148 Squadron, (Special Duties-SOE), RAF

Have you any history of this sqdn from 1939 until 1943, as i am researching the crash of an aircraft over Tobruck on the night of 16th July 1942. I know the members of the crew, including a relative of my wife's mother and the co-pilot who was a Canadian by the name of Murray A Bennetto.

Thanks for your time and any information regarding this sqdn as there appears to be very little avalable

 

Have you any history of this sqdn from 1939 until 1943, as i am researching the crash of an aircraft over Tobruck on the night of 16th July 1942. I know the members of the crew, including a relative of my wife's mother and the co-pilot who was a Canadian by the name of Murray A Bennetto.

Thanks for your time and any information regarding this sqdn as there appears to be very little avalable

Welcome to the forum Stephen, as you have details of the crew I expect you also have details of the loss of the aircraft - Wellington IC HX400

Regards
Peter

CWGC :: Casualty Details

 

i am researching the loss of a 148 sqdn plane over Tobruck on the night of the 16th july 1942 on which 6 crew members lost their lives. I have the full crew list and my interest is paticularly in FLT SGT R C DRAKE, a relative of my wife. It seems very hard to find anything about this sqdn and in particular about their oprations. Can you help? I would be happy to share the information I have.

Many thans

 

Hi there, I am researching Walter Harold Wilson, 148 Squadron, died 27.01.45 as part of the crew of JP281. I have the details and the Squadron report but wondered if anyone had any pictures of the crew or any other info. Many thanks ian

 

Hello and welcome CWGC has date of death 26/1/45

WILSON, WALTER HAROLD




Rank:

Flying Officer

Trade:

Nav.

Service No:

162047

Date of Death:

26/01/1945

Age:

23

Regiment/Service:

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve



148 Sqdn.

Grave Reference:

Coll. grave 4. E. 4-8.

Cemetery:

BELGRADE WAR CEMETERY

Additional Information:

Son of Walter Harold and Mary Agnes Wilson, of St. Helens, Lancashire. B.Sc. (Liverpool).

 

For those others who may be interested, I have some limited information on this crash as there were two Australian's aboard (One in the RAF STRANG who came from Tasmania.)



Halifax JP281
SOE Op. Icarus Minor 117
Crashed into Mount Kamesnica, 65 km SW of Knin, Yugoslavia


Source :
AWM 237 (65) NAA : A705, 166/27/758 (Digitised)
Commonwealth War Graves records
Aircraft Type: Halifax
Serial number: JP 281
Radio call sign:
Unit: ATTD 148 SQN RAF

Summary:

Halifax JP281 was detailed on the 26th January 1945 to carry out a daytime mission on the target Icarus Minimus in Northern Yugoslavia. A successful message was received at 1428 hours but after that there was no further news and the aircraft failed to return to base.

Crew :

RAF Flt Lt Strang, G B Captain (Pilot) (Of Australia)
RNZAF Flt Lt Horsfall, H E (2nd Pilot)
RAF Sgt J W Holmes, (Flight Engineer)
RAF FO Wilson, W H (Navigator)
RAF FO Howarth, R (Air Bomber)
RAAF 432241 FO Mason H O (Wireless Operator)
RAF Sgt D P Burns, (Air Gunner)
RAF Sgt G Diffey, (Air Gunner)

All the crew were killed on the above mission, and they are buried in the Belgrade War Cemetery, Serbia and Montenegro. The War Cemetery is in Uliga Baju Sekulica, in the city’s Fifth Region on the edge of the New Yugoslav Cemetery (Novo Groblije).

Captain Pilot
Surname: Strang
Forename: George Barrie
Unit: 148 Squadron (R.A.F.V.R.)
Rank: Flight Lieutenant
Number: 114750
Date Of Death: 26th January 1945
Age: 25
Gravesite: Belgrade War Cemetery, Yugoslavia 4.E.2
Additional Information: Son of William and Margaret Rennie Barrie Strang, St Mary's, Tasmania, Australia

Air Gunner
Surname: Burns
Forename: Denis Patrick
Unit: 148 Squadron (R.A.F.V.R.)
Rank: Sergeant
Number: 1595867
Date Of Death: 26th January 1945
Age: 20
Gravesite: Belgrade War Cemetery, Yugoslavia Coll. grave 4.E.4-8
Additional Information: Son of Robert and Bridget Burns, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire

Air Gunner
Surname: Diffey
Forename: Gordon
Unit: 148 Squadron (R.A.F.V.R.)
Rank: Sergeant
Number: 1595347
Date of Death: 26th January 1945
Age:
Gravesite: Belgrade War Cemetery, Yugoslavia Coll. grave 4.E.4-8
Additional Information:

Flight Engineer
Surname: Holmes
Forename: John Wardman
Unit: 148 Squadron
(R.A.F.V.R.)
Rank: Sergeant
Number: 2210805
Date Of Death: 26th January 1945
Age: 36
Gravesite: Belgrade War Cemetery,Yugoslavia 4.E.3
Additional Information: Son of Tom Wardman and Eva Holmes,

2nd Pilot
Surname: Horsfall
Forename: Harry Edmund
Unit: 148 Squadron (R.N.Z.A.F.)
Number: 415321
Date Of Death: 26th January 1945
Age: 26
Gravesite: Belgrade War Cemetery, Yugoslavia 4.E.1
Additional Information: Son of Edmund and Annie Horsfall,
husband of Edna Molly Horsfall, Wellington City, New Zealand
10 (RAF) Squadron
1651 or 1669 HCU (flying instructor)

Air Bomber
Rank: Flying Officer
Surname: Howarth
Forename: Raymond
Unit: 148 Squadron (R.A.F.V.R.)
Number: 154540
Date Of Death: 26th January 1945
Age: 29
Gravesite: Belgrade War Cemetery, Yugoslavia Coll. grave 4.E.4-8
Additional Information: Son of Alfred and Nellie (nee Sanders) Howarth
husband of Winifred (nee Maguire) Howarth, Oldham, Lancashire

Wireless Operator
MASON, HENRY OSCAR
Rank: Flying Officer
Service No: 432241
Date of Death: 26/01/1945
Age: 31
Regiment/Service: Royal Australian Air Force
Grave Reference: Coll. grave 4. E. 4-8.
Cemetery: BELGRADE WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Henry and Lilian Mason, of Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia; husband of Eileen Mason of Ballarat. Victoria.

Navigator
Surname: Wilson
Forename: Walter Harold
Unit: 148 Squadron (R.A.F.V.R.)
Rank: Flying Officer
Number: 162047
Date Of Death: 26th January 1945
Age: 23
Gravesite: Belgrade War Cemetery, Yugoslavia Coll. grave 4.E.4-8
Additional Information: Son of Walter Harold and Mary Agnes Wilson, St Helens, Lancashire
Graduated Liverpool University (B.Sc.)

 

Just as a point of note, though no doubt this isn't news to the OP (sorry): Fl/Lt Horsfall was on what seems to have been his first operation with148 Sqdn, presumably flying an introductory "second dickie" operation, as the squadron Halifaxes didn't fly with a second pilot. The other plausible reason for additional aircrew on being on board was a need on occasion for extra dispatchers, but his rank and specialism (and of course the CWG details quoted by Spidge) make that unlikely.

There's an old thread about it here: www.rafcommands.com/archive/04611.php.

Pat

 

Hi

I am interested in any information on F/Lt RJG Manning who was a Lysander pilot with 148 Squadron. He died in a take-off accident with his new wife Diana (Portman) an SOE FANY when hitching a lift back to base (Brindisi?) from Florence. There are mentions in Hugh Verity's book and Sue Ryder's book (refering to his wife) and other references but also lots of gaps. More information on the crash or any other references to his service would be of great interest.

This link refers:
http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?9416-Flying-Officer-Raymond-J-G-Manning-RAF-VR

Many thanks

 

Hi, I have copies of the squadron ORBs for Sept 1944- VE Day: if you give me a date for the accident (and it falls in that range) I'll look it up.

You might get a better response if you started a new thread for this query, perhaps in the The War In The Air forum on here, with an appropriate title like "148 (SD) Sqdn: F/Lt RJG Manning and wife Diana fatal air accident [year]" or somesuch.. that doesn't seem very snappy now I re-read it - I expect you can do better than me!

Good luck, Pat

 

Pat, looks like it does fall into the period you have details for...
MANNING, RAYMOND JULIUS GUY. Rank: Flying Officer. Service No: 152227. Date of Death: 19/02/1945. Age: 21.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Grave Reference: II. C. 17. Cemetery: FLORENCE WAR CEMETERY.
Additional Information: Son of Julius Joseph and Oriel Clare Manning, of Brighton, Sussex; husband of Diana Mary Manning (nee Portman).

MANNING, DIANA MARY. Rank: Cadet Ensign. Service No: 16489. Date of Death: 19/02/1945. Age: 21.
Regiment/Service: Women's Transport Service (F.A.N.Y.) attd. H.Q. Force 139, C.M.F.
Grave Reference: II. C. 18. Cemetery: FLORENCE WAR CEMETERY.
Additional Information: Daughter of Brigadier G. M. B. Portman, T.D., and Mrs. M. K. Portman, of Witley, Surrey; wife of Flying Offr. Raymond Julius Guy Manning, R.A.F. (V.R.).

Agree with your recommendation to start a new thread with the Names and Squadron etc to attract other specialists.

 

See: http://lostaircraft.com/database.php?lang=en&mode=viewentry&e=28418

This is editable, so you can join http://lostaircraft.com/ and add information to the loss record. Please feel free to do so.

 

I looked up the squadron ORBs for February 1945 and all I could find was this entry in the Summary, under "Casualties":

"F/O R.J. Manning (152227) killed in a flying accident whilst on leave on 19.02.45"

Will keep digging though, as this rings a faint bell from somewhere, but at the moment I can't think where.

Pat

 

Thanks very much Pat. That tallies with the several other published reports that the two were returning from leave.

It would be interesting to know if there are any other mentions of him in the Squadron record books - I realise that is probably an unreasonable thing to ask, so apologies if it is.

There are two mentions of him here, relating to Lysander operations on 10/11 July 1944

http://www.plan-sussex-1944.net/anglais/infiltrations_into_france.pdf

I started off thinking he was in 161 Squadron before finding the 148 Squadron references and coming here. If I read it correctly both squadrons were operating out of the same are in Italy for a period later in the war but maybe someone can put me right on this.

Thanks

 

I've found him in the 1944-46 Appendices, recorded as being in 148 Sqdn's Lysander Flight (dated 16th June 1944) with a date of posting to the squadron of 2nd February 1944. At that period 148 Sqdn operated out of Brindisi, as it did until the end of the war in Europe, having moved to Italy in January '44.

The Lysander Flight then consisted of F/O Franklin (Flight Commander), F/O Manning, Sgt Dalzell; there were vacancies for one commissioned and one non-commissioned pilot although I note that F/O Attenborow is listed in the same document as "not filling establishment vacancy" - he was certainly a Lysander pilot later.

From the monthly ORBs I've found the following operations flown by F/O Manning (I have no idea if the ORBs are a complete record of the Lysander Flight's activities though - they may have been subject to even more secrecy than the "normal" Special Duties ops):

Sept 44 - 0 operations recorded
Oct 44 - 1 operations recorded (12/10/44: flak recce and transportation of one sergeant to Araxos, Greece)
Nov 44 - 0 operations recorded
Dec 44 - 5 operations recorded (04/12/44: evacuation of casualty from CUCKOLD landing strip; unsuccessful due to weather)
(20/12/44: PICCADILLY LIGHTS; unsuccessful due to weather)
(21/12.44: PICCADILLY LIGHTS A: flew from Bari, landed Vis; unsuccessful due to waterlogged landing strip)
(22/12/44: PICCADILLY LIGHTS A: flew from Vis, landed Brindisi; repeat of 21st Dec, same result)
(29/12/44: PICCADILLY LIGHTS: unsuccessful)
Jan 45 - 0 operations recorded
Feb 45 - 0 operations recorded for obvious reasons

Hope this is helpful. Pat

 

Thanks very much indeed Pat. Very much appreciated.

I will see if I can get the ORBs for the Feb. to Sept 44 period for interest.

 

Hi, I have just found this forum, and noticed my Uncle in the list, I have been attempting to find more about him Air Gunner Denis Burns, I am named after him, my father has given me a folder of information that I have to go through but any other facts anyone has I would be grateful to hear.

 

Denis,

You might want to read the RAAF Casualty file on 432241 F/O Henry Oscar MASON, the W/Op in your uncle's crew:

View digital copy (pgs 19-20 and 61 will be of interest)

Regards,

Dave

 

Hi Denis - I'd strongly recommend joining Terry Maker's excellent (and very welcoming) Yahoo group which concerns itself with 148 Sqdn in its Special Duties role, Operation Dark Of The Moon. Oliver Clutton-Brock's book on the squadron Trusty To The End is also an invaluable resource with many aircrew mentioned by name.

You may already know all this, but in case you don't - the squadron records say of the incident in which your uncle died along with the rest of the crew of their Halifax (which bore the squadron identification letters FS-Q):

"Time up: 11.10 Time Down: -
DCO: 15 containers and 45 packages dropped at Virouitica. This aircraft idented as successful but nothing afterwards was heard from the aircraft which is presumed lost."

A very quick scroll through the ORBs shows the Strang crew, including your uncle, flying operations on: 17th, 18th, 20th and 25th November 1944; 2nd/3rd, 24th, 26th and 28th December 1944; 5th, 19th and 26th January 1945. I couldn't see any ops for October 1944.

Cheers, Pat