Killed 27/28th May 1942 No.86 Sqn Beaufort IIa AW371 BX-Q Sgt J K Knight Sgt J Newton Sgt H W Hall Sgt S R Ashton Op: Standex Patrol, RAF Wick, Time Up 23:05 hrs Took off for an extended South Stand patrol in company with A/86. Failed to return from the Norwegian coast. Sgt Knight and his crew are all commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Regards Ross
Luftwaffe bombers attacked Convoy PQ-16 all day (northern Norway) on May 27th wherein 5 ships were lost. "British SS Lowther Castle is sunk by He111 torpedo bombers. Ju-88s sink American SS Alamar & SS Mormacsul, British SS Empire Purcell & British CAM ship Empire Lawrence. Several other ships are damaged including Polish destroyer Garland & American SS City of Joliet, which sinks the following morning." Do we know what part of Norway they were patrolling? Is anyone able to provide some information on what a "Standex Patrol" "South Stand patrol" is? Are there any Luftwaffe claims for that time period in that area? I found nothing helpful at http://lesbutler.co.uk/claims/tonywood.htm Or at Nordic Aviation During WW2 Nor Asisbiz list of Lutwaffe Aces and aircraft shot down from May 1942 to Aug 1942 Where did the information come from that he was based in Scotland? - that is not inconsistent with 86 Sqdn duties. Far more logical than to be based in Wattisham or even North Coates. Even so, well out of range of the Banek area. - So may have been sub hunting for the wolf pack that never reached the convoy. From: World War 2 - RAF No. 86 Squadron, May 1940 "The squadron moved to Wattisham in March 1941 and began convoy escort patrols off the East Anglian coast, with a move to North Coates coming in May. Beauforts replaced the Blenheims from June 1941 with the squadron being fully equipped with the new type by July. These were used for minelaying, reconnaissance and air-sea rescue patrols, but in October the squadron undertook torpedo training and began anti-shipping operations on 11 November. In 1942 the squadron moved around the coast , to St Eval in January, Wick in March and Thorney Island in July, where it was reduced to cadre on 26 August."
Good story on the PQ-16 Convoy Raid at BBC - WW2 People's War - To Murmansk and back on the SS Atlantic If he was killed defending against this wolf pack's attack, as is possible, it was a hero's death for the ages. Luftwaffe Bases in Northern Norway: Axis History Forum • View topic - Luftwaffe airfields - Northern Norway Map: FMP - Luftwaffe Airfields and Operational Limits in Finland 1941 - 1944
Where did the information come from that he was based in Scotland? - that is not inconsistent with 86 Sqdn duties. Far more logical than to be based in Wattisham or even North Coates. Even so, well out of range of the Banek area. - So may have been sub hunting for the wolf pack that never reached the convoy. From: World War 2 - RAF No. 86 Squadron, May 1940 "The squadron moved to Wattisham in March 1941 and began convoy escort patrols off the East Anglian coast, with a move to North Coates coming in May. Beauforts replaced the Blenheims from June 1941 with the squadron being fully equipped with the new type by July. These were used for minelaying, reconnaissance and air-sea rescue patrols, but in October the squadron undertook torpedo training and began anti-shipping operations on 11 November. In 1942 the squadron moved around the coast , to St Eval in January, Wick in March and Thorney Island in July, where it was reduced to cadre on 26 August." Fred, I can't answer your other questions but the link you provided here does show that 86 Squadron was based in Scotland on the date Sgt Knight and crew were lost. Regards, Dave
No. 86 Squadron R.A.F. Listing of bases and dates for 86 squadron. From the potted history on the above site: A detachment sent to St. Eval on 13 December was joined by the rest of the squadron in January 1942, and anti-shipping patrols were flown off the French coast until March, when the squadron moved to northern Scotland. Patrols and strikes off the Norwegian coast continued until July when No.86 sent its aircraft to the Middle East and moved to Thorney Island where it was reduced to a cadre on 26 August 1942 As to the kind of mission they were flying when they failed to return, I haven't been able to find a definition of the code words used. However the book " The Beaufort File" lists AW371 as " missing from reconnaissance off Norway 27.5.42" so not a strike mission as such but a reconnaissance one.
This was the crew's return to ops after their previous operation on the 25th April but since this will not be listed in any internet page it will be of dubious accuracy to some other posters on this thread. A navex to the Faeroes was flown on the 24th April. Since they are not listed as flying ops Jan/Feb/March I would guess that they were a new crew posted in Mid April and the fatal operation on the 27th was only their 2nd Operational Patrol with the squadron. The leader of the flight on the 27th, Beaufort AW345 coded "A" apple, flew into an unlit wireless mast on the return at Tannach Hill, Thrumster, Caithness, just after 05:00 hrs before crashing and killing all the crew. The F1180 for AW345 attached is copyright DoRIS RAF Museum Regards Ross
Sgt John Newton VR 1113501 "Sgt John Newton VR1113501 died on 27-5-42 while flying with 86 sqn in Beaufort IIa, AW371, BX-Q off the coast of Norway. John Newton was another Oakham School old boy, from Skillington, Grantham but I cannot ID where the above Sgt came from."
I am researching the loss of my uncle Sgt. S R Ashton. I have learned that a Stand patrol would be Stavanger to Andalsnes. See: http://www.rafcommands.com/dcforum/DCForumID6/Data/2376.txt cont..... Ross please excuse my ignorance but can I just confirm that I'm correct in interpreting your lat and long points correctly? If I understand correctly, an Extended South Stand Patrol was south of the normal Stand Patrol area. I had just assumed that it comprised the southern half of the normal Stand Patrol. Albert, just to let you know, the distance from Wick round Ross marker points and back to Wick again is a distance of 850 miles. Obviously, these are straight lines which wouldn't be exactly the route flown, but the distance is interesting. I've also discovered that Nos 42 and 86 Squadrons carried out attacks on the Prinz Eugen on 18 May 1942 when it sailed through the Skaggerak and down to Kiel. Ralph Barker's book, "The Ship Busters" mentions this with the comment that this was the last large-scale Beaufort attack in European waters. After then, most of the squadrons moved to the Med. Obviously, I don't have any proof, but I suspect that the flight on 27 / 28 May may have been a patrol to check for the Prinz Eugen - or perhaps another ship coming back out of Kiel.
From http://www.rafcommands.com/dcforum/DCForumID6/Data/2300.txt "He was one of seven brothers to serve in WWII in Britain." "I was told, when I was very young. that my uncle was a radio operator / gunner." Your relative was lost on Q for Queenie and was a WOp/AG
Hi Fred, For a second I thought that I had got it wrong on my first post on this thread but all the other threads you have linked to at RAFCommands and by Ross_McNeill seem to support the information. Ross McNeill
Incredible. What a small world. I am an infrequent visitor here so was quite caught off guard by this, Ross! Your reputation and contributions are immense! Salute! My interest area is that my father in law was a British Doctor on a RN escort ship on this convoy. - later serving in the Mediterranean theatre where two ships he was on were sunk. He was hired by Radium (uranium mining town) Eldorado Mine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia immediately after the war (along with his wife who was a nurse...) - the logic being that all his burn experience during the war would be a perfect fit for radiation burns. Truth!
