I have found another Australian who was one of "The Few" and listed as RAF - UK. MAYERS, HOWARD CLIVE Wing Commander 77976 250sq RAF 20/07/1942 32 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve UK Column 247. ALAMEIN MEMORIAL Egypt Alamein From: Battle of Britain Monument London - British Pilots List - A
Timing Spidge, I was just there. I could have taken the shot for you. As they say, timing is everything. Cheers
You did mention you were going there however the one of Pilot Officer Hay at Haidar Pasha Cemetery in Istanbul, Turkey I saw as more important. I may have worn out your camera as there are (324) RAAF lads on 18 panels in total. Hopefully I will get there myself one day to take them. Thanks again, Geoff
Hi Stuart, Great idea however there is not much I can do to help you out. Most of my research involves the RAAF and Aussies in the RAF who were killed during ww2. Whilst we did not have any land forces to speak of who were involved, there were many on RAN ships and other craft. The only list I have are the pilots and crews who died commencing on the 5th of June through to whatever date you require. This could give you a lead into what squadrons were involved and their targets for the early period. My database shows (11) RAAF lads killed on the 6th with (8) buried in France and (3) listed on the Runnymede Memorial. If I can assist further, please let me know. Cheers Geoff
Stuart, keep an eye out for the ANZAC Convoy that will be at the 65th anniversary. They have driven from Greece after shipping their vehicles (Harley Davidson to Jeeps to Studebaker trucks) from Oz. Ask for Lang Kidby is you haven't already got in touch with them. Probably beyond your project but you'll be made welcome and it's proof that there are some Aussies who know about our sacrifices up there.
Geoff, here's the extracts for Mayers from Dennis Newton's First Impact: Page 141 August 8 ENGLISH CHANNEL. Heavy attacks on Convoy PEEWIT by German E-boats and aircraft. F/O Clive Mayers of 601 (Hurri) Squadron destroys a Bf 109 and P/O John Curchin of 609 (Spit) Squadron destroys a Bf 110 and damages another. The convoy is decimated. OUt of 23 ships, seven are sunk and six - plus six escort vessels - are havily damaged. Page 147 August 13 Uncertain weather delays the main German attack until midday. F/O Clive Mayers ... destroys a Ju 88, probably another Ju 88 and a Bf 110 and damages a Bf 110 before baling out over the sea during his second sortie (Andy - busy boy!). He is rescued by an MTB. Page 150 August 16 Late afternoon, heavy fighting over southern England. Succesful Australians: F/O Clive Mayers (two Ju 87s, one Ju 87 probable)... Page 152 August 18 During heavy fighting, F/L Pat Hughes of 234 Squadron destroys two Bf 109s and ... F/O Clive Mayers damages another. Page 158 August 31 Amid heavy dogfights, successful Australians are P/O Richard Hillary (one Bf 109), F/O Clive Mayers (one Do 17 and another damaged)... Page 161 September 4 During heavy fighting over southern England, Australian scorers are F/O Clive Mayers ... (1 Do 17 and a Bf 110 probable)... Page 168 September 25 Widespread battles over southern England. Australian scorers: John Curchin (one He 111, one He 111 shared), Clive Mayers ... (one Bf 110)... Page 176 October 7 Utilising better weather, waves of Bf 109 fighters and fighter-bombers arrive over Kent in a practically continuous stream but the largest single raid of the day is on the Westland Aircraft factory at Yeovil. P/O Bill Millington DFC of 249 Squadron probably destroys a Bf 109 but Hurricane R4218 flown by F/O Clive Mayers of 601 Squadron is struck in the glycol tank by a bullet from a Bf 110. Mayers crash-lands in a field south of Axminster. He is shaken up and slightly injured. Pretty much a repeat of the above of course. The same author's Australian Air Aces lists HCM's total as 12 destroyed (11 plus one shared), four (three plus one shared) probables and six damaged.
Reading the first post again (and the entry in Newton's Australian Air Aces) and realising HCM flew Kittyhawks in the desert, here's what Russell Brown's superlative Desert Warriors has to say: Page 93 On 1 March (Andy - 1942) the Western Desert Air Force was reorganised. 3 Squadron and 450 Squadron together with 112 and 250 Squadrons were grouped together as 239 Wing, all with Kittyhawks, while 2 and 4 SAAF and 94 and 260 Squadrons operating Tomahawks and Kittyhawks were grouped as 233 Wing. W/C H.C. Mayers was appointed to lead 239 Wing. Howard Mayers was an Australian with experience from the Battle of Britain, destroying eight aircraft while flying Hurricanes with 601 Squadron. He was posted to the desert in July 1941 to command 94 Squadron on Hurricanes, sharing in the destruction of a Ju88 and damaging two Bf109s. On Christmas Day 1941 one of his pilots, Sgt McKay, was shot down by ground fire while strafing an Axis column. [Mayers] landed his Hurricane and in the face of approaching enemy vehicles got the pilot into the cockpit and took off successfully. This courageous rescue earned him a Bar to his DFC. Page 107 For some time during May, the Germans had been flying in reinforcements for the Afrika Korps in Ju52 transports based on Crete. The LRDG operating behind enemy lines had observed the arrival of these flights and on the 12th an attempt was made to effect an interception. Six Beaufighters of 252 Squadron, with a top cover of ten Kittyhawks carrying long range tanks from 250 Squadron, took off under the command of W/C Mayers, with F/L John Waddy leading the top cover in AK846 LD-H. One Beaufighter and two Kittyhawks were forced to return due to mechanical trouble, but the rest of the force flew out to sea and after almost two ours of searching ... discovered a large formation of German aircraft which was reported as consisting of 16 Ju52s and three Bf110s. In fact there were thirteen of the Junkers, accompanied by only one Bf110. As with the British formation, two of the German aircraft had been forced to return, a Ju52 and a Bf110. The occupants of these two machines would have good reason to count themselves as very lucky men. ...six Ju52s went down in this first onslaught. The fighters then made individual attacks for the next 20 minutes, and is often the case, over-claimed enthusiastically, a number of pilots obviously having attacked the same aircraft at once. Of the 13 Ju52s, nine were shot down and two force-landed on the beach, leaving only two unscathed. ... Australian claims amounted to one Ju52 by W/C Mayers (AK890)... Page 129 (June 17 1942) The German fighter force by this stage had advanced to Gazala, and when this was confirmed by reconnaissance, 239 Wing mounted an attack. Fifteen fighter-bombers and a further sixteen Kittyhawks as top cover took off for Gazala at 1345 led by W/C Mayers. To avoid detection they flew out to sea, turning west and climbing to 17,000 feet before turning south towards their target. Surprise was complete. They found 30 Bf109s and fifteen of them were destroyed or damaged by the Wing's low level attack. AA was light and the only enemy aircraft seen in the air was a lone Bf109 which attempted to take off. It was promptly shot down by a pilot of 250 Squadron. The wing suffered no losses and noticed a reduction in enemy fighter activity for several days afterwards. Page 143 On 8 July the 239 Wing squadrons combined for a bombing attack on LGs 21 and 22 near Daba. At 1200 W/C Mayers led eleven aircraft of 250 Squadron, 112 Squadron supplied 10 and the two RAAF units a further 10 each, with three acting as top cover. Their timing was fortuitous, as they caught four Bf109s of I/JG 27 taking off with an indeterminate number of Stukas. Two more Bf 109s from III/JG 27 were already in the air to cover the take off of the Stukas, and these attacked 3 Squadron. Sgt Donald (ET871 CV-E) claimed one as a probable, and Fw Maruan from this unit was hit and force-landed near Daba. The lower squadrons meanwhile fell upon the Bf109s and Stukas which had just become airborne. W/C Mayers (ET826) shot down a Bf109... Page 148 (July 20) The pressure was maintained on the landing grounds ... with a big raid mounted on LGs 17 and 18 at Fuka at 0930. 233 Wing escorted eighteen Bostons, while 239 Wing sent Kittybombers from all four squadrons, including eleven from 3, led by Danny Boardman and eight from 450, led by P/O Shillabeer. 3 Squadron's bombs were well aimed, one landing near a Bf110, two near three Ju52s and one between eight 'badly dispersed aircraft'. After bombing they strafed both landing grounds, claiming damage to a Ju52, five Ju88s, three Bf109s and a Bf110, as well as setting a petrol bowser on fire. The AA from light, medium and heavy guns was intense. This time enemy fighters were in the air. W/C Mayers was seen to shoot down an MC202 and was then hit himself, probably by one of four Bf109s of III/JG 53 which were scrambled to intercept the raid. Also shot down and captured was Sgt R.G. Brown (AK872), a Canadian pilot flying with 450 Squadron. Mayers crash-landed some distance away from the target in the Qattara Depression. A search was carried out by Spitfires of 601 Squadron (Andy - HCM was 601 alumni, good coincidence) who found his Kittyhawk with the cockpit open, but no sign of the Wing Commander. It appears that he was captured, but what happened to him after that is unclear. Chris Shores and Clive Williams in Aces High suggest that he may have lost his life when a ship used to transfer prisoners to Italy was sunk. With eleven victories and one shared, he had also been awarded the DFC and Bar. He was thirty-two years old at the time of his loss. Interesting to note the alternative angle on HCM's death.
Spidge .... do you have all of these ?? BAYLES, F/O I. N. 74327. Australian, 152 Squadron BENNETT, P/O C.C. 42097. Australian. 248 Squadron. Missing October 1st 1940** BUNGEY, F/O R. D. 40042. Australian. 145 Squadron. Died in Adelaide SA June 10th 1943 CALE, P/O F. W. 42104 Australian. 266 Squadron. Killed August 15th 1940 COCK, F/O, J. R. 40674. Australian. 87 Squadron CONSTANTINE, P/O A. N. 40893. Australian, 141 Squadron. CROOK, Sgt. V. W. J. NZ40203. Australian. 264 Squadron CROSSMAN, P/O J. D. 43282. Australian. 32 & 46 Squadrons. Killed September 30th 1940 FLOOD, F/Lt. F. W. 37582 Australian. 235 Squadron. Missing September 11th 1940** FOPP, Sgt. D. 112448 Australian. 17 Squadron GLYDE, F/O R. L. DFC 39983 Australian. 87 Squadron. Missing August 13th 1940** HAMILTON, P/O A. L. 42121 Australian. 248 Squadron HARDMAN, F/O H. G. 40535 Australian. 111 Squadron HOLLAND, Sgt. K. C. 754503 Australian. 152 Squadron. Killed September 25th 1940 HUGHES, F/Lt. P. C. DFC 39461 Australian. 234 Squadron. Killed September 7th 1940 KENNEDY, F/Lt J. C. 40052 Australian. 238 Squadron. Killed July 13th 1940 LEES, S/L R. B. DFC 29257 Australian. 72 Squadron McDONOUGH, P/O B. M. 42137 Australian. 236 Squadron. Missing August 1st 1940** McGAW, P/O C. A. 42414 Australian. 73 & 66 Squadron. Killed October 1st 1943** MAYERS, P/O H. C. DFC 77976 Australian. 601 Squadron. Missing July 20th 1942** MILLINGTON, P/O W. H. DFC 42720 Australian.79 & 249 Squadrons. Missing October 30th 1940** MOORE, Sgt. P. J. 112401 Australian. 253 Squadron. Killed June 3rd 1942 MOORE, F/O W. S. 40007 Australian. 236 Squadron. Killed December 24th 1943** OLIVE, F/Lt. C. G. C. DFC 39469 Australian. 65 Squadron PAIN, P/O J. F. 43291 Australian. 32 Squadron PARKER, P/O V. 42356 Australian. 234 Squadron. Crashed taken as POW August 15th 1940 POWER, F/Lt. R. M. 39471 Australian. 236 Squadron PRITCHARD, F/Lt. C. A. 90092 Australian. 600 Squadron REYNELL, F/Lt. R. C. 32091 Australian. 43 Squadron. Killed September 7th 1940 SHEEN, F/Lt. D. F. B. DFC39474 Australian 72 Squadron WALCH, F/Lt S. C. 40063 Australian. 238 Squadron. Missing August 11th 1940** WITHALL, F/Lt. L. C. 39361 Australian. 152 Squadron. Missing August 12th 1940**
Definitely this one since that's what this thread is about! LOL. The 601 Sqn bit is misleading re the loss date. Are there BoB chaps?
Hi Annie, Seeing the number at 32 yes, but I will check again. I only have those who died on my spreadsheet however Kyt provided me with a similar list in 2007 however Mayers was not on it. I really do have to get to Canberra to view the Commemorative Roll which is not available on line unless you know the name to key in. This roll lists most of the Australians who died wile serving with other forces.
Thanks Spidge, without knowing they're all BoB chaps, it is misleading. Have to think around corners!
This is where I got the Australian list Geoff ! ... The Battle of Britain Historical Society maybe you can find more information here !
Then theres some information like this .... is this what you mean ? F/Lt L.C.Withall of No 152 Squadron was shot down and killed on the 12th of August 1940 at 12:20hrs by a Ju 88 off the Isle of Wight in his Spitfire I (P9456). LIST-MENU
Hi Annie, I have used that site before however he still has 25 Aussies and I now have 32. I will have to check my 32 and make sure they were in the BoB squadrons. Predominantly though I am only after the ones that died overall which is sometimes difficult to stick as there are interesting stories that come up on the ones that survived the war. I just do not have the time at the moment to even chase up my headstone requirements which is disappointing.
Andy, we are actually meeting up with everyone in the convoy at Normandy. It was this convoy that brought the idea to us originally. I am looking for some vetrans to add to the documentary, hopefully with some archive footage as well. Any help would be great!! SS
