Hello. I am trying to locate aircrew photos that include my Late father when he was a navigator in Halifaxes (1944 and 1945). His name is Wilfred J Loyer (aka Did). He flew with the RAF in squadron 78 even though he was still RCAF . Ops include : Havvarden, Witten, Recklinghausen, Dulmen, Sterkrade, Hamburg, Stade and Bayreuth. Would anyone with photos of the 78th squadron please send them to dloyer@cogeco.ca .
Hello Tony. My late father was with the 78th squadron (Canadians assigned to RAF).
I have his navigator log book and 2 or three photos of him in uniform but very little else. I did obtain his service records from the RCAF people.
I will send you electronic copies of the log if you provide your email address and have one story were dad was almost court marshalled for a life saving decision he made.
For info the current 78 Sqn maintain very good links with Breighton airfield they have a website too - lookup "Real Areoplane Company" on either FB or the www
Memorials exists at Bubwith church 1m N of Breighton and outside our hangar to either the WWII casualties or all who have lost their lives serving on 78 Sqn
One book already exists on 78 "Nobody Unprepared" another is in progress
The Sqn crest will feature in the new Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park London, and the Standards of all still operational ex BC Sqns will hopefully be on parade on the day too
My late father was at 78 squadron,Breighton, during May 1944 as part of his training as w/op-coming from 78 squadron then after posted to 1652HCU. Ended up in pathfinder crew on 35 squadron (Graveley.)
PaulH (Cambs)
-- Edited by paulh on Friday 27th of April 2012 11:32:17 AM
My father was with the 78th Squardon and stationed in Breighton. He was a navigator and his crew were George Bissett, Ken Taylor, Dennis Hawkins, Arthur Jordon, Fred Ireland and Jock Wallace. Have you come across any of these names in your research?
I have a photograph of this group together with a group 78 squardon with Halifax S (Sugar) , navigation section and gunnery section photograph dated 4th may 1945 and various other photographs.
Is there a 78 squardon association I could get in contact with.
Hi, Tony - I've just e-mailed you with an information request for my Great Uncle James W Love - I believe that he was Flt Sgt James W Love, Mid Upper Gunner, 78 Sq' LK762 (lost on Nuremburg raid, 20th/21st Match 1944) - just need to tie up confirmation that they are one-and-the-same man, as I'm writing his brother's (my Grandfather's) own 101 Sq' RAF WW2/PoW memoirs, and seek to clarify the point with the view to expanding the linked stories...
Hi, my grandfather was a 78Sqn gunner in 1944. His name was E W Hobbs. Unfortunately my family doesn't have many of his records left, if anyone has any information / photos' of the Sqn from 1944 I would be most grateful.
Re your question on Air Gunner E Hobbs, I assume he survived the war as there are were AG's of that name on 78 Sqn KIA/MIA in either '44 or 45. Do you have a rank and/or service number available?
If you have any information on his service, i.e. copies of log books, images etc of your father that you would be willing to share I'd be most interested. I was the voluntary history officer for 78 Sqn up until Oct 2012
I do have his logbook which I will scan and forward. There may be a couple of other items related to 78 Sqn as well. I will send direct to your yahoo address once I have it completed.
i am new on this forum; i found it because i was looking for photos about a crew of the 78 squadron, fell down in my small village of france where we have 6 of them buried in the churchyard of souilly; we are looking for informations because we want to describe what happened on a panel that we will install along the road, closed to the place of the crash. For the tourists. And because 2 members of 2 differents families of the crew killed came recently to see the place of the crash. SO... if you got something, you can write me here : jerome.nicolas2@wanadoo.fr
I want to say to Tony that there is a little mistake in the book "NOBODY UNPREPARED- nemo non paratus" p128, Sgt Dunleavy is written "killed" instead of PoW : aircrewremembered.com/orr-richard.html
My father age 97 was with 78th squadron flying bombers .his crew were Canadians, Australians and he himself was a volunteer from brazil. Crew names were flying officer Max Mclellan pilot, flight set M.Phillips navigator, sgt B.Hollingsworth bomb aimer, Sgt.,L.Brown,wireless operator, Sgt. Landquist gunner,Sgt.S.Adams gunner, flying officer Harry Kemp flight engineer.
My father would be interested to find out anything about his crew since 1945.
My name is Adriano Silva Baumgartner, a former Brazilian Commercial pilot. I am currently working on a major book-tribute to ALL Brazilians who enlisted, trained, died, served and survived WW2 while flying with the RAF, RCAF and other Allied Air Forces, such as USAAF.
Please could you contact me, so we could have your father's biography included on this book?
OBS: All revenues of this work will be donated to charity, at least this is my intention...Your father and the men of his breed all fought for a better world and freedom...it is the minimum I can do, to keep their flame alive...
My uncle, Andrew JOHN Kerr Steven, was the navigator with this crew until he bailed out just north of Berlin a few raids before this one. He was with another crew until they crashed in departure from Breighton the week before the Berlin raid.
Breighton but I have his service history whilst in the RAF and it seems he spent most of his service as an instructor. I am interested to know if it is possible to go to Kew and have acess to more detailed information. I am interested in the crew report of his bailing out over Berlin and how fate had him in that aircraft.
My father, William L Sandilands, was with 76 and 78 sqns and was killed 28 October 1944 over Westkapelle with 76 sqn (his 29th mission). I have never seen any photos of his crew. Is it true that after 30 missions the airmen were given a long leave? - Roger Sandilands, Glasgow. r.j.sandilands@strath.ac.uk
Crew after completing 30 ops were usually give 6 months break from operations and were sent to a training unit as an instructor in their various trades. This would then be followed by a second tour of operations.
Does anyone have a good quality digital photo copy of the 1945 78th squadron group pic ? The one I added to this forum (above) was just a photo of a photo and I was hoping for a clearer shot.
Im trying to find out more info on my grandad Harold Hunter based in Breighton in WW2. Flight engineer on Halifax Bombers . I know one of his crew was called Stuart Nicol who went on to be an actor in Quatermass and the pit and the pilot Bob? If anyone has any info. James
Digitizing some photos from an Aunts' Album. Appear to be from 1943/44. No information. Crown Copyright on rear. Appear to be on the Access Road to Breighton.
Similar to the photo on the Aero Company website to the Robertson Crew.
-- Edited by BrianGlider on Saturday 24th of November 2018 07:55:11 AM