1st June 1940 - Pete Peters fights off overwhelming attack over Dunkirk and destroys three fighters. Anson MKV flown by pilot officer Phillip Peters was leading a petrol of three Ansons of No 500 Royal Auxiliary Air Force Squadron over Dunkirk at the time the British Expeditionary Forces were evacuating from the beaches. He was flying at around 50ft when his mid upper gunner reported that nine Bf109s were attacking. Dropping to wave-top height the slow obsolescent twin engined aircraft tried to shake off their pursuers. Two planes were severely damaged and Peters sent them home, leaving his own aircraft at the mercy of the enemy fighters.
Item Code : DHM1074
Improbable Victory by Tim Fisher. - Editions Available
Joining the RAF in July 1941, Bertie completed pilot training in the USA before returning to the UK in 1942, joining Coastal Command flying Ansons and Blackburn Bothas, and instructing on the use of radar. Converting to Blenheims he joined 1655 Squadron at Warboys, and began training on Mosquitos. In early 1944 he was selected for the Pathfinders, joining 128 Squadron flying Mosquitos from Wyton, then becoming part of the Light Night Strike Force with 163 Squadron, completing almost 50 operations. In early 1945 he was posted to Canada to ferry back Mosquitos but the war ended.
Joined the RAF as an Aircraft Apprentice at Halton in 1938, aged 16. In 1940 he became airframe fitter on the Maintenance Unit and volunteered for aircrew in 1941. He was recommended for training as a Navigator, completed his ground training in the UK and his flying training in Port Albert, Canada. On completion, he was Commissioned and returned to the UK in January 1943, where he commenced familiarisation training in Tiger Moths (15 EFTS) and Ansons. In August 1943, along with a pilot, wireless operator and bomb aimer, he commenced training on Whitleys. From December 1943 to January 1944, he underwent training for conversion to Halifaxes and was posted to 10 Sqdn. After one operation he was transferred to 158 Sqdn (Lissett). On his tenth op. (18th April 1944) his aircraft was returning from a bombing raid on the marshalling yards at Tergunier (northern France) when they were attacked by a German night-fighter. The port wing of the aircraft was on fire, they went into a steep dive and the pilot shouted “Bale Out”. Fortunately for him, the navigator position in the Halifax was next to the forward escape hatch and both he and the Flight Engineer were the only ones able to bale out, the other five crew members were all killed on impact. The Flight Engineer was captured the next day but Flt/Lt Taylor avoided capture and was sheltered by the Resistance in various safe houses until 28th July. By this time in the war French collaborators had infiltrated the Resistance Movement and were turning evading Allied airmen over to the Germans. Flt/Lt Taylor was betrayed and turned over to the Germans on 28th July. He was imprisoned in Paris with approximately 140 other Allied airmen captured in similar circumstances. When Allied forces closed in on Paris, all prisoners mainly French civilians were packed into cattle trucks and evacuated to Germany, destination unknown, which turned out to be Buchenwald concentration camp. Along with other airmen, he was subsequently transferred to Stalag Luft 3 on 21st October where he remained as POW until the Russian advanced forced evacuation of all POWs and a long trek, finishing near Hamburg just as Germany surrendered.
Alistair Lamb, born in Stirling, Scotland, joined the Royal Air Force in March 1944 and went to No.7 Gunnery School at Stormydown in Wales. In August 1944 he went to Market Harborough and started training in Ansons before moving on to Wellingtons. Alistair went to H1654 heavy conversion unit at Wigsley flying in Stirlings and Lancasters. In March he joined No.15 Squadron at Mildenhall and participated in amongst other operations Operation Manna dropping food supplies to the Dutch, on the 30th April 1945 over Rotterdam, 2nd May 1945 over The Hague and 7th May 1945 at Valkenburg. Sgt Alistair lamb and the rest of the crew also took part in Operation Harken Project, photography of U-Boat Pens at Farge. After the war Sgt Alistair Lamb stayed with 15 Squadron at RAF Wyton on Lincolns until August 1947 when he left the RAF and joined the Civil Service. Alistair Lamb still lives in his home town of Stirling.
Joined the RAF in 1943 to begin training as an Air Gunner. After the usual short attachments at various training stations eventually ending up at No 2 AGS Dalcross. Air firing was carried out from an Avro Anson. There was always a mad rush to be first aboard the aircraft on every detail, not from enthusiasm, but from trying to avoid winding up the undercarriage after take off. M/Sig Pearson went from Dalcross to Kinloss to join a crew flying Whitleys and several months later ended up at 158 Sqdn Lissett to commence operations on Halifaxes. After half a tour and very happy at Lissett his crew were posted onto a PFF Sqdn, 635 Sqdn Downham Market. His first operation, and very nearly his last, was a daylight raid on Hamburg. On the bombing run, they had the misfortune to be selected by the pilot of a ME262 as his victim. He was not spotted until he was dead astern and blazing away with the four 30mm cannon in the nose. Evasive action was given and the pilot promptly stood the Lanc on its nose. Unfortunately not all the cannon shells missed and they lost quite a piece of fuselage leaving ammo belts hanging out in the slipstream. After regaining level flight, they were attacked again by another ME262, but this time they were lucky. Both ME pilots decided to push off and find some other sitting duck! Despite these attacks, they carried on and bombed, making their way home across the North Sea, not a pleasant journey. The pilot received an immediate award of the DFC. M/Sig Pearson finished the war out at Downham Market and after the war in Europe ended was posted to 83 Sqdn Conningsby for Tiger Force training and operations against the Japanese. Fortunately the war in the east ceased just as they were ready to depart. He was demobbed in May 1947, but was not happy out of uniform so was back in again at the end of 1949 as an A/G flying on Lincolns at 9 Sqdn. Binbrook. He had a short detachment with 617 Sqdn at Shallufa, Egypt and at the end of 1952 was posted onto B29 aircraft with 15 Sqdn. Coningsby. After six months he was posted to Little Rissington on a Link Trainer course and then to FTS Syerston as a Link instructor to Naval cadet pilots. In 1955, he was required to either remuster to a ground trade or take another aircrew trade. He was posted to Swanton Morley to take training as an Air Signaller and from then to St Mawgan 228 Sqdn on Shackletons. Next came a posting to Northolt in a drawing office drawing En-Route charts and Terminal Approach Procedures. Back to flying in 1961 and a posting to 224 Sqdn Gibraltar and then to Air Traffic Control School at Shawbury. On completion of this course came a posting to RAF Lyneham as Local Controller and thence to RAF Colerne as Approach Controller. He left the service in 1968.
Joined the RAFVR in 1938 and started flying training at Kidlington. He was posted to 16 OTU, Upper Heyford in July 1940 where he completed a course on Ansons and Hampdens. Later he retrained as a staff pilot until he was posted to CTS Finningsley in November 1940, before transferring to 49 Sqdn. Scampton in December 1940. He flew a tour of 30 bombing and minelaying operations on Hampdens before returning to 16 OTU, Upper Heyford in July 1941 as instructor on Ansons and Hampdens and then as staff pilot on Air Firing Training Flights, using Hampdens, Lysanders and Wellington aircraft. On 28 July 1942, he was detailed to captain a Wellington on a thousand bomber raid on Hamburg, with a pupil crew. Although recalled due to bad weather, the trainee WOP failed to receive the signal and the aircraft was shot down by an Me110. Three crew were killed and three bailed out including the second pilot who was later one of the 50 shot after the Great Escape from Stalag Luft 3. Chatting to his twin brother (a Spitfire PRU Pilot) after the end of the war they discovered that he had taken a photograph of a Prisoner of War camp near Bremen, where he was held near to the end of the war. At that time, of course, he had no idea that he was a prisoner in the very same camp! Frank returned to the UK in May 1945 and subsequently was demobbed in January 1946.
Lawrence W F Stark was born on 16th November 1920 in Bolton, Lancashire and was educated at Bolton School and then The Lancashire and Manchester Technical College. Pinkie Stark joined the RAF in 1941 and trained to be a pilot in Canada. On his return to England he spent some time flying Avro Ansons and Boulton Paul Defiants before being sent to a Typhoon OTU and and to 182 Squadron, then posted on operations the 10th January 1943 to 609 Typhoon Fighter Squadron, based at Manston. The squadron had been tasked to counter the hit and run attacks over South-East England by Fw190s. On 12 March 1943 Lawrence W F Stark had his first victory when he downed a Fw190 over Dunkirk. He shot down two Ju88 bombers over France, one in October and the other on 2 November 1943. He flew so low when claiming the first of these Ju88s that he clipped the top of some trees, returning to base with branches in the now misshapen nose of his Typhoon. On 4th January 1944 he shared in the destruction of a Dornier Do217, he also shot down a Caudron Goeland transport and another Fw 190, with 5½ victories and another aircraft destroyed on the ground he qualified as an Ace. He served on with 609 Squadron throughout occupied Europe, eventually taking over as the Squadron Commander and, awarded the DFC, became an Ace as one of the most successful Typhoon pilots in aerial combat. In February 1944 he moved to 263 Typhoon Fighter Squadron as a flight commander, to carry out ground-attack operations, still with the Typhoon. He flew sorties in support of the D-Day landing attacking ground targets in Northern France but in July 1944 he was shot down in Brittany. With the help of the French resistance he evaded capture and returned to England in a motor boat. Stark later returned to 609 Squadron as commanding officer to continue the ground-attack work. Stark continued flying in the RAF and gained a Bar to his DFC. In 1947 he completed the Empire Test Course and was posted to Boscombe Down as a test pilot, in particular with the Blind Landing Experimental Unit performing automatic landing trials. He was awarded the AFC and C de G (Belg). He retired from the RAF in 1963 and later became manager of Rochester Airport.. Sadly Squadron Leader Stark passed away on the 1st of August 2004.
Benny Goodman (Pilot) volunteered for aircrew at 18 years of age and was called up in 1940. After basic training he went to RAF Abingdon - a Whitley OTU - for what he was told would be straight through training. This did not materialise and he found himself in the role of a Ground Gunner. In 1941, a posting eventually came through to the Initial Training Wing followed by Elementary Fyling School at Peterborough and an instructors course at Woodley, Reading; then to Clyffe Pyparde, a holding unit. A sea journey to Canada followed and Service Flying Training School on Ansons. On completion he was posted to Kingston, Ontario, to instruct Acting Leading Naval Airmen on the Royal Navy tactics of the time, e.g. jinking after take off, dive bombing, etc. Eventually he returned to the UK and OTU on Wellingtons at Silverstone and Heavy Conversion Bomber Unit at Swinderby on Stirlings, followed by a short course at the Lancaster Conversion Unit. After an interview Benny and his crew were surprised and delighted to find they had been selected for 617 squadron - this was in 1944 and they had stayed together as a crew on 617 squadron until the war in Europe ended. He completed 30 missions - all with Jock Burnett as his flight engineer. Notable raids Jock took part in were on the Tirpitz, 29th October 1944, dropping the Grand Slam 22,000 bomb on the Arnsberg Viaduct, 19th March 1945, and the attack on Berchtesgarten Eagles Nest, 25th May 1945.
Born in September 1922, James "Doug" Lindsay joined the RCAF in February 1941, training on Harvards. He was posted to the UK, arriving in March 1943 and joining 403 Sqn in October that year. In his first tour, he claimed 5 Me109s as well as 2 Fw190s, plus another damaged. Of the Me109s he shot down, three of these were in a single minute, earning him a DFC. For his second tour, he rejoined 403 Sqn in April 1945, claiming a probable Fw190 during his short time with this squadron before he moved to 416 squadron until the end of the war in Europe. After the war he stayed with the air force, and in 1952 served during the Korean war with the USAF. He flew F-86 Sabres with the 39th Fighter Squadron of the 51st Fighter Wing, claiming victories over two MiG-15s and damaging 3 others. In 1953, he returned to the UK with No.1 Fighter Wing leading Sabres in formation at the Queen's Coronation. He retired in 1972, having flown more than 30 different types of aircraft (excluding different Mks). These included, Harvard, Anson, Master, Spitfire, Typhoon, Tempest, Hurricane, Mustang, Beaufort, Beaufighter, Oxford, Dakota, Tiger Moth, Vampire and Sabre.
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