Short Stirling & RAF Bomber Command Forum

Hello Ian,

Have you had a chance to obtain your father ORB's ( operational record books )?
I have a selection of squadron ORB's but not 295 or 570 squadron records.

Also, can you tell me the aircraft serial number / squadron code letters?
Any little bit helps...................... date of the crash, etc?
Cheers,
John

i will contact another family member who may know of these,i do have his flight engineers notes.thank you.

For some reason that i cannot remember, i seem to have the 570sqdn April 45 ORB among my collection, and this is what it has for 11th April.
Stirling LJ638, E7-Y. Took off 21.45, Operation "Nico 1E" for drop zone near Lekkerkerk in Holland. 24 Containers and 4 packages. Failed to return.

F/Lt G.E. Sharp, Pilot.
F/Sgt B.D. Rowland, Nav. (possibly Howland)
F/O D.W. Anderson, A/B.
F/Sgt G.D. Hollick, W/Op.
F/Sgt W.S. Bell, A/G.
F/Sgt C.R. Johnston F/E. Spelt wrongly as Johnson.

This aircraft crashed at Nieuwerkerk-Ijssel, possibly lost to flak.

Hello

I am researching my Grandfather and wonder if anyone can help me with any information.

His name was Sergeant William Bassington Watt, service number 1110178. He was a Wireless Operator in 214 Squadron and part of a crew shot down over the Netherlands on the night of 5 September 1942. He parachuted to safety and spent the rest of the war as a POW, surviving the Lamsdorf Death March at the end of the war.

I am interested in any information about his service record, in particular information about the number of sorties flown and as much detail as possible.

Cheers,

Gavin

Hi Gavin and welcome to the forum.
Here are some details in the first instance.

You can also view / purchase records from the National Archives.
Cheers,
John

Hi John,

Thanks for the quick reply and for the information. I have already purchased an Air Incident Report from the National Archives but to get the rest of the information would require access to the ORBs, which are split by month. Do you know if there is any quicker way to get this information? Me being lazy, I know!

Cheers,

Gavin

Hi Gavin

'Air Incident Report' that's interesting - Is that exactly what it is called? Does it have a more formal number, ie AM 384 as an example?

Don't think I have heard of such a form - which means nothing except to indicate my ignorance of course!


Cheers
James

Hi James,

Actually it is showing my ignorance! It is called a Combat Report and they can be found in the National Archives. Basically they are reports of encounters with enemy aircraft filed by pilots or air gunners.

Cheers,

Gavin

Hello All, my name is David Brewin, I am the son of Maurice Edward Brewin. He was a gunner on the Short Sterling aircraft stationed in Italy, India and I believe was involved in the D-Day invasion. the reason for my becoming a member of this forum is to try and gather information on my father. He was never one to talk about his war years. All he would say was he saw some horrific things that he would rather not speak of. He is now 95 years old and living in a nursing home in Surrey British Columbia Canada. He immigrated to Montreal, Canada in 1955 with my Mother, Dorothy Grace Skinner who was also a member of the RAF.
I have searched for many years trying to locate something, anything that would tell me something of my fathers war or RAF years but have always come up empty. Is there anyone out there that can help me? I don't have any numbers, rank or ID to go by, just his name Maurice Edward Brewin. By the way, he also had a brother, Robert Brewin that also belonged to the RAF but he never saw him again after 1950.
One other question I have. Does the RAF or British Government offer any kind of pension to its former members? Just curious because nor my mother or father ever received a penny after they served.
I hope to hear from someone regarding my search. Please feel free to email me at my home address of debrewin@telus.net

I live in Langley, British Columbia, Canada

Thank you for your time, Dave Brewin

Hi all,

I’m looking for any information regarding my grandfather, Sgt Keith Cox. He was an Air Gunner and the sole survivor of the 218 Sqn Stirling W7474 that crashed enroute to Bremen on 3/4 June 1942.

I would very much like to know the other members of his crew at the time, and any other information that can be found regarding his time in Bomber Command before this sortie. I understand he also, previously, spent time as a Rear Gunner in Lancasters - having crash landed 10 Jan 1942 enroute back from Brest (although we are not sure what Sqn/Airfield that was from).

I understand this may be optimistic since he survived the war, albeit as a POW, and since left the RAF, so records seem harder to come by!

Either way, many thanks for your time,

Simon