off from aircraft carrier 'The Wasp', but they were shot up before landing. Hitler had 11 divisions waiting to invade but he decided they should go to other places and we were up and out.
We moved out on a cruiser sailing for a port in Egypt, then to attack Leros but we caught up in a convoy with Capt. Potato Jones. He hated convoys which was good for us as the first batallion took our place and they were nearly wiped out [Battle of Leros 16 November 1943]. The merchants joined us and we became the first batallion. We moved out to Hapthanya for five days.
Outside the camp was a palmist. We had this had Jack with us. He was a corker, played the one-man band. Wash his shirt and guide the sun rays to it. 'Aunt' he says (that's what he called me) 'can I come with you?', 'alright Jack, no problem'. He had mail in his hand, 2 letters. 'Which shall I open first' he said. 'That one', I said. He smiled, he saw it is a letter from Betty in Sidmouth, a Valentine. It says 'you've got the key to my heart, keep it safe'. 'How's that?' says Jack and open the other. 'Dear Jack, by the time you read this I will be married'. 'What' he says 'is unpainlable[?]'. So we suggest he goes into the palmist fellow, in he goes comes out beaming. He has been told that he is illiterate. 'What does that mean "Aunt"?'. I said 'It means great learning' but then my Welsh mate says 'it means you are a big idiot'.
That night there was to be a carol service in the field of the shepherds. We marched through the streets of Jerusalem. There was the shepherd, sheep and forty thousand troops, the fire and the wisemen - it was amazing the clocks did not chime when they played carols. The following morning we visited the Dead Sea. It truly is salty. One of our chaps lost his false teeth on a pallette, he never found them. I walked around and got as far as the fourth slargs of the brons[?] and the sister was from Liverpool - she had been there many years.
Time to get back as we were on the move to Italy. Taranto was our base. We fought our way up the coast through the Apennines to a place called Umbertent[?] that took] us 4 days to capture. We advanced on the Mountellon. The Sikhs tried to take the lake and were repulsed with heavy casualties. It was then our turn. Mountellon was two hundred feet up. We marched fifteen miles behind it, took Jerry by surprise and captured it with eight killed. Forty-three thousand bonlieruing[?] to forty in Paphar[?] the enemy we were engaging were the Waron Regt. There was no damage done, minor casualties. We were standing around larking at the bridge when a light aircraft flew over and dropped a bomb in the middle of the bridge. Trienze was our next place, the Canadians on our left and we on the right. This was where I met my Waterloo. I was fixing a German who had a shattered leg when this shell hit the back of the wall and sliced the top of my head. That finished me in the battle lines. I took a long time for me to get to a casualty station.
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H Armitage . British Army H Armitage served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Harry Armitage . British Army My grandad was a driver in the Desert Rats and was at El Alamein.
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Flt.Sgt. Joseph Fox Armitage . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 234 Squadron from Nottingham (d.17th June 1941 )
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S/Sgt. Richard Armitage MID.. British Army 16th Vehicle Park Coy. Royal Army Ordnance Corps from Lychgate Cottage, Cromer Road, Bury By order of the King, Staff Sergeant Richard Armitage, Royal Army Ordnance Corps was published in the London Gazette on 4th April 1946. As mentioned in a despatch for distinguished service.
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P/O A. J.T. Armon . 100 Squadron
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ACW 1st Class. Iris Binnie Armour . Women's Royal Air Force from Sunderland. My mother Iris Armour changed the year she was born from 1926 to 1924 so she could join the forces. She was 5 ft. 2 in tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was employed as a telephonist. She joined up on the 13th Aug 42 was discharged on compassionate grounds on the 5th July 45 she was 8 months pregnant. She never listed the fathers name on the birth certificate.
Three months later she married my father after meeting him 4 weeks earlier.
My father had just returned from Burma where he was a pow.
My brother's birth was kept a secret, but my father has now died and my mother has now told my brother that his fathers name was Pierre Replelly. She said he was a French Canadian. My brother would love to find out who his father is and the only way the truth would come out is if any one knew my mother or who she was seeing in 1944 in the forces when she fell pregnant.
I hope someone can help my brother.
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F/O James Alexander Armour DFC DFM. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 1 from London (d.8th May 1944) F/O Armour was killed on 8th May 1944 during Operation Citronelle 1 in France.
Halifax v LL280 NF-O. The crew were:
W/Cdr W McF Russell DFC & Bar
F/S G Cable DFM
F/O D Brown DFC
F/O B P McGonagle DFC
F/O J A Armour DFC DFM
F/O A F Bryce
F/O N Simister DFM
T/o Tempsfordon Operation Citronelle 1 heading for France. Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed at St Denis d'Orques (Sarthe), 40m WNW of Le Mans and astride what in 1944 was the main road to Laval. All rest in Le Mans west cemetery.
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F/O. Edson Gilroy Armour. . RCAF 434 Sqd (d.18th Mar 1944)
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P/O W. Armour. . RAAF 428 sqd. (d.20th Dec 1943)
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T Armson . British Army Royal Armoured Corps T Armson served with the Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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F/O Armstrong . Royal Canadian Air Force 615 Sqdn. Historial Document:
Recorded from Flying Officer F.P.Fahy NZ411980 RNZAF and RAF 615. Fighter Squadron Pilots Log Book
(BAF Personnel Bureau (NZ) Assn.Doc.A1)
On the 10th August 1944, all of our aircraft RAF 615 (County of Surrey) Fighter Squadron were flying from Palel in Assam to Baigachi, Bengal. We where about 80 miles east of Calcutta when we flew into a monsoon storm.
I saw the C.O.'s Section disappear above me and I glanced in the cockpit, my instruments had, had it. There was no visability and none of the plane's controls were working. I made up my mind that it was time I parted company with the aircraft. This wasn't easy, the hook stuck and I had a hell of a job. Finally, it came away and to the right mainplane about three feet from the centre-section. Hell's teeth I thought I had been in a hurry up until then, but I really got going now. In fact I jumped out helmet and all plugged in. I must have swung like a pendulum going around for a few seconds, that seemed like hours, waiting for the thud of the ground, when I felt a jerk.
I looked up and from that moment on I have a passion for mushrooms. There above me was the chute letting me down and the chute began to fold in and spill air. I pulled on the rigging lines, as I had been told and was able to control the rate of descent. It was about 20 seconds before I saw the ground or should I say river. Yes, I landed up to my neck in water. I was helped by natives to shelter. After an hour's rest, I heard news of another pilot who was a few villages away who had been injured. I was able to get to him later that day and a sampan took us to the nearest motorable road. We arrived in Calcutta the following day. Here we received news that the C.O. had been killed and three others. Eight of the other machines got through safely after being sucked right out of the cloud into brilliant sunshine. An L.A.C. at Ops was able to vector them in safely. This airman for his wide awake action received a Mention in Despaches. The C.O.'s body was the only body recovered as it was thought the others were in an area that it would not be possible. So, these were posted missing believed killed.
The C.O. was buried in Calcutta. He was thought so much of by his Squadron, that a letter was sent to his mother asking what she would like as a memorial to him. Funds were raised and a stainless glass window is now installed in the church in his home town in Australia.
He was held responsible for the accident by a court of enquiry, but I still wonder if it was an error on his part. Three pilots bailed out successfully and one force-landed.
Casualty List 10th August 1944
Lost SQD Leader D McCormack DFC & Bar RAAF (Killed)
F/O W S Bond RCAF (Missing believed killed)
F/O M Pain RAAF (Missing believed killed)
W/O Chappell RAAF (Missing believed killed)
Bailed Out
Flying Officer Costain RAF (Broken leg)
F/O Armstrong RCAF (Dislocated knee cap)
F/O F.P.Fahy RNZAF (Twisted knee)
Force landed
F/O Watson RAF (Unhurt)
8 other Squadron aircraft and pilots landed safely.
'LEST WE FORGET'
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Alexander Armstrong . British Army Seaforth Highlanders from Glasgow Alex was my father-in-law. After being wounded at Mersah Matruh, Alex was promoted to Sergeant. On returning to his unit, a brand new lieutenant - his knees still pink - demanded to know where and when Alex had got his stripes. Alex replied "Where you've never seen the sun, sir", and was promptly busted back to Private.
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Cpl. Alfred Armstrong . Australian Army Royal Australian Air Force from Australia POW Camp Fukuoka 17 in Japan
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WOII. Edward Burnett Armstrong . Royal Air Force 104 Squadron from Bournemouth, England My father, Eddie Armstrong, served as RAF aircrew.
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Telegraphist Edwin Francis Armstrong . Royal Navy HMS Dorsetshire (d.5th Apr 1942) Edwin Francis Armstong; RN Telegraphist, died on 5 April 1942 aboard the HMS Dorsetshire. He is remembered by the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 68, Column 2. He is also remembered on the CWGC website
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Pte. Francis Jeremy Armstrong . British Army 1st Battalion Royal Scots Francis Armstrong served with the 1st Royal Scots in France in 1940. The Battalion formed part of the defensive perimeter around Dunkirk and therefore were not evacuated from the beaches. Many were captured by the Germans and a group of 20 believed to have been murdered after surrendering. Francis Armstrong was one of those who were evacuated from further up the coast.
After a couple of years in Bradford where the Batalion was reconstituted he moved with them to India. He was not awarded the Burma Star as he spent the latter part of the War in India.
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Able Sea. Fredrick Harold Armstrong . Royal Navy HMS Kestrel from Birmingham My dad Frederick Harold Armstrong served on many ships during his 22 years in the navy but the longest stretch would seem to be on the Kestrel from 21st August1941 to 7th May 1942. I would love to see any photos of or any information on the Kestrel.
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PO 1st Cl. Glenn Raymond Armstrong . United States Navy VB-103 Fleet Air Wing 7
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F/O Harold Alexander Armstrong . Royal Canadian Air Force 428 Sqd. from Edwards, Ontario, Canada. (d.25th Oct 1944)
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Pte. Henry Wilson Armstrong . British Army 6th Btn. Border Regiment from Chapel Brow My father Henry Armstrong was in the 6th Battalion, Border Regiment, which was of part of No. 10 Beach Group. He later transferred to 1st Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was wounded near Bremen but later rejoined his unit and advanced to the Rhine.
He began preparing to land at 04:10 on D-Day, the 6th June 1944. At 04:10 on the 6th June 1999, 55 years later, he opened his eyes, looked at his family for the last time, and went to sleep forever. This was recorded on his death certificate by the doctor, who was unaware of the history. Remarkable. I am so proud of him and all those who went so bravely for us.
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