Help my grandfather receive the Legion D’honneur

[mikeh117]

My grandfather W.G.Batham (Guy) was a FAA pilot in 1943-45. He was in 885 Squadron where he was a spotter flying Seafire III's on D-Day before he went to the Pacific on HMS Ruler and joined 1844 Squadron on HMS Indomitable flying Gumman Hellcats. Incredibly he never felt it necessary to tell any of his family this until very recently. He's about to celebrate his 96th birthday in November and I've been in touch with the MoD who tell me he is entitled to be awarded Chevalier De La Legion D'Honneur for his service on D-Day. They've just sent what I've found so far over to the French Embassy for consideration but I'd like to continue my research and make sure I have all the evidence needed if they ask any questions.

We would probably never have learned about grandads role in the war if it hadn't been for a comment he made about his car number plate reading 886 which he said was annoyingly one away from 885, the number of his former squadron! We asked him to explain a little more and he went on to tell us about him once being a pilot. We knew his parents and siblings were decorated officers and had been mentioned in dispatches but grandad never really said anything about his role. I've found him in the UK Navy lists so his recollection of the squadron number is accurate.

Grandad had all his service medals stolen in 1987 and we have no documents from that era as he likely chose not to keep them. However, I have found quite a lot about him online already. 885 were part of 34 recon wing and his job was to fly over the D-Day beaches and radio the ships in the channel the location of the enemy guns. He says he was involved in a dog fight but when asked about it says someone else got credit. One of his fellow 885 FAA pilots died that day. I've found a book by George Boyd called Boyds War, George served alongside my grandfather in 885 so I hope to get a copy of his book soon.

Grandad is mentioned on this website in 1844 Squadron: 1839 Naval Air Squadron where it says he shot down a Japanese Zeke on his first mission. He was also onboard HMS Indomitable during a Kamikaze attack. He also mentioned he did a flypast over Sydney harbour on VJ Day in his Hellcat. When asked about how difficult it must have been flying on an aircraft carrier he said he enjoyed it!

What I would really like to find out is what plane he flew on D-day, the number of hours he was in the air, whether he would have witnessed the scenes below him on the beaches, and then what he did as the troops moved inland over the next few weeks. I know there are Squadron diaries and likely contemporary photos but I can find no mention of him in the National Archives or any database. I've ordered a copy of Sturtivant's Squadrons of the FAA so hope to find some information in there.

My grandmother, a former WREN, passed away a few years ago and in her albums were a few photos from that era, including two of my grandfather standing in front of what looks like a Spitfire. Perhaps someone can help me identify the plane and which squadrons these were? He's standing on the wing on the right of the picture in one of them and is fifth from the right in the other. She also had a photo of what looks like a Grumman Hellcat landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier although I've no way of identifying the plane or ship.

Grandad is nearing the end of his life, he has dementia and is in fading health. I hope he can be awarded the recognition he rightly deserves and that I can share his story so we can all remember what these incredible people did for us.

Many thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[stona]

You are correct that the first two pictures show Spitfires or Seafires. Unfortunately there is not enough information to further identify the aircraft or unit. You would really need a picture showing a side view including codes and, with a bit of luck, the aircraft serial number.

The first picture shows the special markings (invasion stripes) on the lower surface of the wings only. It must have been taken some time after D-Day and probably before 31st July when aircraft of Coastal Command, shore-based FAA (except those based in France,) and various others were told to remove the stripes from the wings completely (doesn't mean that they did, at least not immediately). From the background I believe that both the photographs were taken in the UK. The second shows one of the standard British hangars.

I can't be of much help other than to suggest you look for Fleet Air Arm Squadron diaries at TNA. You might be lucky.

The best source for your grandfather's personal flying record would be his log book(s). It might be worth checking with family whether these might have survived in somebody's loft or garage.

Good luck with your quest.

Edit: At the risk of stating the obvious, have you been in touch with the 855 Squadron association? Usually such organisations are willing to help in such cases, particularly for immediate family.

Steve

 

[mikeh117]

You are correct that the first two pictures show Spitfires or Seafires. Unfortunately there is not enough information to further identify the aircraft or unit. You would really need a picture showing a side view including codes and, with a bit of luck, the aircraft serial number.

The first picture shows the special markings (invasion stripes) on the lower surface of the wings only. It must have been taken some time after D-Day and probably before 31st July when aircraft of Coastal Command, shore-based FAA (except those based in France,) and various others were told to remove the stripes from the wings completely (doesn't mean that they did, at least not immediately). From the background I believe that both the photographs were taken in the UK. The second shows one of the standard British hangars.

I can't be of much help other than to suggest you look for Fleet Air Arm Squadron diaries at TNA. You might be lucky.

The best source for your grandfather's personal flying record would be his log book(s). It might be worth checking with family whether these might have survived in somebody's loft or garage.

Good luck with your quest.

Edit: At the risk of stating the obvious, have you been in touch with the 855 Squadron association? Usually such organisations are willing to help in such cases, particularly for immediate family.

Steve

Thanks for the reply. The information about the invasion stripes on the wings is very helpful as it explains why there are 13 men in the photo and not the 14 listed in 885 as Sub-Lieutenant Tony Hastings Bassett was killed on 6 June 1944. I suspect the photo was taken in Northern Ireland where the Squadron went immediately after Operation Overlord when the allied troops had moved inland out of the range of the guns on our ships in the channel (It's also where my grandad met a young WREN who would one day become my grandmother!)

My mother thinks much of my grandfather's possessions were lost in the years following the war as he relocated to Brazil and almost everything he owned went missing somewhere at sea. My mum says she never saw or heard mention of his log book which was obviously an important document at any time throughout her childhood.

I'm not familiar with a squadron association and to my knowledge 885 Squadron no longer exists. I'll give the National Archives a try though and see what I can find.

Thanks again. Mike.

 

[Wurger]

Also I would like to make a focus on the black small letter painted at the engine front and bottom cowling. It looks like a "Q". Usually there was repeated the individual code letter of the plane.

 

[rochie]

found this, caption says 885 sqn Ireland 1944-01 ?

is the 4th seafire from the left 2Q ?

 

[mikeh117]

found this, caption says 885 sqn Ireland 1944-01 ?

is the 4th seafire from the left 2Q ?View attachment 554861

This photo is in George Boyd's book 'Boyd's War' with the caption: 'Seafires of 885 Squadron over Strangford Lough, Co. Down'. I believe it was taken in the weeks following D-Day when the squadron was reformed at the RAF station in Ballyhalbert, Northern Ireland. They underwent training for bombing runs, carrier landings and air combat but were soon re-equipped with Hellcats before being sent off to the Pacific.

 

[rochie]

This photo is in George Boyd's book 'Boyd's War' with the caption: 'Seafires of 885 Squadron over Strangford Lough, Co. Down'. I believe it was taken in the weeks following D-Day when the squadron was reformed at the RAF station in Ballyhalbert, Northern Ireland. They underwent training for bombing runs, carrier landings and air combat but were soon re-equipped with Hellcats before being sent off to the Pacific.

Ah.

i did suspect the caption on my picture was wrong and it may have meant to be 1945 !

 

[FlyNavy]

Thanks for the reply. The information about the invasion stripes on the wings is very helpful as it explains why there are 13 men in the photo and not the 14 listed in 885 as Sub-Lieutenant Tony Hastings Bassett was killed on 6 June 1944. I suspect the photo was taken in Northern Ireland where the Squadron went immediately after Operation Overlord when the allied troops had moved inland out of the range of the guns on our ships in the channel (It's also where my grandad met a young WREN who would one day become my grandmother!)

My mother thinks much of my grandfather's possessions were lost in the years following the war as he relocated to Brazil and almost everything he owned went missing somewhere at sea. My mum says she never saw or heard mention of his log book which was obviously an important document at any time throughout her childhood.

I'm not familiar with a squadron association and to my knowledge 885 Squadron no longer exists. I'll give the National Archives a try though and see what I can find.

Thanks again. Mike.

Would definitely confirm the first photo with the Invasion stripes is 885 Sqn in the Normandy Landings period . My grandfather Lt. RWM Walsh is pictured seated on the left, he was Senior Pilot with 885 Sqn for D-Day landings. Pprobably taken at Lee on Solent where No 3 Fighter Wing was based for landings and almost definitely a Seafire as 885 were solely equipped with Seafire LIIIs by then . I would suggest the second photo is taken post D-Day ops period for unit ( July 15) and either taken at Lee -on -Solent or possibly taken at Ballyhalbert , NI. 885 and 808 Sqns were amalgamated after July 15 and then moved to Northern Ireland on August 4th in preparation for being re-equipped with Hellcats. My Grandfather isn't in second picture and I know he went on short leave post D-Day before heading to the States to form up a brand new squadron of Corsairs as CO before heading to Pacific ( he had been flying operationally almost uninterrupted since 1940 !) . That would explain his absence and greater number of Pilots despite Normandy losses.
Couple of good books with information on daily operations for the Seafire wing
The Seafire - The spitfire that went to see - David Brown
They gave me a Seafire - Cmdr Mike Crossley.

In terms of what they were up to on D-Day ? Busy ! Think my grandfather flew 6 ops on 6 June alone. Initially they had quite loose guidance and were allowed to attack ' targets of opportunity' but after some losses in first few days of campaign were restricted to their Naval Gunfire liaison role as were deemed to valuable in this highly specialised role to lose on shooting up ground targets or chasing German aircraft themselves. Although as landing developed were allowed a bit more scope . My grandfather was certainly credited with destroying a midget submarine attempting to attack the Fleet in early July .I have an evocative , short ,descriptive piece my grandfather wrote on his experiences on D-Day itself . The experience of zeroing in fall of shot for the large naval guns from the combined US and RN battleships was fairly breathtaking. I can send you a copy if you want to DM me .
The Fleet Air Arm museum historical section did have a large collection of logbooks , not sure if went to Kew with reorganisation or still there but access is pretty limited with funding changes . Might be worth an enquiry . I know a lot of Fleet Air Arm pilots had an official log book and a duplicate personal copy . We are lucky to have retained most of my grandfathers logbooks and is quite incredible reading what they wrote on daily flying . My grandfather had an incredible journey through the war including being loaned to RAF and flying hurricanes during the Battle of Britain . Sure he knew your grandfather well and he always spoke with great affection of his fellow flyers in wartime aviation. Truly remarkable men . Good luck with your search .

 

[mikeh117]

Would definitely confirm the first photo with the Invasion stripes is 885 Sqn in the Normandy Landings period . My grandfather Lt. RWM Walsh is pictured seated on the left, he was Senior Pilot with 885 Sqn for D-Day landings. Pprobably taken at Lee on Solent where No 3 Fighter Wing was based for landings and almost definitely a Seafire as 885 were solely equipped with Seafire LIIIs by then . I would suggest the second photo is taken post D-Day ops period for unit ( July 15) and either taken at Lee -on -Solent or possibly taken at Ballyhalbert , NI. 885 and 808 Sqns were amalgamated after July 15 and then moved to Northern Ireland on August 4th in preparation for being re-equipped with Hellcats. My Grandfather isn't in second picture and I know he went on short leave post D-Day before heading to the States to form up a brand new squadron of Corsairs as CO before heading to Pacific ( he had been flying operationally almost uninterrupted since 1940 !) . That would explain his absence and greater number of Pilots despite Normandy losses.
Couple of good books with information on daily operations for the Seafire wing
The Seafire - The spitfire that went to see - David Brown
They gave me a Seafire - Cmdr Mike Crossley.

In terms of what they were up to on D-Day ? Busy ! Think my grandfather flew 6 ops on 6 June alone. Initially they had quite loose guidance and were allowed to attack ' targets of opportunity' but after some losses in first few days of campaign were restricted to their Naval Gunfire liaison role as were deemed to valuable in this highly specialised role to lose on shooting up ground targets or chasing German aircraft themselves. Although as landing developed were allowed a bit more scope . My grandfather was certainly credited with destroying a midget submarine attempting to attack the Fleet in early July .I have an evocative , short ,descriptive piece my grandfather wrote on his experiences on D-Day itself . The experience of zeroing in fall of shot for the large naval guns from the combined US and RN battleships was fairly breathtaking. I can send you a copy if you want to DM me .
The Fleet Air Arm museum historical section did have a large collection of logbooks , not sure if went to Kew with reorganisation or still there but access is pretty limited with funding changes . Might be worth an enquiry . I know a lot of Fleet Air Arm pilots had an official log book and a duplicate personal copy . We are lucky to have retained most of my grandfathers logbooks and is quite incredible reading what they wrote on daily flying . My grandfather had an incredible journey through the war including being loaned to RAF and flying hurricanes during the Battle of Britain . Sure he knew your grandfather well and he always spoke with great affection of his fellow flyers in wartime aviation. Truly remarkable men . Good luck with your search .

Thanks for your reply. Since I made this original post I have learned a great deal about my grandfather, 885 and 1844 Squadrons. I have been in touch with the archivist at the FAA museum and even visited there, where I was pleased to find a photo of 885 Squadron on display. Unfortunately I've not yet had a chance to visit the archives as my appointment was cancelled due to the pandemic. I've also built up quite a library of resource material, including the books you listed. Best of all though was finding an old suitcase containing over 3000 pages of correspondence between my grandad and my grandmother written in 44-45 as well as many photos. Sadly his flight logs are lost, possibly as long ago as 1952 when many of his possessions were mislaid when he sailed from Brazil to the UK after living there.

His letters are a fascinating glimpse into the final year of the war, from the time the Squadron went to Ballyhalbert, were re-equipped with Hellcats, sailed to Australia on HMS Ruler, their time in Nowra and then his posting to 1844 Squadron on Indomitable where he faced the fiercest fighting and attacks from Kamikazes. The letters also cover the liberation of Hong Kong, his marriage to my grandmother and end when he arrives back in the UK in December 1945. I'm now in the process of transcribing his letters and what they reveal about the lives of the airmen is quite remarkable. I plan on sharing the content as soon as it's typed up.

My grandfather never spoke of his service, other than to confirm he flew seafires, and not once said anything about his time in the Pacific, which judging by his letters was deeply traumatic. The only part of his service he did speak of was following the crash between HMS Indomitable and HMS Quilliam that necessitated Indomitable to put into harbour for repairs in Sydney in June 45. He writes passionately of how much he enjoyed his time in Australia, particularly staying with a family outside Sydney and having a week on a sheep farm riding horses. From his letters it's very clear to me that the weeks surrounded by this caring adoptive family away from the fierce fighting probably saved his life. He held a deep affection for Australia for the rest of his life and in 2001 he emigrated there to live out his remaining years in the countryside in the north of NSW.

When his service medals were stolen in a burglary in 1987 he didn't request they be replaced or speak of their importance; he just let them go, just as he had everything else from that chapter of his life. This is why I was so pleased that thanks to the help of people on this forum, I was able to provide enough evidence to the MoD to have him awarded the Legion D'honneur, which he received in January 2020. By the time he was given this highest award for his services in the liberation of Europe, his health had greatly deteriorated and he sadly passed away just 10 days later. At his funeral we were able to give some account of his war service as part of the eulogy, giving praise to his bravery. On a beautiful Australian summer morning his ashes were laid to rest in the peaceful Pacific Ocean.

I'd love to learn more about your grandfather. I'll drop you a DM and we can perhaps share some of what we know of these incredible young men.

 

[FlyNavy]

Thanks for your reply. Since I made this original post I have learned a great deal about my grandfather, 885 and 1844 Squadrons. I have been in touch with the archivist at the FAA museum and even visited there, where I was pleased to find a photo of 885 Squadron on display. Unfortunately I've not yet had a chance to visit the archives as my appointment was cancelled due to the pandemic. I've also built up quite a library of resource material, including the books you listed. Best of all though was finding an old suitcase containing over 3000 pages of correspondence between my grandad and my grandmother written in 44-45 as well as many photos. Sadly his flight logs are lost, possibly as long ago as 1952 when many of his possessions were mislaid when he sailed from Brazil to the UK after living there.

His letters are a fascinating glimpse into the final year of the war, from the time the Squadron went to Ballyhalbert, were re-equipped with Hellcats, sailed to Australia on HMS Ruler, their time in Nowra and then his posting to 1844 Squadron on Indomitable where he faced the fiercest fighting and attacks from Kamikazes. The letters also cover the liberation of Hong Kong, his marriage to my grandmother and end when he arrives back in the UK in December 1945. I'm now in the process of transcribing his letters and what they reveal about the lives of the airmen is quite remarkable. I plan on sharing the content as soon as it's typed up.

My grandfather never spoke of his service, other than to confirm he flew seafires, and not once said anything about his time in the Pacific, which judging by his letters was deeply traumatic. The only part of his service he did speak of was following the crash between HMS Indomitable and HMS Quilliam that necessitated Indomitable to put into harbour for repairs in Sydney in June 45. He writes passionately of how much he enjoyed his time in Australia, particularly staying with a family outside Sydney and having a week on a sheep farm riding horses. From his letters it's very clear to me that the weeks surrounded by this caring adoptive family away from the fierce fighting probably saved his life. He held a deep affection for Australia for the rest of his life and in 2001 he emigrated there to live out his remaining years in the countryside in the north of NSW.

When his service medals were stolen in a burglary in 1987 he didn't request they be replaced or speak of their importance; he just let them go, just as he had everything else from that chapter of his life. This is why I was so pleased that thanks to the help of people on this forum, I was able to provide enough evidence to the MoD to have him awarded the Legion D'honneur, which he received in January 2020. By the time he was given this highest award for his services in the liberation of Europe, his health had greatly deteriorated and he sadly passed away just 10 days later. At his funeral we were able to give some account of his war service as part of the eulogy, giving praise to his bravery. On a beautiful Australian summer morning his ashes were laid to rest in the peaceful Pacific Ocean.

I'd love to learn more about your grandfather. I'll drop you a DM and we can perhaps share some of what we know of these incredible young men.

Sorry to hear of your Grandad's passing. But very glad to hear you were successful in your efforts for the award of the Legion D'Honneur, and you have been able to discover a lot more about his wartime service . The letters sound fascinating , rare to have such direct ' voices ' from that time . Sure you will treasure them greatly .Will send you a DM