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207 Squadron Royal Air Force Historyfrom the Association web archive
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Dec 2001
David Balme CMG DSO DFC MA LL.D D.Litt was the moving force behind the formation of the Association. When he died in 1989 we published a booklet of tributes to him. This is now a website - see Lancasters in Memories
Ron 'Curly' Emeny AFM passed away on 8th December 2001: our condolences go to Jess and their family: Ron served twice on 207: he evaded after suffering horrific injuries when shot down on the Mailly-Le-Camp raid of 3/4 May 1944 and was the last airman taken across the Pyrenees by the Comete Line, on June 6th 1944. He had a long career in the RAF and told any number of stories of causing consternation among the local brass when very senior officers he had known in their early days spotted him during visits or on being posted in. He played a major role in the establishment of the RAFES Museum at East Kirkby. Funeral: St John's Church, Spilsby 12.30, 14th December.
Members of families making contact:
the nephew of Sgt Charles Crux lost with the Buchanan
crew on Gydnia 18/19 December 1944 (NG144 EM-G)
the son of Sgt LP Gower in the Harding
crew lost on Darmstadt 25 August 1944 (PD216 EM-J)
a relative of Raymond Eglen, in the Brady
crew on 207, lost in October 1945 on 99 Sqn
At last we have photos of all the Badge crew (ED412, 12/13 July 1943), commemorated at Le Bouveret: Sgt Edward Higgins' photo has come to us by a curious route involving the website, of which more in the Newsletter! See Memorials and to 207 crews
Friend Member Dwight Blok is seeking contact the families of the McCarthy crew, lost on Duisberg 24th July 1942, in which his uncle Leo LaSalle was 2nd Pilot - see Aircrew & Groundcrew Search website
Ever wondered if some aircraft letters were 'luckier' than others?
Nonsense! Or is it?
207's Lancaster losses have been analysed by letter and Flight. What do
you make of it?
.. see Memories, Lancasters, Lancaster
losses
Nov 2001
We no longer have a mystery. At Langar on 8th October 1943 the Squadron borrowed PO-S R5868 from 467 Squadron at Bottesford for one op to Hanover, flown by P/O CW Barnett. On the previous night five of 207's Lancs had landed damaged at Ford. R5868, by the way, is the Lancaster in the RAF Museum at Hendon. [apologies for the incorrect earlier message] See Memories/Lancasters/207 Lancs by serial
A major addition: 207 Squadron's Lancasters and Lancaster losses are now available via the menu Memories, Lancasters link: these Lancaster pages are being updated all the time from various sources, so if you think you have spotted an error (or two) please let the editor know.
More images added to the Margny pages in Memorials/to 207 crews.
Dennis Buck has added a 1990 image of Devon VP958 spotted in Queensland as VH-EOB - see Memories.
Oct 2001
Via the RAF
ExPOW Association site (POW Diaries page) look at Sgt
Jack Read's writings when a POW, courtesy of his grandson,
Colin Collings. Jack Read was the sole survivor of the Southwell
crew, R5616 EM-J, missing from Bottesford 16th August 1942
for mine laying duties in the Kattegat coastal area of Denmark.
Maurice Askew, Flight Engineer in the Jarvis crew, Lancaster
III EE126 EM-A lost on Leipzig 19/20 Feb 1944 has joined from New
Zealand. Although he has kept in touch with his Bomb Aimer,
Phil Paddock, he has completely lost any contact with his
Skipper Wally Jarvis, and Syd
Pearson, his Navigator. He's seeking renewed contact
with them or their families and with the families of those who died: Jeff
Morey, Wireless Operator; M/UG Len Linton
RCAF and R/G Sam Rogers, from Canada
in the RAFVR. email mandas@xtra.co.nz
Gabi Fisher is looking for information about Flying
Officer Harry Rowan Briggs RAF, who was kia on 10 June 1944,
age 24 in the raid on Etampes. He was the pilot of Lancaster MkI ME678
EM-N. Gabi is the daughter of Harry Brigg's widow Pamela. email
gabi.fisher@bbc.co.uk
The Avro Aircraft page in Useful
Links now has an interesting illustrated site about the
Building and instrument restoration of a Lancaster nose section.
Sep 2001
Ron Winton ISM, our retiring Secretary,
who has also been Membership Secretary since the start of the
Association, had a terrific send-off at our reunion at the Midland Hotel
Derby on 15th September. Thank you to all members who sent messages for
his card and who contributed to the four-figure sum collected for him.
We presented his wife Eileen with a bouquet. Ron will still do a few key
jobs off the Committee, such as the Reunion Dinner seating plan.
Kevin Mapley was elected Secretary & Frank Haslam was elected
Membership Secretary. More news to follow shortly.
If you still have a 207 reunion lapel badge (any
recent vintage!), please post it to Frank Haslam (address on the
newsletter).
Aug 2001
The dedication of the Airfield Memorial on the
site of RAF Spilsby went off very well on August 25th,
attended by over 200 people. Congratulations to the organising committee
- Kevin Mapley, Ron Winton, Sheilagh Wilford and Ron Emeny. See
207 Memorials in the Memorials pages for the latest photo report.
Ron Winton ISM, who has been Membership Secretary of the
Association from the very beginning, has advised the Committee of his
wish to retire as Secretary/Membership Secretary. Ron's work has been
crucial to the success of the Association. He will still be around to do
a few non-Committee jobs. If you are a member and have not been
contacted about this please email Frank
Haslam.
See 207 books for news of member Ben Lyon's book on Les Baveystock DSO DFC* DFM of 50 & 201 Sqns - there is a 207 connection!
The following have made contact this month:
- Susan Mark from the USA on behalf of her father Raymond
Victor Burstall, Rear Gunner in F/O George
Stenhouse's crew: George's widow Eveline has been informed
and we are trying to contact Peter Chapman of that crew: is anyone in
contact with any of the rest of that crew?
- Grahame Todd, stepson of Sqn Ldr Roissetter, an
Engineering Leader at Spilsby, who was awarded a mention in Despatches
for his efforts to salvage a Halifax from the Loveless incident in
November 1944
- Mike Travers, the great nephew of P/O Charles Travers
RCAF, who was the Bomb Aimer in P/O Jack Read's crew
lost on 21/22 Jan 1944 on Magdeburg (R5895 EM-B)
- Drew McIntyre, only nephew of Sgt Robert Wood in the
Badge crew which crashed at Le Bouveret (ED412
EM-Q).
- Ian Elsy, son of the late Dick Elsy, Flight Engineer
in the tour expired (Nov 1944) Summers Crew
- Sara Gibbs, daughter of Sgt CJW Gibbs, Air Gunner in
the HW Spraggs crew, joined 207 17/6/44: tour expired
28/29 Oct 1944: can you tell us more about these names: HG Laing, A
Pinder, F Blackman, GD Scottwill, RJ Straight, J Turner(?), Frank
Cooper, P/O Heeley, F/Sgt Madigan, Sgt Petheridge ?
- Briony, the grandaughter of F/O Wilfrid Edmonds, kia
17.8.42 in the Southwell crew (R5616 EM-J): she has
been put in touch with the relatives of Denny Quinlan and Jack Read from
that crew
Success for Jim Kenny in finding one of his crew, Ken
Freeman from a message placed in 1999 on our Aircrew
and Groundcrew Search website.
We are also looking for the relatives of Sgt William Shaw,
Flight Engineer in ME614 EM-E (F/O Jesse Dallen), shot down on Revigny
18/19 July 1944. Someone has come by Sgt Shaw's Flight Engineer's Notes,
with his annotations. His was a Kircaldy family.
We are also investigating a private memorial to Sgt George Adam
Nichols Thompson, kia 30th January 1944, found in the grounds
of Cragside, the former home of Sir William Armstrong. He was Rear
Gunner in DV371 EM-M (P/O Harold Broad)
lost on Berlin that night. Was his family connected with the estate? - see
Memorials pages for headstone and the story so far.
And we have been contacted by a distant relative of F/O Frank
William Cosens DFC, pilot of ND510 EM-T
lost on Berlin 15th Feb 1944. We would like to hear from anyone who knew
this pilot or his crew.
July 2001
The Association's visit to Margny for
the dedication of the Squadron Badge in stone at the grave of the Weekes
crew went off very well and some photos are now on the Margny website
(via Memorials) with more to follow. Our thanks go to
the Mayor and people of Margny for their very kind hospitality and to
Mrs Betty Chaland for all her work behind the scenes.
Ron Buck died 2nd July. Ron was an Air Gunner 6/43-1/44. He
was a founder member of the Association and a Treasurer. Our condolences
go to Betty and sons Paul, Pete & Ron jr. Click on Ron.
We have also heard of the death of George Baker on 4th
July. George was the Flight Engineer in F/O Hordley's crew when they
were shot down in Lancaster ND567, EM-V on the night of 7th/8th July
1944 in an attack on St.Leu d'Esserent. George evaded for some
while but was then captured. The aircraft crashed on the edge of woods
near Sérifontaine, where a memorial was dedicated in 1995 - see the memorials
pages. Our condolences go to Molly and his family.
We have also heard that Ray Cupit Pilot 7/44-12/44
(see below) died on 18th July. Our condolences go to his wife Theresa
and family.
Mystery of the Weekes crew buried at Margny: why did
the rear gunner's family have a different crew photo? See Margny in Memorials
pages
June 2001
We have sold our last copy of Vince Holyoak's On
the Wings of Morning about RAF Bottesford. If you have a copy for
sale please let the Editor know so that you can in future be put in
touch with enquirers.
The family of Sgt Keith Paine, Rear Gunner in the Weekes
crew that we are going to Margny to honour
in July, have made contact. They were on a visit to Margny in mid June
and learned of the planned ceremony. They have now seen the website and
promised new material.
We have traced the sister of Sgt Stanley Goodwin,
Flight Engineer in F/O Douglas Evans' crew EM-A W4938 lost on Duisberg
13 May 1943. Dorothy Ware, the widow of the Bomb Aimer, is delighted.
That makes three crew members now traced via this website: three more to
go - visit the aircraft section of our Aircrew
& Groundcrew Search website for more details.
Ben Lyon has now put us in touch with George Mitchell,
pilot with 207 at Northolt 1979-84.
Our 22 page Summer 2001 Newsletter was posted on June
13th. It covers the arrangements for the unveiling of the Spilsby
Airfield Memorial in August and includes the booking form for
the Derby reunion in September.
May 2001
The Squadron Standard is now in full colour thanks to Barry Goodwin - see MEMORIES
 Ray
Cupit made contact - he served a tour on 207 during
7/44-12/44: his original Flight Engineer Sgt Derek Mills and
Rear Gunner Sgt Dennis Elmes were killed on Bois de Cassan, 6
Aug 1944 (PD209 EM-V): F/O Irwin, his Mid
Upper, was so seriously injured that he did not fly again. We are trying to locate F/O Irwin (a Canadian) and Tommy Taylor - we believe Tommy bought a hotel in Bridlington. Ray's Bomb Aimer, 'Dicky' Bird, is a member of the Association. If you knew any of this crew or are related to them, please email the editor. |
April 2001
Spilsby Airfield Memorial Appeal and appeal for
material for the Editor's book on RAF Spilsby :
see link on home page
MEMORIES pages vastly updated on Devons, new sections
started on our Washingtons, Valiants, Canberras
(including one shot down in the Falklands!) and Pembrokes.
MAPS of the locations of many of 207's bases are
linked to the 207 BASES page in USEFUL LINKS
Bands of the Royal Air Force - a new link on the RAF &
CHARITIES page in USEFUL LINKS - where and when they are playing and all
about them.
Avro family page in USEFUL LINKS has an excellent new
link to the Auckland Lancaster - many detailed photos.
Mind the main spar as you clamber through!
Låstrup, Denmark : much new information on the
Montgomery crew burials - LM208 EM-M, lost on a Gardening sortie on 15
Oct 1944: via MEMORIALS (see left)
Ron Emeny - evaded after being shot down on
Mailly-le-Camp on 3/4 May 1944; his parachute had an even more glamorous
fate. Go to MEMORIALS (see left) and then RELATED and
click on MAILLY
George Wall's crew - PB765 EM-B - 4th Dec 1944: an
account of the creation of the memorials for this crew in the village of
Holtzwihr in the Alsace region of France. This is based on the recently
published book Survivor - a true story of one man's war, by
crew member Roy Hill. Go to MEMORIALS (see left) and
then to 207 CREWS and click on Holtzwihr
Horace Badge's crew - ED412 - 12th July 1943: this now
has its own website with much additional information provided by Friend
member Jim Wright, son of one of the crew. Go to MEMORIALS (see
left) and then TO 207 CREWS and click on Le Bouveret
new links page - CURRENT AVIATION - so we can keep up
to date as well as look back.
The unofficial RAF SNCO Airmen Aircrewpage
has been added to the RAF/Charities links page.
For both go to USEFUL LINKS (see left)
Mar 2001
Trevor Smart's immediate DFC - LM535
EM-R at Manston 19/20 May 1944 : Photos of his damaged aircraft
at Manston have just come to light via this website - go to MEMORIES
(see left) and then LANCASTER.
Låstrup, Denmark : Church, graveyard, and crash site
memorials to the Montgomery crew, LM208 EM-M, lost on a Gardening sortie
on 15 Oct 1944: via MEMORIALS (see left)
British & Commonwealth Air Unit Register :
we host this popular associations listing website, which
clocked up its 11,000th visit on 29th March 2001. It is now featured on
the Aircrew Association and RAF Museum websites.
It can be visited via the new domain www.rafinfo.org.uk
registered for the 207 hosted websites, which you may like to add to
your favourites or bookmarks.
Feb 2001
Devons feature : 207 Squadron operated during 1969-1984 as a Communications Squadron at RAF Northolt. The principal aircraft type was the DH Devon. Our new pages on this aircraft are collecting information on those of the 21 Devons operated by 207 which still survive, as well as images of the rest. So far we have found four survivors and images of five others - visit the 207 Devons pages via MEMORIES (see left)
Jan 2001
'Ben' Lyon has come back into contact after many years and has provided an entertaining account of the formation of the Association for our next Newsletter.