Thread: Barbadians in the RAF

Name: LYNCH, RICHARD CHALLENOR
Initials: RCL
Nationality: United Kingdom / Barbados
Rank: Pilot Officer
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 501 Sqdn.
Age: 21
Date of Death: 17 Sept 1942
aged 21 years
Service No: 115146
Additional information: Son of Cyril Aubrey Lynch and his wife Frances Louise Webster, of Barbados, British West Indies.
Cemetery: FULFORD CEMETERY, Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Grave/Memorial Reference: Grave Reference/Panel Number: Plot 16. Row W. Grave 18


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Richard 'Dickie' Lynch was born in Barbados, West Indies in 1921 to Cyril Aubrey Lynch and his wife Louise, and was married in the UK to Patricia Farrar. He was a Spitfire pilot based at RAF Ibsley, not far from Bournemouth on the south coast of England, and was killed in action over the English Channel.

Pilot Officer Richard C Lynch (RAF service number 115146) was posted to 501 Squadron in September 1941. Dickie's posting to 501 Squadron would have been his first operational posting, after having completed his operational training as a fighter pilot at No 57 Operational Training Unit at Hawarden in North West England, not far from the city of Chester.

It was during the month of September 1941, when Dickie first arrived at Ibsley airfield, that a famous movie film called "First of the Few" was being shot at Ibsley. This film starred actors David Niven and Leslie Howard and told the story of the Supermarine Spitfire and its designer RJ Mitchell.

The crews of 501 Squadron became film stars as the Air Ministry agreed to provide aircraft for the flying sequences that were shot at the location. The Spitfires of 501 Squadron were chosen for this role because they were still operating the Mark II spitfire which had been flown two years earlier during the Battle of Britain in 1940. The Mark II Spitfire was required because it did not have the distinctive cannon of the later Marks, but still sported an armament of 8 .303" machine guns.

The starring pilots were drawn from both 501 and 118 squadrons, both based at Ibsley at the time. These pilots play themselves effectively, as pilots debriefing after a previous air combat engagement and then waiting at dispersal for the next "scramble" order, whilst listening to David Niven telling them the story of RJ Mitchell and the Spitfire.

The Squadron Commander of 501 Squadron, Squadron Leader Chris "Bunny Currant", actually had a minor role in the film and played a small cameo as a friend of David Niven's character "Crisp". He is "shot-down" and killed by a German ME109 during the exciting battle scene at the climax of the movie.

In later years, when talking to school children about his war years, one little girl asked him if it was true that he had been "shot down" in the movie. With his usual sense of humour and a twinkle in his eye, Bunny replied with a straight face that yes, it was perfectly true that he had been "shot down", and in fact of all the instances during the war years when he had been shot down, that was the only occasion when he had been "shot down and killed". Bunny Currant was the 501 Squadron Commander and later became commander of the whole Ibsley Wing, which comprised three Squadrons including 501. Sadly, Bunny died in 2008.

Dickie flew with the squadron until he was posted missing on 17th September 1942. He would therefore have participated in the great air battle over Dieppe in August 1942, when a chiefly Canadian assault force attempted a large-scale raid on the French coast near Dieppe. The RAF was called upon to provide air cover for this amphibious raid, which provoked a massive response from the German Luftwaffe.

For the Dieppe raid, 501 Squadron was deployed to Tangmere airbase near Chichester in the South Coast on England. They escorted a formation of Blenheim light bombers over towards the Dieppe area at about 0750 hours, but this mission was cancelled and they returned to base; a further mission was flown at 1024, when they escorted some Hurri-bombers which were briefed to attack gun emplacements on East Beach at Dieppe.

In mid afternoon, the Germans started to attack the main landing ship convoy with Dornier 217 and Junkers 88 bombers, escorted by FW190 fighters. 501 Squadron along with other fighter units, were scrambled at 1455 hours to assist the ships at the rear of the flotilla. Reaching the convoy about 8 miles off Dieppe, the Squadron was immediately involved in a furious scrap with ten FW190s, several of which were damaged by 501 Squadron pilots.

Dickie was flying Spitfire Mark V (serial number EP871, Squadron Code letters SD-L) when he was reported missing, following a convoy patrol. It is interesting to note that Pilot Officer John Scott, flying Spitfire serial number AB491 (SD-Y), was also lost on the same routine convoy patrol. It is understood that "Scotty" baled out after being attacked by a FW190 over Lyme Bay, but his parachute failed to open. It therefore seems reasonable to conclude that Dickie was also shot down by FW190s.

In fact, the Squadron was plagued by a series of unrelated incidents over the period 27 August to 17 September 1942, during which time no less than 7 pilots (about 30% of a typical Squadron strength) were killed in action or in flying accidents. Hence the Squadron was withdrawn from operations in October 1942 and moved to Ballyherbet in Northern Ireland.

Here the Squadron continued to perform convoy escort duties, but was essentially on a rest tour. It is sad to think that had he survived the convoy patrol, his unit may have pulled out of the front line for rest shortly afterwards, and he may have survived the war as a result.

There is not much detail about Dickie's success as a fighter pilot. One day whilst filming the movie "First of the Few", the Squadron was scrambled from Ibsley to intercept a Ju88 at 18000 feet South of Portland Bill. Bunny Currant decided that it was a useful learning experience for the whole squadron, since some pilots had not even fired their guns in anger yet. He therefore let everyone have a shot at it. It eventually crashed onto rocks at Cap de La Hague on the Cherbourg Peninsula, and Bunny received a scolding from Fighter Command who felt that it was overdoing it to use over 20,000 rounds of ammunition on it. As Dickie was a new pilot on the Squadron, it is expected that he would have been one of the new pilots that Bunny was concerned about;, and if he was flying that day, he would have been entitled to claim a twelfth of a "Confirmed" kill!

Dickie was also credited with a 1/2 share claim in a "probably destroyed" Junkers 88 which was shot at on 13th March 1942 near to Casquettes at 1730 hours, whilst flying Spitfire Mark V Serial Number AD538. He shared the claim with Wing Commander Ian Gleed, a famous Battle of Britain pilot who was commander of the Ibsley wing at the time. Ian Gleed was later killed in North Africa in 1943. For a kill to be classed as "Probably Destroyed" it would be fairly badly damaged, with smoke and/or flame trailing, and most likely to crash but not actually witnessed to do so.

Dickie's Spitfire EP120 still exists as an airworthy aircraft to this day, although not painted in its 501 Squadron markings. It is now operated by the Fighter Collection at Duxford in UK.

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http://yard.ccta.gov.uk/cwgc/register.nsf
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
In Memory of
RICHARD CHALLENOR LYNCH
Pilot Officer
115146
501 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
who died on
Thursday, 17th September 1942. Age 21.

Buried at FULFORD CEMETERY, Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Grave Reference/Panel Number: Plot 16. Row W. Grave 18.
Record of Commemoration
In Memory of
Pilot Officer RICHARD CHALLENOR LYNCH
501 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
who died aged 21 on Thursday, 17th September 1942.

production page 040
Serial: EP871; Mark: Vb; Fac: CBAF; Eng: M46; History : 15MU 10-8-42 501S 'SD-L' 1-9-42 Shot down by Fw190 on convoy patrol 17-9-42 FH25.15 P/O R C Lynch baled out too low and killed.

-- PHOTOGRAPHS ATTACHED --

Ibsley Photo provided by Eric Moore:

501 Squadron, May 1942, at RAF Ibsley near Ringwood.

Back Row: F/Sgt Shadbolt, Sgt Henderson, F/Sgt Carmody, Sgt Collis.

Middle Row: P/O Brannigan, Sgt Kelly, F/Sgt Macdonald, F/sgt Moore, Sgt Leitch, P/O Jackson, P/O De-Merode, P/O Smith, P/O Mawer, Sgt Strang.

Front Row: F/O Torbill, F/O Drossart, S/L Sine, S/L Villa, F/L Stanbury, P/O Lynch, P/O Lightborn.

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Aerial photo of Ibsley airfield, January 1944

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Gravestone Marker Photo provided by James Lynch

To the ever glorious memory
of my dearly loved husband
Richard Challenor Lynch
Pilot Officer 501 (Spitfire) Sqdn
killed in combat over the English Channel
September 17th 1942
aged 21 years

To save Mankind
Himself he scorned to save.

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The two framed signature boards in the the pub nook behind the dining room bar at the St. Leonard's Hotel, west of Ringwood, near Ibsley, where the pilots of many nationalities based at the airfield during the war used to go for "recreation". This Hotel is on the A31 just west of the western A338-A31 roundabout (the A31 and A338 split again at the next roundabout east).

I have an enlarged image which shows the signature R C Lynch but could only upload 5 photos.

1. Left Signature Board
2. Right Signature Board

This was an amazing find as I only expected to find the airfield. The Ibsley airfield society told me about the Pub and its signature Boards, and I went there as soon as I could.

Excellent information thanks Bimjim. Welcome aboard.