Obituaries

R.I.P. Sqn. Ldr. Heyworth.

RIP Squadron Leader



TO

In memory of my Grandfather, Corporal William Watson Mitchell, Royal Air Force 1938-1946, Mentioned in Despatches, Imperial Service Medal for Meritorious Service.

Born 17th December 1910-Died 29th April 2010.

Joined up 1938 and served in the Battle of Britain before being posted to the North Africa Theatre where he remained for 4 years.
Post war worked on Royal Navy Aircraft at various locations but latterly at RNAW Almondbank, Perth, Scotland, up to his retirement.

Small in stature but a larger than life character and a true gentleman all his life, rest in peace Grandad.

TO

Air Commodore Pat Kennedy

Air Commodore Pat Kennedy, who has died aged 92, fought with distinction in the Burma campaign and in its immediate aftermath, when his squadron was one of the first to fly to the Dutch East Indies following a serious outbreak of fighting against Indonesian nationalists there.
Within days of the Japanese surrender in August 1945, Dr Sukarno proclaimed the Republic of Indonesia, which created a dangerous situation, in particular on Java, when Allied forces struggled to reassert control. With Indonesian revolutionaries determined to fight to establish independence, both the RAF – which had been deployed largely to discover the location of the many thousand of PoWs and internees in unknown jungle camps – and returning Dutch forces were targeted.

The RAF quickly deployed two Thunderbolt fighter-bomber squadrons, including Kennedy's No 81 Squadron. For the next few months No 81 shouldered the responsibility for all operations, notably providing cover to ground units hunting for PoWs in Western Java.
The flying conditions were arduous and often dangerous, as supplies were dropped to many isolated PoW camps. The Thunderbolts were also called on to mount strafing sorties against rebel strongholds and to bomb airfields and ammunition dumps. As some RAF squadrons were withdrawn, No 81 remained, and Kennedy attracted widespread praise for his efforts in the air and on the ground. The citation for his DSO concluded: "He had a prolonged and excellent record of gallantry and devotion to duty."

Patrick Ascension Kennedy was born on May 5 1917 (Ascension Day) at Cooke, Co Tipperary, and educated at Newbridge College near Dublin. In February 1938 he joined the Royal Ulster Rifles as a rifleman and sailed with the 2nd Battalion for France in early October 1939 as part of the British Expeditionary Force. With the German invasion of the Low Countries, the regiment moved into Belgium and was heavily engaged. A series of fighting retreats culminated in a withdrawal to Dunkirk, and on June 9 Kennedy and a few of his colleagues discovered a rowing boat and headed for a destroyer sailing to Folkestone.

After returning from France the duties of guarding the Sussex coast did not satisfy Kennedy's restless nature, and in January 1941 he took advantage of a scheme allowing Army personnel to transfer to the RAF to train as pilots. He completed his training in Canada before joining 123 Squadron, based in Iraq and flying Hurricanes. The squadron then moved to Persia to protect the oilfields from the threats in the north before transferring to Egypt, from where it operated over Crete.

In October 1943 Kennedy left for India and six months later joined 4 Squadron, Royal Indian Air Force, as a flight commander, flying Hurricanes in the tactical reconnaissance and ground attack roles in support of the Fourteenth Army. Kennedy flew many reconnaissance sorties over the mountainous Arakan, often in adverse weather, to gain valuable information on Japanese troop concentrations and movements before leading formations in attacks against them.

When supporting the 81st West African Division, cut off in the Kaladan Valley, Kennedy and his pilots attacked enemy positions within 300 yards of friendly troops. During two of these sorties Kennedy's Hurricane was badly damaged by ground fire but he succeeded in returning to an airfield.

As the Fourteenth Army advanced towards Rangoon, 4 Squadron bombed Japanese strongpoints and supported Indian troops at Kangow, where it laid a dense smoke screen to enable the troops to land safely. After moving further south, Kennedy led more "smoke screen" sorties, described by one pilot as "hair-raising and involving flying very low". In March 1945 the squadron was rested and Kennedy was awarded a DFC. Shortly afterwards he took command of No 81 Squadron.

Kennedy returned to England in 1947 and spent two years at the Central Fighter Establishment. In January 1950 he was appointed to command No 6 Squadron, flying Vampire jet fighters. Over the next two years the squadron was based in Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, and was viewed as the best in the Middle East Air Force.

No 6 exercised regularly with the Arab Legion under the command of Glubb Pasha and established a very close relationship with King Abdullah and the Jordanian people. Shortly after receiving the RAF Standard, the King presented the squadron with his personal standard, making it the only RAF squadron to be granted two Royal Standards. For his outstanding leadership of No 6, Kennedy was awarded an AFC.

After three years at the air ministry, in 1958 Kennedy took command of No 31 Squadron, flying Canberra aircraft in the tactical reconnaissance role from its base at Laarbruch on the Dutch-German border.

In May 1964 Kennedy commanded the V-Bomber base at Marham, but within three months he was faced with major difficulties. A Valiant bomber was found to have fatigue cracks in the wing and, after exhaustive tests, it was decided to scrap the whole Valiant force. The shock of the loss of Valiants, and the period of uncertainty that followed, gave Kennedy a testing time. At the end of his tour he was promoted to air commodore, but shortly after taking up his post at HQ 1 (Bomber) Group, he took voluntary retirement.

Kennedy joined the British Aircraft Corporation and moved to the Middle East to work on the development of a national air defence scheme for King Idris of Libya. On September 1 1969 a group of Army officers, including 27 year-old Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, launched a coup, and Kennedy was confined to his hotel room. Not liking this, he commandeered a taxi and told the driver to head for Tunis. On arrival, he handed over his watch as payment and boarded an aircraft for England.

After a brief spell in BAC's guided weapons division at Stevenage, Kennedy moved to Warton, Lancashire, dealing with international aircraft sales to the Middle East, particularly Oman.

In 1984 he and his wife bought Lindeth Fell on the shores of Lake Windermere, which they established as a country house hotel. Kennedy developed the extensive gardens, designed by Thomas Mawson in the early 20th century, and remained actively involved in their maintenance until late in his life. Lindeth Fell won the Good Hotel Guide's "Country Hotel of the Year Award" in 2009.

Pat Kennedy, who died on May 2, married, in 1958, Diana Clark; she survives him with their four daughters.

source: The Telegraph

Wing Commander 'Ronny' Rotheram

Wing Commander 'Ronny' Rotheram, who has died aged 92, won a DFC during the Battle of France while attacking the bridges across the Meuse at Maastricht in order to deny their use to the German Army.
The Blenheim squadrons of No 2 Group had been thrown into the battle in an attempt to stem the rapid German advance. Rotheram was a member of 107 Squadron, which on May 12 1940 was ordered to attack the Maastricht bridges.

Led by its charismatic commander Basil Embry, the Squadron attacked from 6000 feet and was immediately engulfed by heavy flak. Five of 12 Blenheims were lost in the attack and Rotheram's aircraft was hit repeatedly leaving his windscreen shattered and his observer wounded.
As he turned away from the target after dropping his bombs, Rotheram found that the controls to his port engine were severed and, as the starboard engine was damaged, he started to drop out of formation. At that moment two Me109s attacked, but he found a small patch of cloud and managed to evade them. Shortly afterwards the propeller of the port engine detached and he made a skilful forced landing which all three crew survived, although his gunner was injured.

After the crash, Rotheram and his observer were driven to an underground fort at Tildonk where they were brought before the King of the Belgians and Sir Roger Keyes, Churchill's personal emissary to the King, and questioned about the state of the bridges. Rotheram was flown back to England. He later discovered that the main bridges were already down at the time of the attack and that traffic was instead pouring over two pontoon bridges.

Rotheram was back on operations with 107 Squadron 10 days later and by the end of the month had taken part in 11 more daylight missions, nearly all against heavy opposition. His aircraft was hit on four more occasions and losses among the Blenheim force were heavy. By the end of the month, he was operating in support of the Dunkirk evacuation when he was rescued from the attentions of Messerschmitt fighters by the timely arrival of Spitfires and Hurricanes.

Ronald Cooper Rotheram was born in Dublin on August 27 1917, the third of seven sons of Major Auston Rotheram, who had been a subaltern in the 4th Hussars with Winston Churchill in India and was a member of the Ireland team at the 1908 Olympic games. Five of the brothers served in the RAF; two lost their lives in service. The Rotherams, like many Anglo-Irish families, left Ireland in the 1920s. Ronny attended Cheltenham College and later Beaumont College, and entered the RAF College at Cranwell in 1936 where he gained his full colours for rowing.

Rotheram was posted to 107 Squadron on leaving Cranwell. In April 1940 the Squadron was engaged in the Norwegian campaign including a low-level attack against the recently occupied airfield at Stavanger. After the Battle of France, Rotheram was posted to 101 Squadron, a training and reserve unit. He returned to operations in January 1941 with 105 Squadron as a flight commander and took part in shipping strikes and bombing raids on Germany and occupied Europe.

In May 1943 Rotheram was appointed Commanding Officer of 244 Squadron, an anti-submarine squadron based at Sharjah. The squadron was equipped with the Bisley, an underpowered variant of the Blenheim which was prone to crashing due to sand getting into the engines. Many aircraft were being lost and morale was understandably poor. Rotheram arranged for regular engine changes and had the armour and heavy turrets removed, which greatly improved the aircraft's reliability and flying qualities. Many hours flown on patrols without a sighting were finally rewarded when a sergeant and his crew sank the U-533 in the Gulf of Oman. Rotheram was appointed OBE for his time in command of 244 Squadron. In 1944 he attended the Middle East Staff College at Haifa.

Rotheram continued in the RAF after the war. He completed the Army Staff College course in 1947 and his later service included an appointment in Copenhagen with Sir Hugh Saunders's mission to the Royal Danish Air Force and two years as Officer Commanding RAF Kai Tak, Hong Kong. He retired from the RAF in 1972 having flown 37 aircraft types, from the Avro Tutor biplane to the Vampire jet. He later worked for Associated Books at Andover.

Ronny Rotheram, who died on April 8, married, in 1946, Catherine Askelund, the daughter of a marine engineer of Norwegian descent. She died in 1971, and in 1990 he married Audrey Danny, who survives him with a son and daughter from his first marriage.

source: The Telegraph

Free French fighter pilot who flew more than 100 missions against the Luftwaffe on the Russian Front

Jacques Marquis de Saint Phalle, who died on June 15 aged 92, was one of the last surviving French fighter pilots who flew for the small but daring Normandie-Niemen squadron of the Free French Air Force against the Luftwaffe on the Russian Front.

De Saint Phalle, whose family has lived for centuries in the Burgundian Chateau de Montgoublin and traces back to 6th century priest Saint Fal, had fled occupied France for England in the hope of flying Spitfires with the RAF on the Western Front. Instead, he found himself flying Russian Yak fighters in dogfights against Fw190s and Bf109s over the freezing plains of Russia.

Although de Saint Phalle himself flew more than 100 missions he had only one kill, shooting down an Fw190. His own Yak fighter had already been riddled with bullets and he was forced to crash-land as he saw his enemy's plane explode.

His 96-man French squadron however, shot down a total of 273 enemy aircraft between March 1943 and May 1945, giving the Yak fighter a reputation as the most lethal warplane on the Eastern Front, favourably comparing with the Spitfire that dominated over Western Europe. Such was the reputation of the Free French pilots, enhanced by powerful propaganda from their Soviet allies, that Field Marshall Keitel issued a decree that "any Free French pilot captured should be immediately executed."

Gustav Andre Jacques de Saint Phalle was born in what was then Mazagan (now El Jadida) in Morocco, on June 30, 1917. As the eldest son, he inherited the title of marquis from his father, Ferdinand Aime Tossaint Joseph de Saint Phalle, a civil engineer who had gone to Morocco to build roads and bridges after being demobbed from the Great War through injury. Jacques's mother was Anne Marguerite D'Urbal. Another branch of the de Saint Phalle family emigrated in the 1930s to America, where Jacques's neice, best known as Niki De Saint Phalle, became an internationally renowned painter, sculptor and filmmaker. She died in 2002.

As a teenager, Jacques hoped to become a monk but, with the Nazis rapidly rearming, applied instead to the Armee de l'Air. After obtaining his pilot's licence on July 7 1939, he served in Central France until war broke out in September, when he was sent to fighter pilot school at La Senia airfield in Oran, Algeria. He was there when the Wehrmacht occupied France in May 1940.

He was unable to return to the occupied 'Free Zone' of his country, where 'to earn a crust' as he put it, he worked in Foix for a charbonnier or coalman. All the Armee de l'Air, under Vichy control, could offer him was a post as a guard at the Istres airbase, which housed its slumbering Dewoitine and Morane-Saulnier fighters.

But he was intent on finding a way to escape to England and so, with the help of the Resistance, trekked over the Pyrenees disguised as a peasant, avoiding Franco's Guardia Civil and reaching the American consulate in Bilbao. From there, he made it to Seville, where he teamed up with a fellow French pilot, Henry Foucaud who had also set his sights on joining the RAF.

Together, the two Frenchmen, by train and mule-drawn cart, managed to cross the border into Portugal, reaching the British Embassy in Lisbon. They soon found themselves on a DC-3 to Bristol to link up with their compatriot pilots in the Free French GC-3 Normandie.

After Jacques lied to the squadron commander, Jean Tulasne, that he had completed the necessary 400 hours required of a skilled pilot - he had actually flown 50 - he and Foucaud found themselves flying Yaks on the Russian Front. Foucaud would die in an airfield accident in Tula, Russia in April 1944.

Later the same year, Stalin suggested remaning GC-3 the Normandie-Niemen squadron after it played a key role above the ground battles to cross the Niemen river, in present day Belarus.

From 1945 to 1975, Jacques flew for Air France, becoming the airline's first pilot to fly a 747, a far cry from his wartime Yak fighter with its 1,650hp engine. He retired to the Chateau de Montgoublin in 1975 but continued to fly and to teach as president of his local flying club. Honoured as a Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur and awarded the Croix de la Guerre by France, Jacques also received three military awards from the USSR, the Order of the Red Star, the Medal for Victory over Germany and the Order of the Patriotic War.

Jacques generally avoided using his title of Marquis although others in Burgundy who respected his family's history always did. He is survived by his second wife Agnes whom he married in 1977, by their son and his stepdaughter and by a son and stepdaughter from his first marriange to Emilie, who died in 1969.

NZ WWII war hero dies - National - NZ Herald News

I watched a documentary about him the other week - sounds like he got up to some pretty non-standard ops.

Respects to all.