I have a web site dedicated to my father who flew with 12 & 463 squadrons with Bomber Command.

Back in the 1980s I read 'Lancaster Target' and realised that Jack Currie was flying on the same ops as my dad!

This set me off into tracing my dad's RAF history.Two years ago my daughter brought me a domain name for a web site to put all my research onto.

 http://www.raf-bombercommand.co.uk 

My fathers Mid Upper Gunner Brian Heath flew his second tour with 626. A picture of him and his crew is on the site.

I spoke to Jack Currie several times and have a letter from him he was a really nice guy.

I hope you get as much joy out of your web site as I do from mine and if I can help in any way please let me know.

Andy Smith   December 1st 2010

see Jack Currie's crew on our 'crews' page.

So that will explain it then  ...

In the mid 1990's during the time we lived in north Germany we had to make a trip to a village half-way along the Bremen-Hamburg autobahn. This was so that my father-in-law - F/Lt James Cassidy DFC* RAAF (626 & 550 Sqdns) - could stop by a village (Elsdorf) which he reckoned according to his log-book was approximately where they had to do dump their bomb-load before heading for home. 

We literally took a tour of the village graveyard but found no evidence of a sudden cluster of graves on or around the  date in August 43. 

Needless to say we did not stop by the local pub to enquire if anyone remembered anything! Probably the worst that happened was that a few cows were dispatched.

We never met Jack Currie but we spoke to him a couple of times on the phone when he called to talk to Jim when he was staying with us. 

We have a copy of Lancaster Target inscribed to my wife and myself and signed by Jack. Jim of course has one signed "To Jim, who will always be the friend of Jack Currie" (this is in addition to 40+ copies he has owned over the years and given away to friends and acquaintances).

Jim is still alive and well and living in Co. Antrim.

I printed off the web-page to post to my father-in-law - he'll be chuffed to see it.
And Charlie Lanham, in the picture with Jim, will be 95 on 12 July - we got an invite to a party (although as it is in Perth WA we wont be able to pop over for it!)      Peter Coulter   30th June 2011

LM113

Hi Tom,   I’ve just been on the 626 squadron site and was surprised to see a photo of my late father in one of the photos.  The photo in question is the 4 crew members standing in snow in front of the Lancaster.  My father was Robert Philip Owens and is second from the left in the photo. He was a tail gun charlie and came to 626 from 101 in September 1944.  I think one of the officers is F/O Benoit.  I have a squadron photograph from February 1945 which I had restored and donated one copy to the museum at Wickenby.

Regards,    Adrian Owens

ED424 F/Sgt Baker's crew.

My great uncle Frederick (Freddy) Charles Kimber flew with 626 Sqn as a flight engineer and was downed and killed on the 25th April 1944 (I believe it was 626 Sqn's last operational sortie!) while trying to bomb Baden-Baden. It would be great to hear from anyone who has a relation who flew with my great uncle in Lancaster ED424 UM-E2.

Paul Trickett, Scotland.    

ME589 F/Sgt Matheson's Crew - Lost 20th February 1944

Sgt Thomas Joseph Pullman (22) was the son of Mr. and Mrs. C. Pullman, of Thornaby, Yorkshire.

Tom Pullman lived in York Street, Thornaby on Tees before he joined up [a few doors down from my gran] .  I still have all her love letters from him. Quite moving really. I've been following his history in the RAF and now know what came of him. Have also been in touch with Malcolm Latham whose uncle was on the same aircraft when it went down. Seems there is just one more image needed to complete the crew picture now – Henry Dunn.

Terry Brown   September 2011

ME589 (above)

Dear Tom 

Since 1965 I'm researching affairs and incidents of the WW2-aircombat history, in connection to the Mid-north of the Netherlands, in particular to the Province of Friesland and the Frisian isles (like Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog).

Results: names, records, facts and memories of hundreds of young men, airmen of the RAF, RAAF, RCAF etc. etc., killed and buried over here, MIA over the North Sea, the Wadden and the IJsselmeer, or made POW in that times, sent to Germany or Poland (Stalag Luft.....?), or who simply (!) escaped with or without the help of the Dutch resistance.

In this way recently I bought a book named " De oorlog in beeld - Schiermonnikoog 1940-1945 ", by Bauke Henstra & Eddy van der Noord (2010, june); there are many photographs in it (also from German soldiers etc. etc.) but the pictures on the pages 150 to 153 are very interesting, especially for you I think, cause this is about grave no. 108 (Vreden-hof cemetery), in which is buried maybe one of the crew of Lancaster ME589 (?). Therefore I send you some " scans " (JPG-files) of that photo's now...... and many thanks for photo's of Sgt. G.H. Bodycot, Sgt. M. Latham, Sgt. Cook etc. etc., via www.626-squadron.

Greetings, 

Willem de Jong (in Britain you should name me William Young)

Strânljip 6

9035 DK Dronryp (Frl.)

The Netherlands     mail-adress:  w.jong1@chello.nl   or   willem.dejong@tasta.nl       September 2011

LM599 Lost 12/13th August 1944

Hello Tom. 

Enjoyed looking at your wartime photos but I noticed that your date for the squadron photo at Wickenby was given as December 1943. My father, James P.Slattery, is in this photo but did not arrive there until 5/2/1944. He flew some ops. with Brian Heath .

Denis

  (see photo of Brian Heath's crew in Crews page and Andy Smith's message at the top of this page- Tom)

Jim Slattery

Came across your web site and was interested in photos and references to Jim Slattery including info from his son Dennis. Attached are some photos which may be of interest. They belonged to my late mother, and some of them appear to have been taken at the same time as the photo on page 6 of your crews pages. My mum was in the WAAF from 1941 and served with 106 squadron based at RAF Metheringham. Not quite sure how she met Jim and his crew given the bases seem quite far apart, but believe she corresponded with Jim's wife whilst he was a PoW. My parents maintained friendship with the Slattery family for many years afterwards.

If you have e-mail address for Dennis, please feel free to forward this (and my e-mail address) to him as I have a couple more photos of his Mum and Dad which he may like to see if he doesn't already have them and will gladly send copies to him if he wants to get in touch.

Regards

Sandy Johnstone   Little Neston   Cheshire  3rd February 2012

PS also have some more RAF related photos of people and places most of which are a mystery to me - if you are interested in seeing them or have any contacts who might be able to help identify them, please let me know and I'll happily share them.

From: J. Chris Grande, Canada  22-11-2011

Subject:  626 Squadron - NE163 UM-T2

I came across your marvellous website while searching for some information about my Uncle F/O Thurston Culshaw. My mother, Ruth, Aunt Isabel Culshaw Wright, and Uncle James Culshaw ( Thurston’s surviving sisters and brother) are excited to see the website and learn about the place Thurston flew from and about his fellow 626 Squadron members that flew along with him.

They wish to extend their thanks and deepest appreciation for the work you and others are doing to keep their memories and service to their countries alive.

I have attached picture of Thurston and 4 of his crewmates that must have been taken at Wickenby in 1944. I have not identified the others in the picture but I’m sure you will be able to do so and I hope this will be of some help toward your collection

Chris

*  See -  Crews Page 9.

From Leigh Nethercot  20th of January 2012

To Willem in Holland

Hello Willem

I read with great interest your report on www.626-squadron.co.uk about the fate of ME589.

My grandfather was Sgt Gordon Bodycot who is buried on Schiermonnikoog.

We have visited his grave on the Island and met with Wyb Jan Groendij and his family.

It is good to see the history you have researched regarding the losses during the WW2.

I am happy that my grandmother Sadie (Whitcraft) Bodycot is still alive and is 93 years old on February 14th 2012 nearly 68 years after her husband died.  I know she still thinks of him regularly.

I am lucky also that she has given me his war medals (see picture) so that she knows they are safe when she is no longer here.

My mother has Sgt Bodycot's flight records and RAF information too.

Thank you again for research and for sharing it on the website.

Best Regards

Leigh Nethercot

23rd January 2012   A coincidence but both these emails arrived the same day

My father was a Bomb Aimer with the 626 Squadron during the war. He has dementia and cannot remember a lot of recent things but he remembers his squadron and some of the details. I looked through the site and was wondering if you had any records with his name in them.

His name is Harry Albert Clarke and he was in the RCAF, he mentioned the 427 Squadron as well. I have seen his log books which have since been misplaced. He also has his Navigators log books as well.  Can’t recall his name but I am hoping to locate them.

 I am extremely proud of my Dad’s service and wish he had starting talking about his life during the war. It’s not been until recently that he started talking about it. I was wondering if he might be I that large photo on the main part of the site. Anyway Thanks for putting all that work into the site.   David Clarke

Hi Tom, my Dad was a bomb aimer and was with the 626 Squadron.  He is 87 now and today he gave me the names of the crew he flew with.  Is this of any use to you?   Skipper:  Pete Trembly RCAF, Navigator: Miles Nicholson RCAF, Bomb Aimer : Harry Clarke ( my Dad),  Wireless Air Gunner: Ron May RAF,  Flight Engineer : George Pagan RAF,  Mid Upper Gunner : Stan Clydesdale RCAF and Tail Gunner:  Bill Craig RCAF.

My Dad receives newsletters called the Wickenby Register so that is the only reason I knew about this at all.  He never spoke about the missions and his time in the UK until recently so I have written down everything I have heard from him.  He often wonders about his crewmates and I too wonder who is left from his crew.

Thanks for putting together such a fabulous website.  I will be sure to show my Dad the photos. Sincerely,   Debbi Moore

W O George Pearce RCAF and NE118

My name is Terry Pearce and I live Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

My father WO George Arthur Pearce R-128117 RCAF was a member of the Wickenby Register and served with the 626 Squadron.  I have some information on his service, missions etc. but am ever more curious about his history. 

Dad passed away in 1996 and my mother in 2011 and that is when I found some documents that have me curious as to dad’s history.  He went over to the UK in 1941, but all I can find out is a small bit about his operations with 626 in March and April of 1944.  I found out that his crew, with a new navigator, was shot down on May 22, 1944 over Holland.  His pilot was Eric Grisdale, who I met as a child when we were over in Wales. (Aircraft NE118 UM-U2)

Any information or direction on where I can find out more would be greatly appreciated.   We are now planning trip to the UK in 2013, when I am retired, to do as much digging as we can.

Thank you in advance.    Terry Pearce    13th February 2012

 Paddy Waters  and DV190 UM-B2  Sgt Berry's crew - Lost on Duisberg raid January 2nd 1944

Firstly can I say how impressed and grateful I am for all of your efforts in keeping the memories of 626 squadron alive. I am a descendant of John Waters (he was my grand-uncle).

John died on the 2nd Jan 1944 on a raid over Berlin and I am so glad and proud to see that he is mentioned in your website. John came from a large family in Co. Clare in Ireland, however very was or is known about his time in the RAF so your website really is a link to the past. 

I apologise for the direct email but I was wondering where the information about the crew of DV190 came from. I see that there is a picture of my grand uncle on the site, in fact my family has only ever had a single picture of John so to now have another is truly a blessing.

I would like to know if it is possible to make contact with whoever donated the material on DV190? Your website states that one of the crew survived the crash (Sgt. J.P. Edwards), I was wondering if it is possible to find out if he is still alive today?

Once again thank you for compiling the website and I am sure the John would also be thankful to you for providing his ancestors with a glimpse of his life and heroism in 626.

Regards,    Des Waters 19th February 2012

W/O Peter Richard Chambers DFM & DFC 166 Sqdn & 626 Sqdn

In the course of my research into any military headstone related to Pembrokeshire currently covering the years of 1722 to 2008, with some 3,000 photo's of worldwide Pembroke related headstones I have come across 3 references to 626 Sqdn.  

Ernest George Lewis, Whom I presume you have the full details and photo's from Dave Stapleton so will not repeat.  

Sgt (Air Gnr) William Arla George, see attached for the memorial to him put up by his parents at Llangwm, Pembrokeshire.  

W/O Peter Richard Chambers. This is the most interesting at present London Gazette 25 Sept 1945 shows his award of the D.F.C. as a member of 626 Sqdn, is this correct. 

My understanding is that he was awarded the D.F.C. flying fighters when he shot down one enemy fighter and drove off another enemy fighter thus saving the crew and a/c of a Lancaster of 626 Sqdn. 

Was Richard in fact an Air Gunner aboard the Lancaster which he helped save?? 

Richard was invested with the award at Buck House in 1945. After the war he farmed at Whitland, Carmarthenshire and died at Singleton Hospital in 2004.

I tried to teach my wife to drive at Wickenby back in the late 1960's when I was stationed at RAF Digby and living on the old airfield at Skellingthorpe. Happy days...

Regards   Owen Vaughan     benfrobmw@hotmail.co.uk 

Pembrokeshire Military Headstones 1722 to 2008

26th February 2012

Does anyone know Teddy Brown?

Hello - I am French and I am searching for Teddy Brown who was in the 626 squadron. My mother knew him in Paris in 1943 or 1944; her name is Eveline Curey; she is searching for him and want to know what's happening to him. She is now 85 years old.

Have you some news about him in your association?

I am sorry but I have a very little English

Thank you to answer me, the daughter of Eveline Curey.

Ariane Combesco      10th May 2012