Traces of World War 2 
RAF - No. 115 Squadron
10/05/1940 - 30/06/1940

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115 SQUADRON - Bomber, Vickers Wellington
Bomber Command, 3 Group

History | Operations and losses | Sources | Links | Books | Questions and/or remarks



At the end of March 1939 the squadron began to re-equip with Vickers Wellingtons, with which it trained at great intensity because war was imminent. By the outbreak of World War 2 on 3 September the squadron was again operational.

Its first operation was flown on 8 October to attack the German fleet off Norway, but no ships were sighted. No. 115's first successful raid was flown on 3 December, when German shipping at Heligoland was bombed. The bombing force was attacked by enemy fighters but the squadron lost no aircraft. This was the end of daylight raids apart from North Sea sweeps which were carried out on an occasional basis. At night the squadron went on 'Nickel' raids (dropping pamphlets) until March 1940, when it flew north to attack German shipping taking part in the Norwegian invasion.

In April 1940, while on temporary loan to Coastal Command, it gained the distinction of making the RAF's first bombing raid of the war on a mainland target-the enemy-held Norwegian airfield of Stavanger/Sola.

Bergen and Stavanger being the main targets; during these raids the squadron lost its first aircraft to enemy fire.

With the German invasion of Belgium and the Netherlands, the squadron began its long association with the Ruhr, bombing by night, principally attacking oil refineries and rail installations. As the position in France grew worse, No. 115 switched to tactical bombing to support the armies in France. When this campaign was over No. 115 returned to the attack on Germany and its industry, striking deeper and deeper into the Reich and reaching Berlin on 28 August 1940. In September the unit was diverted to bombing invasion barges in the Channel ports. The squadron was slowly learning the do's and don'ts of night bombing, suffering casualties on the way and finding that the main problem over a blacked-out country was finding its way about. Bomber Command was now the only means of striking back at Germany, so the bomber offensive was top priority and No.115 was carrying out raids night after night.

In WW2 the squadron's a/c were coded "KO", & in the case of "C" Flt's a/c "A4" & "IL".

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Operations and losses 10/05/1940 - 30/06/1940
Not all operations listed; those with losses are.

10-11/05/1940: Waalhaven, NL
15-16/05/1940
: Duisberg, D. 1 Plane lost, 5 KIA
20-21/05/1940: Dinant, B and Cambrai, F. 3 Planes lost, 12 KIA, 6 POW

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Losses 01/01/1940-09/05/1940 (incomplete)

Flying Officer (Pilot) Basil V. Fanshawe, RAF 39311, 115 Sqdn., age 28, 19/03/1940, Winchester (Magdalen Hill) Cemetery, UK
Aircraftman 2nd Class George T. Rose, RAF 630965, 115 Sqdn., age unknown, 19/03/1940, Deal Cemetery, UK

Aircraftman 1st Class Desmond H. Lynch, RAF 644738, 115 Sqdn., age 20, 20/03/1940, Croydon (Mitcham Road) Cemetery, UK

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07/04/1940: Reconnaissanc, North Sea

type: Wellington Mk IA
serial number: N2949, KO-H
operation: Reconnaissance
lost: 07/04/1940
Pilot Officer Roy A. Gayford, RAF 40295, 115 Sqdn., age unknown, 07/04/1940, missing
Sergeant William F. Nicol, RAFVR 740335, 115 Sqdn., age 21, 07/04/1940, missing
Sergeant Michael F. Murphy, RAF 580735, 115 Sqdn., age 20, 07/04/1940, missing
Sergeant Robert J. Moore, RAF 522730, 115 Sqdn., age 23, 07/04/1940, missing
Leading Aircraftman Daniel Armstrong, RAF 543847, 115 Sqdn., age 20, 07/04/1940, missing
Aircraftman 1st Class John Moss, RAF 629737, 115 Sqdn., age unknown, 07/04/1940, missing

Took off from Lossiemouth at 11.15 hrs, in company with aircraft from No. 9 Squadron to search for enemy shipping off Denmark. Both Squadrons were operating under the authority of HQ 18 Group, Coastal Command. Became separated from the main formation and was shot down by Me 110's. The crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

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type: Wellington Mk IA
serial number: P2524, KO-F
operation: Reconnaissance
lost: 07/04/1940
Pilot Officer Estelles A. Wickenkamp, RAF 41088 (Canada), MBE, 115 Sqdn., age 27, 07/04/1940, missing
Pilot Officer David H. Wardlaw, RAF 40157, 115 Sqdn., age unknown, 07/04/1940, missing
Sergeant William L. Macdonald, RAF 580877, 115 Sqdn., age 19, 07/04/1940, missing
Aircraftman 2nd Class Henry G. Ablett, RAF 626935, 115 Sqdn., age 19, 07/04/1940, missing
Aircraftman 2nd Class Robert C. Peel, RAF 629076, 115 Sqdn., age 24, 07/04/1940, missing
Pilot Officer Julian P. Chester-Master, RAFVR 76006, 115 Sqdn., age unknown, 07/04/1940, missing


Took off from Lossiemouth at 11.15 hrs, in company with aircraft from No. 9 Squadron to search for enemy shipping off Denmark. Both Squadrons were operating under the authority of HQ 18 Group, Coastal Command. Became separated from the main formation and was shot down by Me 110's. The crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

Sources: CWGC and W.R. Chorley, Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, Volume 1, 1939/40

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type: Wellington Mk IC
serial number: P9284, KO-J
operation: Stavanger, Norway
lost: 12/04/1940
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Frederick E. Barber, RAF 36223, 115 Sqdn., age 26, 12/04/1940, Stavanger (Eiganes) Churchyard, Norway
Pilot Officer (Pilot) David A. Rankin, RAF 36180 (NZ), 115 Sqdn., age 25, 12/04/1940, Stavanger (Eiganes) Churchyard, Norway
Sergeant (Obs.) Alan S. Pearce, RAF 580805, 115 Sqdn., age 20, 12/04/1940, Stavanger (Eiganes) Churchyard, Norway
Sergeant Geoffrey W.J. Juby, RAF 514904, 115 Sqdn., age 28, 12/04/1940, Stavanger (Eiganes) Churchyard, Norway
Leading Aircraftman Lionel A. Westcott, RAF 545537, 115 Sqdn., age 21, 12/04/1940, Stavanger (Eiganes) Churchyard, Norway
Pilot Officer (Air Gnr.) Peter E.T. Bull, RAFVR 76004, 115 Sqdn., age 26, 12/04/1940, Stavanger (Eiganes) Churchyard, Norway

Leading Aircraftman George W.D. Carter, RAF 568628, 115 Sqdn., age 20, 14/04/1940, Marham (Holy Trinity) Cemetery, UK

Flying Officer (Pilot) Edward J.T. Clarke, RAF 39375, 115 Sqdn., age 22, 01/05/1940, Stamford Cemetery, UK
Pilot Officer (Air Gnr.) John Marshman, RAFVR 77039, 115 Sqdn., age 26, 01/05/1940, Marham (Holy Trinity) Churchyard, UK

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10-11/05/1940: Waalhaven, NL

During the late evening and the night several bomber flights from the RAF paid a visit to Waalhaven. These 36 Wellington medium bombers dropped a total of 58 tonnes of bombes [each plane dropped 18 off 200 lbs bombs] on the airfield itself and the direct surroundings. The only enemy opposition they faced was the light FLAK that had been flown in during the 10th [2 cm AA]. The majority of the planes operated from an altitude of 2,000 - 2,500 feet - well within the range of the FLAK. The raids started around 2230 hours and lasted until about 0400. No aircrafts were shot down and only one crew member returned home wounded [from shrapnel].

- 6 Wellingtons No.9 Sq. Afb. Honington [S/L Peacock]
- 3 Wellingtons No.37 Sq. Afb. Marham [jointly with 75 Sq., S/L Glencross]
- 6 Wellingtons No.38 Sq. Afb. Marham [F/L MacFadden]
- 3 Wellingtons No.75 [NZ] Sq. Afb. Feltwell [jointly with 37 Sq., S/L Glencross]
- 6 Wellingtons No.99 Sq. Afb Newmarket [S/L Bertram]
- 6 Wellingtons No.115 Sq. Afb. Marham [unknown]
- 6 Wellingtons No.149 Sq. Afb. Mildenhall [S/L Harrie]

Source: War over Holland

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15-16/05/1940: Duisberg

In the first large-scale Bomber Command attack on German industrial targets, 99 aircraft bomb 16 targets in the Ruhr area. This raid effectively marks the start of the Strategic Air Offensive against Germany. No aircraft are lost to enemy action, however, a Vickers Wellington of No.115 Squadron is blown off course and crashes into high ground near Rouen in France and the five aircrew aboard are killed.

Other Squadrons on this operation: 49 Sqd, .

type: Wellington Mk.1A
serial number: P9229, KO-S
operation: Duisberg
lost: 16/05/1940
Flying Officer (Pilot) Herbert P. Evans, RAF 40377, 115 Sqdn., age unknown, 16/05/1940, Bernay (Ste. Croix) Communal Cemetery, F
Corporal (Air Gnr.) Reginald F. Fallows, RAF 518379, 115 Sqdn., age unknown, 16/05/1940, Bernay (Ste. Croix) Communal Cemetery, F
Sergeant (Nav.) Thomas R. Kirkham, RAF 580599, 115 Sqdn., age 21, 16/05/1940 (Bernay (Ste. Croix) Communal Cemetery, F)
Corporal (W.Op. Air) Roger C.J. Pilgrim, RAF 531692, 115 Sqdn., age 26, 16/05/1940 (Bernay (Ste. Croix) Communal Cemetery, F)
Flight Lieutenant (Pilot) Alec E. Pringle, RAF 37299, 115 Sqdn., age unknown, DFC, 16/05/1940 (Bernay (Ste. Croix) Communal Cemetery, F)
Airborne 2335 15May40 from Marham. Cause of loss not established. Crashed between Bernay and Rouen (Eure), France.
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20-21/05/1940: Troop concentrations near Cambrai, F and Dinant, B

75, 99 and 115 Squadron attack Meuse Crossings at Dinant and troop concentrations near Cambrai

type: Wellington IC
serial number: P9298, KO-H
operation: Cambrai
lost: 21/05/1940
Aircraftman 2nd Class (W. Op.) Douglas Duggan, RAF 631247, 115 Sqdn., age 18, 21/05/1940, Schoonselhof Cemetery, B
Aircraftman 1st Class (W. Op.) Gerard E. Flanigan, RAF 552105, 115 Sqdn., age 19, 21/05/1940, Schoonselhof Cemetery, B
Sergeant (Pilot) Alfred H. Hooper, RAFVR 700445, 115 Sqdn., age 26, 21/05/1940, Schoonselhof Cemetery, B
Sergeant (Obs.)
Kenneth W. Hughes, RAF 581182, 115 Sqdn., age unknown, 21/05/1940, Schoonselhof Cemetery, B
Flight Sergeant (Pilot) Leonard G. Moores, RAF 563572, 115 Sqdn., age unknown, 21/05/1940, Schoonselhof Cemetery, B
Aircraftman 1st Class (W. Op.) John T. Packer, RAF 621150, 115 Sqdn., age 19, 21/05/1940, Schoonselhof Cemetery, B
Airborne 23.45 hrs, 20/05/1940 from Marham to attack enemy transport in the Cambrai - Le Cateau - Cambresis - St.Quentin triangle. Crashed in Belgium, am. Cause not established.

type: Wellington IC
serial number: R3152, KO-J
operation: Dinant
lost: 21/05/1940
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Douglas W.W. Morris, RAF 41048, 115 Sqdn., age 23, 21/05/1940, Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, F
Sergeant (Obs.) Francis A.G. Lowe, RAF 581516, 115 Sqdn., age 19, 21/05/1940, Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, F
Sergeant (Pilot) Francis Williams, RAF 566298, 115 Sqdn., age 24, 21/05/1940, Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, F
Leading Aircraftman (W.Op./Air Gnr.) Harold G. Griffin, RAF 755893, 115 Sqdn., age 31, 21/05/1940, Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, F
Aircraftman 2nd Class (W.Op. [Air]) Thomas Kennedy, RAF 632947, 115 Sqdn., age 25, 21/05/1940, Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, F
Aircraftman 2nd Class (W. Op. [Air]) Allen Robinson, RAF 631370, 115 Sqdn., age 18, 21/05/1940, Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, F
Airborne 21.15 hrs 21/05/1940 from Marham to bomb enemy positions in the Dinant-Meuse bulge. Crashed (cause not established) near le Havre (Seine-Maritime), France.


type: Wellington IC
serial number: P9297, KO-F
operation: Dinant
lost: 21/05/1940
F/O D.F. Laslett PoW
P/O G.T. Dodgshun PoW
Sgt W.L. Flower PoW
AC1 H.D. Glendinning PoW
AC1 L.W. Ludlam PoW
P/O J. Whilton Inj, PoW
Airborne 21.15 hrs 21/05/1940 from Marham to bomb enemy positions in the Dinant-Meuse bulge. Force-landed near Poix (possibly Poix-Terron (Ardennes). France. P/O G.T.Dodgshun was interned in Camps 9AH/L1/6B/L3, PoW No 508. Sgt W.L.Flower in Camps 8B/L1/L3/L6/L4, PoW No.13082. AC1 H.D.Glendinning in Camps 8B/L6/L4, PoW No.13038 F/O D.F.Laslett in Camps 9AH/L3, PoW No.511. AC1 L.W.Ludlam in Camps 8B/L6/357, PoW No.13117. P/O J.Whilton was confined in Hospital due injuries. No PoW No.

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Sources

115 Squadron RAF
Belgian Aviation History Association Archaeological Team
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Lost Bombers
Royal Air Force - 115 Squadron
RAF History - Bomber Command
RAF Museum: British Military Aviation in 1940
RAF Order of Battle, France, 10th May 1940
The Royal Air Force, 1939-1945
The Second World War - a day by day account

War over Holland

Books

RAF 'Despite the elements - history of 115 Sqn 1917-82' (Crecy 1994)
J Burtt-Smith & J French 'A drop in the ocean' (Leo Cooper 1996)
G Bury 'Wellingtons of 115 Squadron over Europe' (Newton 1994)
Peter D. Cornwell, The Battle of France, Then and Now, 2008
W.R. Chorley, Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, Volume 1, 1939/40, Midland Counties Publications, ISBN 0 904597 85 7
E Coates 'Lone evader' (Baled out 1942) (Austrailan Military History Pubs 1998)
R Edwards DSO 'In the thick of it- autobiography of a bomber pilot' (Images Publishing 1994)
A Morris 'First of the Many: the story of the Independent Force, RAF' (1918) (Jarrolds, 1969)
A J M Smyth 'Abrupt Sierras'
Chris Ward '115 Squadron' (Bomber Command Profile no. 43)
Links

Discussion Groups
Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum
RAF Commands Forum

Other
Abbreviations used in the Royal Air Force
Code Names & RAF Vocabulary

Air Aces
Airwar over Denmark
Allied World War II Casualties in the Netherlands
Armée de l'Air - Order of Battle, 10th May 1940
Australian Wargraves
Axis History Factbook
Battle-of-Britain.com
De Belgen in Engeland 1940-1945 (in Dutch)
Belgian Aviation History Association Archaeological Team
Biplane Fighter Aces from the Second World War
The Bristol & District Blitz War Memorial - A register of those who lost their lives due to enemy action in Bristol and surrounding districts, 1940-1944
British Aircraft Directory
British Aviation Archaeological Council - Books and research links
Canada's Air Force History
HMS Cavalier
Ciel de Gloire (in French) RAF Squadrons
CWGC Cemeteries Germany
CWGC Cemeteries Netherlands
Czechoslovak airmen in the RAF 1940-1945
Danish WW2 Pilots
Dutch Pilots in RAF Squadrons
Eagles Squadrons (American pilots in the RAF)
Foreign Aircraft Landings in Ireland 1939-1946
'High flight', poem by John Gillespie Magee
Holocaust Memorial Day and Channel Islands Occupation Memorial
I Remember (in Russian and English)
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death, poem by W.B. Yeats
Jagdgeschwader 27 (in German)
Luchtoorlog ('Arial War', in Dutch, with many photos)
Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth
The Luftwaffe, 1933-1945
Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum
The National Ex-Prisoners of War Association
Naval History.net
Nordic Aviation during WW2
Order of Liberation (in French/English/Spanish)
Pilotfriend.com: aircraft of WW2
Polish Air Force 1940-1947 Operations Record Books
RAF Battle of Britain
RAF Upwood
RAF WWII 38 Group Squadrons Reunited
De Slag om de Grebbeberg (Dutch)
Test Flying Memorial
Warbird Alley
War over Holland
World War II Aircraft wrecksites in Norway
www.bomber-command.de

Aircraft crashes on the North Yorkshire Moors, England
Bills-Bunker.de
The Lancastershire Aircraft Investigation Team
Luftfahrt-Archäologie in Schleswig Holstein (in German)
North East Diary 1939-1945
Wartime Leicester and Leicestershire

The Aerodrome - Aces and Aircraft of World War 1
WW1 Cemeteries



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This page is dedicated to the men of 115 Squadron.

© Bart FM Droog / Rottend Staal Online 2008. Permission granted for use of the data gathered here for non commercial purposes, if this source is mentioned with a link to http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/index.html