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cibola123


Aircraftsman 1st Class

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1663 HCU count for service?
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Hi

I'm assisting my father Ron Metcalfe with this enquiry. He was around 17 or 18 when he joined 1663 HCU at Rufforth.

He is trying to contact any of the members of the crew of Pilot Officer Reg W. Aldridge. Their crews names were EDDIE, VIC, JOHN, JOCK and ack Davey.
-- Does anyone have any more details re the names, or photos of these airmen?

My Dad and the crew were last together on the night of 18th March 1945 at 1663 HCU when they took off from RAF Rufforth, Yorks at 22.30 on a diversion op.
Due to problems with the undercarriage and being low on fuel all managed to bail out at 1610 near S****horpe.  Fortuneately no-one was critically injured.  My father broke his ankle on landing - it was foggy at the time.

-- Does anyone know of the aircarft number for the plane? It was a Halifax (Mk6?).

Hhe did 2 'Sweepstakes/Nickel raids' and has always had difficulty confirming whether they count as active service towards any medals.  
-- Do they?
-- Does injured in the course of duty count for anything?

The first raid was to the Fresian Islands. Not fired upon.
The second was to Strasbourg, overflying Holland and Northern France, fired on by German heavy artillery crossing the Dutch coast. This was the flight where my father was injured.  
He was due to go to 10 Squadron the very next day, but due to his injuries he never made it there, as by the time he was released from hospital the war was about over.

Many thanks for the fine forum. You were and are remarkable and brave people.

thankyou
Lindsay Metcalfe
assisting my father Ron Metcalfe
Australia


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AW


Air Commodore

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Hi Lindsay,
                     Your dad's aircraft that night was a Halifax MKlll, not a 6, the serial number was NP974. The two raids he was involved with would have counted. Here is the text from Bomber Command Losses, HCU's (Chorley)

Took off from Rufforth 22.30 tasked to fly in the direction of France, a force of seventy bombers, drawn from the training establishments being employed. During the flight, and presumably on the return leg, the crew experienced difficulties with the undercarriage and then became uncertain of their position. Subsequently, after running low on petrol, everyone baled out, landing in the general area of S****horpe in North Lincolnshire. Meanwhile, the Halifax continued on its northerly heading before falling to earth near Duggleby. The aircrafts accident card indicates that two members of the crew were injured but their names, so far, have not been identified.

Regards.....Alan.

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AlanW
cibola123


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Many thanks for this Alan

I passed this on to my father and he was very pleased to have more information to help fill in the gaps.

He mentioned he may possibly be eligible for the 1939-45 Star. Something about being injured and not able to complete more missions maybe helps qualify him.  I'm checking with him as to how long he was injured for.

kind regards

Lindsay

 

 



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AW


Air Commodore

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Lindsay,
                I would say that he did qualify for 1939-45 Star, aircrew qualified if they flew operationally against the enemy, and had to be in an operational unit for at least two months. Your dad obviously flew two ops, and even training units such as OTU's and HCU's were involved in operations now and then, so could be classed as operational.
Alan

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AlanW
k4kittycrew


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Hi Lindsay,

Further to Alans comments, these detail are listed on page 164, volume 8, Chorleys HCU's.

Operation code name was 'Diversion'

Also ...............

From http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/mar45.html

18/19 March 1945

324 aircraft - 259 Halifaxes, 45 Lancasters, 20 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups dispatched to Witten. 8 aircraft - 6 Halifaxes, 1 Lancaster, 1 Mosquito - lost. This was an area raid carried out in good visibility. 1,081 tons of bombs were dropped, destroying 129 acres, 62 per cent of the built-up area (according to the post-war British Bombing Survey Unit).

277 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups bombed Hanau. 1 Lancaster lost. This was another accurate area raid. 0 industrial buildings and 2,240 houses were destroyed. The Altstadt was completely devastated and, says the report, all of the town's churches, hospitals, schools and historic buildings were badly hit.

Support and 70 aircraft on a sweep over France, 30 Mosquitos to Berlin, 24 to Kassel and 18 to Nuremberg, 40 RCM sorties, 53 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.

Total effort for the night: 844 sorties, 9 aircraft (1.1 per cent) lost.

Regards,
John



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- Winthorpe 1661 HCU - 630 Squadron " Nocturna Mors " East Kirkby - The LE-K for Kitty Crew - " There is nothing glorious about war with the exception of those who served us so valiantly " stirlingaircraftsoc.raf38group.org/  
cibola123


Aircraftsman 1st Class

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Many thanks to both Alan and John.  This is all very much appreciated.

regards

Lindsay



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