The Wartime Memories Project - The Second War

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies. If you enjoy this site please 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     TWMP on Facebook     Childrens Bookshop  FAQ's     Help & FAQs     Glossary     Volunteering     Contact us     News     Bookshop     About Advertisements World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

235340 P/O. Herbert Reginald Higgins DFM/ Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 76 Squadron from:Oatlands Park (d.28th June 1942 ) My uncle, Herbert Higgins, enlisted in the RAF at the outbreak of war. He was first posted to 35 Squadron as a sergeant at Linton-on-Ouse, as a rear-gunner/wireless operator on the new Halifax bomber. During his time there he took part in the first daylight raid against the German battleship 'Scharnhorst' at La Rochelle on 24th July, 1941. His aircraft L9501-Y received moderate flak damage during the bombing run and 10 attacks from German FW-109s, one of which he was credited with downing. His actions during that attack earned him the Distinguished Flying Medal. The citation reads: Sergeant Higgins was the tail gunner in a Halifax aircraft which took part in the daylight operation against the German battleship 'Scharnhorst' at La Rochelle on 24th July, 1941. During the intensive period of opposition in the target area, this NCO experienced in all ten encounters. Fighting back with coolness and deliberation, he successfully defended his aircraft with one enemy fighter confirmed shot down. Seeing an apparently disabled Halifax being attacked by two Me109s, he directed his Captain to the scene of the combat and succeeded in drawing off one of the attackers. This display of courage and skill is deserving of the highest praise and Sergeant Higgins is recommended for the immediate award of the DFM. 27th July, 1941. LG 2.9.41. Remarks by Station Commander: A fine example of coolness and determination in the face of heavy odds. He was promoted from Sgt to Pilot Officer on the 4th October 1941 and shortly after joined 76 Squadron at Middleton St. George. On June 24th, 1942 he was a member of the crew air testing a Halifax II R9482 MP-D. The aircraft took off at 1530 hrs from Middleton St. George and crashed almost immediately, due to one or both engines failing on the port side. The Halifax climbed slowly to approximately 100 feet, stalled and dived into the ground and burst into flames. The entire crew was killed in the crash and my uncle died from his injuries in Darlington Hospital three days later. He was 24 years old. Eric Reginald Anthony Add to this record.  Related Content: No. 76 Squadron Royal Air Force No. 35 Squadron Royal Air Force RAF Linton on Ouse RAF Middleton St George Can you help us to add to our records? Add a record to our website. The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area? If so please let us know. Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice. Contact us. Celebrate your own Family History Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc. Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.

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: The Wartime Memories Project Website is archived for preservation by the British Library 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.