Trinidadians in the RAF - Page 2

CXX · 13-09-2008, 11:04 AM

Name: GILKES, LESLIE FRANCIS
Initials: L F
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 9 Sqdn.
Date of Death: 03/08/1943
Service No: 1810281
Additional information: Son of Joseph and Octavia Gilkes, of Siparia, Trinidad, West Indies.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 150.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

Sgt. Gilkes was lost on the following raid.

2-3 August 1943.

9 Squadron.
Lancaster III ED493 WS-A
Op. Hamburg.

Took off from Bardney at 2326 hrs. Believed shot down by a night-fighter (Ofw Karl-Heinz Scherfling, IV./NGJ1) and crashed 0333 hrs into the sea NW of Bergen aan Zee on the Dutch coast.

CXX · 13-09-2008, 11:12 AM

Name: KENNY, GERALD PATRICK
Initials: G P
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant (Air Gnr.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 195 Sqdn.
Age: 37
Date of Death: 02/11/1944
Service No: 1835809
Additional information: Son of Dr. Thomas Bernard Kenny, M.D., and Cecile Kenny, of Trinidad.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: XV. B. 7.
Cemetery: GROESBEEK CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY

Sgt. Kenny was lost on the following raid.

2 November 1944.

195 Squadron.
Lancaster I HK663
Op. Homberg.

The aircraft took off at 1118 hrs from Witchford. Presumed abandoned prior to being crash-landed in Allied held territory. Sgt Kenny at 37 was well over the age of Bomber Command aircrew.

CXX · 13-09-2008, 11:16 AM

Name: KERNAHAN, KENNETH IAN
Initials: K I
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Pilot Officer
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 12 Sqdn.
Age: 23
Date of Death: 28/05/1944
Service No: 172462
Additional information: Son of Harold Joseph Kernahan, and of Gladys Eugenie Kernahan, of Port of Spain, Trinidad, British West Indies.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 211.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

P/O. Kernahan was lost of the following raid.

27-28 May 1944.

12 Squadron.
Lancaster III ND679 PH-F
Op. Aachen.

Took off 0015 hrs Wickenby. Lost without trace.

CXX · 13-09-2008, 11:24 AM

Name: McBRIDE, JAMES MCALLISTER
Initials: J M
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Flight Lieutenant (Pilot)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 161 Sqdn.
Age: 25
Date of Death: 17/12/1943
Service No: 113888
Additional information: Son of Donald and Jean W. McBride, of Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Square 115. C. of E. Plot. Grave 24.
Cemetery: CHICHESTER CEMETERY

F/L. McBride was lost on the following operation.

16-17 December 1943.
161 Squadron
Lysander IIIA V9367 MA-B
Op. SIS

Took off 2138 hrs from Tangmere on Operation Diable and headed for France where two agents were recovered. On return the Lysander crashed 0353 hrs into a ploughed field just short of the runway and burst into flames. The two agents, a man and a women scrambled clear, but F/l McBride was trapped in the cockpit.

CXX · 13-09-2008, 11:28 AM

Name: NUNEZ, GEORGE ALBERT
Initials: G A
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Pilot Officer
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 9 Sqdn.
Age: 32
Date of Death: 01/05/1943
Service No: 146436
Additional information: Son of Albert and Georgiana Nunez; husband of Olive Adella Nunez, of St. Joseph, Trinidad.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 132.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

P/O. Nunez was lost on the following raid.

1 Mat 1943
9 Squadron
Lancaster III ED838 WS-R
Op. Essen.

The Lancaster took off from Bardney and was lost without trace.

CXX · 13-09-2008, 11:35 AM

Name: PHILIPPS, ROBIN GORDON
Initials: R G
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Flight Sergeant
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 183 Sqdn.
Age: 21
Date of Death: 28/01/1944
Service No: 1397461
Additional information: Son of Henry Browne Philipps and Marie Irene Philipps, of Port of Spain, Trinidad, British West Indies.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 221.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

F/S. Philipps was lost on the following operation.

28 January 1944.

183 Squadron
Typhoon 1b JP402 'P'

Rodeo pm. Ditched 25 miles north of Brest .

CXX · 13-09-2008, 11:38 AM

Name: RAWLINS, KENRICK WYVILLE
Initials: K W
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Flying Officer
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 139 Sqdn.
Age: 27
Date of Death: 13/08/1943
Service No: 134366
Additional information: Son of Charles and Mary Rawlins, of Princes Town, Trinidad, West Indies.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 129.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

F/O. Rawlins was lost on the following operation

12-13 August 1943.
139 Squadron
Mosquito IV DZ607
Op. Berlin.

Took off 2057 hrs Wyton. Lost without trace.

Antipodean Andy · 13-09-2008, 12:55 PM

Flag waving is being worked on Ulric by Admin, Ulric. Welcome aboard.

Good reading guys, thanks for posting.

liverpool annie · 13-09-2008, 02:27 PM

Nice job CXX !

...... I could only find 2 !! ....

I was surprised you found one in Cambridgeshire !!

liverpool annie · 13-09-2008, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liverpool annie

Nice job CXX !

...... I could only find 2 !! ....

I was surprised you found one in Cambridgeshire !!

This is just a bit of "padding " !!

MEPAL

Mepal airfield was built to Class A specification as one of the two satellite stations for the Waterbeach cluster. The site on a 20-foot rise out of the Cambridgeshire fens, was confined by the New and Old Bedford Rivers to the west; the villages of Sutton to the south, Mepal to the north and Witcham due east. As the A142 between Mepal and Sutton ran across the middle of the site it was closed off and diverted to run on the road through Withham. Construction began in July 1942 on a £810,000 contract. The concrete runways were: main 08-26 at 2,000 yards, and OS-23 and 14-32 both at 1,400 yards. Thirty-six hardstandings were provided, all being the loop type. Hangars were a T2 and a B1 positioned on the technical site between runway heads 26 and 32, the Bl being to the north, with another T2 on the north side of the airfield between runway heads 23 and 26. The bomb store lay to the north-west, between 08 and 14. The 11 dispersed sites were all to the east of the airfield around Witcham and consisted of two mess, one communal and eight domestic catering for 1,884 males and 346 females.

Officially opened in June 1943, its first occupants were the Stirlings of No. 75 Squadron, removed from the turf of Newmarket Heath, which conducted its first operation from Mepal on the night of July 3. Named the New Zealand Squadron and manned largely by citizens of that country, No. 75 was to remain in residence for a little over two years, seeing out the war from Mepal. No other squadron was based there during this period as No. 75 maintained three flights, their complements often totalling more than 30 aircraft, particularly after Lancasters replaced the Stirlings in March 1944. The squadron lost 104 bombers in operations from Mepal, 50 being Stirlings and 52 Lancasters.

No. 75 Squadron moved out in July 1945 to make way for the assembly and training of Tiger Force, the RAF bomber contingent scheduled to move to the north-east Pacific for operations against the Japanese homeland. These were Nos. 7 and 44 Squadrons, although the latter was soon replaced by No. 49 Squadron. However, the contraction of the RAF during the first year of peace provided several stations with better accommodation than the `tin can huts' at Mepal and the Lancasters left in July 1946. Thereafter Mepal remained empty of active units for 12 years.