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michaelmaltby
Colonel
Wildcat
Major
fubar57
General
Amazing love story of a brave and lucky man.
Second World War camp survivor and wife both die on 76th wedding anniversary - Telegraph
Second World War camp survivor and wife both die on 76th wedding anniversary - Telegraph
Aw man...that brings a tear to the eye.....
Glider
Captain
That is a bit special
After 76 years together what other way to go than both together. It touched a nerve with me I must say.
Lt-Cdr John Hone
Lt-Cdr John Hone was an officer who flew biplanes in North Africa and helped to hunt the Bismarck.
Lt-Cdr John Hone, who has died aged 92, was at the sinking of the Bismarck and flew biplanes in support of the Eighth Army in North Africa.
In May 1941 Hone was sent to America, where he was to attend flying school, in the battleship Rodney. His ship was carrying 512 passengers, many in place of the normal crew, and when she was diverted to hunt down Bismarck, Hone was quickly trained as part of the crew of a turret of 16-inch guns; he helped to handle the silk-encased cordite charges, each weighing nearly 200lb, from the magazine to the breech. Hone saw nothing of the battle itself, but took some satisfaction when on May 27 1941 Bismarck was sunk.
After training at the wartime school for observers (as air navigators are called in the Navy) in Trinidad, Hone joined 821 Naval Air Squadron, flying Fairey Albacore biplanes from primitive advanced airstrips in the Western Desert in support of the Eighth Army. The work consisted of locating, and illuminating by flares, front-line targets, and night dive-bombing in cooperation with the bombers of the RAF and Allied forces. They also undertook minelaying and spotting for night coastal bombardments by the Navy. Assessing these operations by 821 (and 826) NAS, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, reckoned they were "one of the decisive factors in holding Rommel's assaults".
On October 23 1942, Hone flew two sorties on the opening night of the Second Battle of El Alamein, the battle which marked the turning point of the campaign in the Western Desert. When that seemed won, in December 1942 Hone, with the six remaining Albacores of 821 Squadron, was deployed to Hal Far, Malta, from where they attacked enemy warships and convoys in an attempt to throttle supplies to Axis forces in North Africa.
In April the next year Hone returned to Britain, and was sent to the trials unit which flew the first Fairey Firefly fighter-bombers from the experimental carrier Pretoria Castle.
After the Navy received the twin-engined de Havilland Mosquito in 1944, he was observer on the first deck-landings; and when 811 NAS was equipped with the aircraft in September 1945, he was appointed senior observer of the squadron. He flew in the Korean War from the carriers Ocean and Glory, then attended the Navy's Observer Training School as an instructor.
John Reginald Hone was born at Kingsbridge, Devon, on November 11 1921 and educated at Peter Symonds School in Winchester, where his father was a teacher. After leaving school he volunteered for the Royal Navy as aircrew.
In 1954, after his first wife, Jean Ann Bale, died from electrocution while they were on honeymoon, Hone married Joy Simpson . In 1958 Hone left the Navy and joined the Simpson family firm in the management of the Flamingo Club and Ballroom, outside Redruth.
In the 25 years that Hone was licensee of the 2,000-capacity Flamingo, the club hosted various top bands, and, in the winters, wrestling matches. As well as giving many local acts their first gig, John and Joy Hone booked big names such as Pink Floyd, Queen and Tom Jones. Being so far from London, the Hones always feared a no-show and insisted that all bookings should be contracted.
Once, when the Pretty Things failed to show on the grounds of "illness", Joy Hone tracked them down in London to discover that their "illness" was self-inflicted and made them agree to perform at the Flamingo at a reduced fee.
Johnny Hone's focus was always his local patrons and the quality of the beer he served. He was a founding member of the Campaign for Real Ale.
He was a lay assistant at Truro cathedral and a member of the Prayer Book Society.
His wife survives him with their daughter and a son.
Lt-Cdr John Hone, born November 11 1921, died July 8 2014
source: The Telegraph
Lt-Cdr John Hone was an officer who flew biplanes in North Africa and helped to hunt the Bismarck.
Lt-Cdr John Hone, who has died aged 92, was at the sinking of the Bismarck and flew biplanes in support of the Eighth Army in North Africa.
In May 1941 Hone was sent to America, where he was to attend flying school, in the battleship Rodney. His ship was carrying 512 passengers, many in place of the normal crew, and when she was diverted to hunt down Bismarck, Hone was quickly trained as part of the crew of a turret of 16-inch guns; he helped to handle the silk-encased cordite charges, each weighing nearly 200lb, from the magazine to the breech. Hone saw nothing of the battle itself, but took some satisfaction when on May 27 1941 Bismarck was sunk.
After training at the wartime school for observers (as air navigators are called in the Navy) in Trinidad, Hone joined 821 Naval Air Squadron, flying Fairey Albacore biplanes from primitive advanced airstrips in the Western Desert in support of the Eighth Army. The work consisted of locating, and illuminating by flares, front-line targets, and night dive-bombing in cooperation with the bombers of the RAF and Allied forces. They also undertook minelaying and spotting for night coastal bombardments by the Navy. Assessing these operations by 821 (and 826) NAS, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, reckoned they were "one of the decisive factors in holding Rommel's assaults".
On October 23 1942, Hone flew two sorties on the opening night of the Second Battle of El Alamein, the battle which marked the turning point of the campaign in the Western Desert. When that seemed won, in December 1942 Hone, with the six remaining Albacores of 821 Squadron, was deployed to Hal Far, Malta, from where they attacked enemy warships and convoys in an attempt to throttle supplies to Axis forces in North Africa.
In April the next year Hone returned to Britain, and was sent to the trials unit which flew the first Fairey Firefly fighter-bombers from the experimental carrier Pretoria Castle.
After the Navy received the twin-engined de Havilland Mosquito in 1944, he was observer on the first deck-landings; and when 811 NAS was equipped with the aircraft in September 1945, he was appointed senior observer of the squadron. He flew in the Korean War from the carriers Ocean and Glory, then attended the Navy's Observer Training School as an instructor.
John Reginald Hone was born at Kingsbridge, Devon, on November 11 1921 and educated at Peter Symonds School in Winchester, where his father was a teacher. After leaving school he volunteered for the Royal Navy as aircrew.
In 1954, after his first wife, Jean Ann Bale, died from electrocution while they were on honeymoon, Hone married Joy Simpson . In 1958 Hone left the Navy and joined the Simpson family firm in the management of the Flamingo Club and Ballroom, outside Redruth.
In the 25 years that Hone was licensee of the 2,000-capacity Flamingo, the club hosted various top bands, and, in the winters, wrestling matches. As well as giving many local acts their first gig, John and Joy Hone booked big names such as Pink Floyd, Queen and Tom Jones. Being so far from London, the Hones always feared a no-show and insisted that all bookings should be contracted.
Once, when the Pretty Things failed to show on the grounds of "illness", Joy Hone tracked them down in London to discover that their "illness" was self-inflicted and made them agree to perform at the Flamingo at a reduced fee.
Johnny Hone's focus was always his local patrons and the quality of the beer he served. He was a founding member of the Campaign for Real Ale.
He was a lay assistant at Truro cathedral and a member of the Prayer Book Society.
His wife survives him with their daughter and a son.
Lt-Cdr John Hone, born November 11 1921, died July 8 2014
source: The Telegraph
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
Wing Commander Bob Bray
Wing Commander Bob Bray was a bomber pilot who lit up targets in the Ruhr and during the lead-up to D-Day.
Wing Commander Bob Bray, who has died aged 93, flew 94 bombing operations over occupied Europe and won two DFCs.
By the summer of 1943, Bray had already completed more than 30 missions when he joined No 105 Squadron as the unit became part of Bomber Command's Pathfinder Force. Equipped with the new Oboe radar , the squadron's Mosquitos illuminated and marked targets with flares and target indicators for the main bomber force. Bray was in constant action from August 1943 during the Battle of the Ruhr, when industrial targets were attacked.
On the night of March 26 1944 he was flying one of six Mosquitos which dropped target indicators on the Krupps works in Essen to provide an aiming point for a force of 705 bombers. Despite complete cloud cover, Bray dropped his markers using Oboe, and proof of their accuracy came in the form of a large red glow through the cloud followed by large explosions; the glow could be seen from as far away as the Dutch coast.
On the night of May 4/5 Bray dropped a 4,000lb bomb on the IG Farbenindustrie AG chemical works at Leverkusen. Over the target, flak smashed into the starboard engine and his Mosquito lost height rapidly. Bray wrestled with the controls and managed to reach Kent flying at very low level. With one engine on fire and the other malfunctioning, he managed to land on the crash strip at Manston, near Ramsgate.
In the lead-up to the Allied landings in Normandy, Bray marked railways, marshalling yards, night fighter airfields and oil installations, mostly in France. On D-Day, he took off before dawn and dropped his markers on the huge gun battery at Longines near Cherbourg, which posed a great threat to the invading naval forces. The main force of bombers destroyed it. After attacking airfields and the docks at Le Havre, he marked the V-1 site at Reneserve on June 16. It was his final sortie with No 105 after 15 months of continuous operations. A few days later he was awarded a Bar to the DFC he had earned earlier in the war.
Robert Walter Bray was born on May 5 1921 in Sheffield and educated at King Edward VII Grammar School in the city. He joined the RAF in June 1940 and trained as a pilot.
In June 1941 he joined No 75 (NZ) Squadron to fly the Wellington, and over the next six months bombed many targets in Germany . In September he attacked La Spezia in Italy . On December 23 he took part in a raid on Düsseldorf, his 32nd and final operation with No 75 Squadron. He was later awarded his first DFC .
During a rest period as an instructor, Bray flew a Wellington in the first "1,000 Bomber" raid, on Cologne. Two nights later he flew on the second raid, in which Essen was the target.
After he had completed his tour with the Pathfinder Force in June 1944, Bray was rested until April 1945 when, at the age of 23, he was promoted to wing commander and given command of No 571 Squadron. Piloting the high-flying Mosquito, he attacked Berlin eight times in two weeks. On his eighth operation his aircraft was hit by flak but he managed to get back to base. On April 26 he bombed a seaplane base in Schleswig-Holstein. It was his 94th and final operation.
Bray was hoping to remain in the RAF after the war, but the death of his father prompted him to return home where, for the next 40 years, he ran the family business in Sheffield, the men's outfitters Bray Brothers.
A modest, self-effacing man, he greatly enjoyed golf, skiing and travelling around Europe.
Bob Bray married, in 1945, Winifred Frith, who died in 1980. His long-standing companion, Alicea Bentall, survives him.
Wing Commander Bob Bray, born May 5 1921, died August 15 2014.
source: The Telegraph
Wing Commander Bob Bray was a bomber pilot who lit up targets in the Ruhr and during the lead-up to D-Day.
Wing Commander Bob Bray, who has died aged 93, flew 94 bombing operations over occupied Europe and won two DFCs.
By the summer of 1943, Bray had already completed more than 30 missions when he joined No 105 Squadron as the unit became part of Bomber Command's Pathfinder Force. Equipped with the new Oboe radar , the squadron's Mosquitos illuminated and marked targets with flares and target indicators for the main bomber force. Bray was in constant action from August 1943 during the Battle of the Ruhr, when industrial targets were attacked.
On the night of March 26 1944 he was flying one of six Mosquitos which dropped target indicators on the Krupps works in Essen to provide an aiming point for a force of 705 bombers. Despite complete cloud cover, Bray dropped his markers using Oboe, and proof of their accuracy came in the form of a large red glow through the cloud followed by large explosions; the glow could be seen from as far away as the Dutch coast.
On the night of May 4/5 Bray dropped a 4,000lb bomb on the IG Farbenindustrie AG chemical works at Leverkusen. Over the target, flak smashed into the starboard engine and his Mosquito lost height rapidly. Bray wrestled with the controls and managed to reach Kent flying at very low level. With one engine on fire and the other malfunctioning, he managed to land on the crash strip at Manston, near Ramsgate.
In the lead-up to the Allied landings in Normandy, Bray marked railways, marshalling yards, night fighter airfields and oil installations, mostly in France. On D-Day, he took off before dawn and dropped his markers on the huge gun battery at Longines near Cherbourg, which posed a great threat to the invading naval forces. The main force of bombers destroyed it. After attacking airfields and the docks at Le Havre, he marked the V-1 site at Reneserve on June 16. It was his final sortie with No 105 after 15 months of continuous operations. A few days later he was awarded a Bar to the DFC he had earned earlier in the war.
Robert Walter Bray was born on May 5 1921 in Sheffield and educated at King Edward VII Grammar School in the city. He joined the RAF in June 1940 and trained as a pilot.
In June 1941 he joined No 75 (NZ) Squadron to fly the Wellington, and over the next six months bombed many targets in Germany . In September he attacked La Spezia in Italy . On December 23 he took part in a raid on Düsseldorf, his 32nd and final operation with No 75 Squadron. He was later awarded his first DFC .
During a rest period as an instructor, Bray flew a Wellington in the first "1,000 Bomber" raid, on Cologne. Two nights later he flew on the second raid, in which Essen was the target.
After he had completed his tour with the Pathfinder Force in June 1944, Bray was rested until April 1945 when, at the age of 23, he was promoted to wing commander and given command of No 571 Squadron. Piloting the high-flying Mosquito, he attacked Berlin eight times in two weeks. On his eighth operation his aircraft was hit by flak but he managed to get back to base. On April 26 he bombed a seaplane base in Schleswig-Holstein. It was his 94th and final operation.
Bray was hoping to remain in the RAF after the war, but the death of his father prompted him to return home where, for the next 40 years, he ran the family business in Sheffield, the men's outfitters Bray Brothers.
A modest, self-effacing man, he greatly enjoyed golf, skiing and travelling around Europe.
Bob Bray married, in 1945, Winifred Frith, who died in 1980. His long-standing companion, Alicea Bentall, survives him.
Wing Commander Bob Bray, born May 5 1921, died August 15 2014.
source: The Telegraph
Jimmy Dodds
Jimmy Dodds was a Hurricane fighter pilot who cut a swathe through enemy aircraft during the campaign in North Africa.
Jimmy Dodds, who has died aged 92, was the RAF's most successful Hurricane fighter pilot during the North African desert campaign and went on to have a distinguished flying career in East Africa.
In the summer of 1941 Dodds joined No 274 Squadron, as a teenage sergeant pilot, to fly Hurricanes. On November 18 that year a major Allied offensive against Rommel and his Panzers was launched with extensive air support. Dodds was in the thick of "Operation Crusader" from the outset, and over the next few months flew 143 operational sorties over the desert.
His first success came on December 1, when he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109. Over the next six months he was credited with shooting down 14 enemy aircraft, with a further six "probables". Most of his victims were German and Italian fighters; these had a superior performance to the Hurricane, and to offset this Dodds, when encountering hostile formations, would climb as high as possible before picking out a target well below him, then diving on it.
On one occasion he was escorting a reconnaissance aircraft when his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and he was forced to land in the desert.
He had his final success on June 17 1942, when he shot down two Italian fighters during the same engagement. His squadron then carried out a number of low-level bombing operations, Dodds completing seven sorties . He left the squadron in July, and a few months later was awarded a DFM.
James Dodds was born in Glasgow on July 22 1921 and educated at Hyndland Secondary School, where he developed a lifelong love of literature. He joined the RAF (where he was known as "Hamish") in May 1940 and trained as a fighter pilot.
Shortly after leaving No 274 Squadron in 1942 he was commissioned and remained in Egypt flying communications and training aircraft. On his return to Britain in April 1945 he joined No 56 Squadron, flying the Tempest and then the Meteor jet fighter. He left the RAF in early 1947 as a flight lieutenant but continued to fly with the RAF Reserve from Perth.
In the aftermath of war Dodds worked for several years for the King Aircraft Corporation of Glasgow, makers of aircraft components and fittings. He then went to Nairobi, where he joined Campling Vanderwal as a charter pilot. Operating 16 aircraft, this was the largest air charter company in East Africa carrying mail and making Red Cross flights between cities throughout the region.
During the Kenyan Emergency, Dodds was seconded, in 1953, to the Kenya Police Reserve Air Wing. Flying a single-engine Piper Pacer, he worked closely in support of Army operations, particularly those of the Devonshire Regiment in the Aberdare Forest. Known to the ground forces by his call sign "Eagle Green", he dropped supplies to isolated patrols and transported reinforcements to remote airstrips. To provide additional flexibility in the area, the Devons levelled out an airstrip at Kihuri which they named "Dodds Field".
Sometimes it was Dodds who provided the only radio link between ground patrols, meaning that he would have to coordinate an operation himself. His command of one such operation, involving the Devons and the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, was described in the regimental history as "masterly", and in May 1954 he was appointed MBE for his "outstanding services during the Emergency". His farewell visit to the Devons involved his landing, to the consternation of motorists, on the main Nairobi-Naivasha road — "because it was the nearest suitable strip to the Officers' Mess".
In 1955 Dodds left Kenya for New Zealand, where he joined Fieldair in Gisborne spraying a top dressing on numerous sheep stations in the area. He met his future wife, Robin, in New Zealand, and in 1956 she accompanied him back to Nairobi, where he rejoined Campling Vanderwal.
On June 30 1960 the former Belgian Congo became independent, and 10 days later Congolese soldiers mutinied against their European officers. There was widespread panic among the 97,000 whites, and Dodds immediately volunteered to join an airlift to evacuate those in the east of the country. On July 10 he flew a single-engine Comanche aircraft to the town of Bunia in the Congo, starting a shuttle between Bunia and Kasase in western Uganda, flying out to safety nuns, missionaries and civilians. Over the next four days he flew for six or seven hours a day, making nine round trips during which his small aircraft was often overloaded and the target of rifle fire.
He then made four more evacuation flights from other Congo towns, making his last on July 16, when he picked up refugees from Paulis (now Isiro) and took them to Entebbe, in Uganda.
In November 1960 Dodds left for Mwanza in Tanzania, establishing his own air charter business flying a Cessna 206. His wife did the bookings and paperwork while he traversed East Africa on both business and tourist charter flights. These included frequent visits to game parks, providing him with opportunities to indulge his keen interest in both wildlife and photography.
Dodds returned to his native Scotland in 1970, building a marina on the banks of the Caledonian Canal in Inverness. He also designed the superstructure of a cabin cruiser based on a 23ft fibreglass hull; she was hired out on the canal for some years, and chandlery, moorings, and small boat hire and sales gradually augmented the business.
Finally settled in East Berwickshire Jimmy Dodds passed his time gardening, reading and listening to classical music .
He is survived by his wife, whom he married in 1956, and by their two sons and one daughter.
Jimmy Dodds, born July 22 1921, died July 17 2014.
source: The Telegraph
Jimmy Dodds was a Hurricane fighter pilot who cut a swathe through enemy aircraft during the campaign in North Africa.
Jimmy Dodds, who has died aged 92, was the RAF's most successful Hurricane fighter pilot during the North African desert campaign and went on to have a distinguished flying career in East Africa.
In the summer of 1941 Dodds joined No 274 Squadron, as a teenage sergeant pilot, to fly Hurricanes. On November 18 that year a major Allied offensive against Rommel and his Panzers was launched with extensive air support. Dodds was in the thick of "Operation Crusader" from the outset, and over the next few months flew 143 operational sorties over the desert.
His first success came on December 1, when he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109. Over the next six months he was credited with shooting down 14 enemy aircraft, with a further six "probables". Most of his victims were German and Italian fighters; these had a superior performance to the Hurricane, and to offset this Dodds, when encountering hostile formations, would climb as high as possible before picking out a target well below him, then diving on it.
On one occasion he was escorting a reconnaissance aircraft when his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and he was forced to land in the desert.
He had his final success on June 17 1942, when he shot down two Italian fighters during the same engagement. His squadron then carried out a number of low-level bombing operations, Dodds completing seven sorties . He left the squadron in July, and a few months later was awarded a DFM.
James Dodds was born in Glasgow on July 22 1921 and educated at Hyndland Secondary School, where he developed a lifelong love of literature. He joined the RAF (where he was known as "Hamish") in May 1940 and trained as a fighter pilot.
Shortly after leaving No 274 Squadron in 1942 he was commissioned and remained in Egypt flying communications and training aircraft. On his return to Britain in April 1945 he joined No 56 Squadron, flying the Tempest and then the Meteor jet fighter. He left the RAF in early 1947 as a flight lieutenant but continued to fly with the RAF Reserve from Perth.
In the aftermath of war Dodds worked for several years for the King Aircraft Corporation of Glasgow, makers of aircraft components and fittings. He then went to Nairobi, where he joined Campling Vanderwal as a charter pilot. Operating 16 aircraft, this was the largest air charter company in East Africa carrying mail and making Red Cross flights between cities throughout the region.
During the Kenyan Emergency, Dodds was seconded, in 1953, to the Kenya Police Reserve Air Wing. Flying a single-engine Piper Pacer, he worked closely in support of Army operations, particularly those of the Devonshire Regiment in the Aberdare Forest. Known to the ground forces by his call sign "Eagle Green", he dropped supplies to isolated patrols and transported reinforcements to remote airstrips. To provide additional flexibility in the area, the Devons levelled out an airstrip at Kihuri which they named "Dodds Field".
Sometimes it was Dodds who provided the only radio link between ground patrols, meaning that he would have to coordinate an operation himself. His command of one such operation, involving the Devons and the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, was described in the regimental history as "masterly", and in May 1954 he was appointed MBE for his "outstanding services during the Emergency". His farewell visit to the Devons involved his landing, to the consternation of motorists, on the main Nairobi-Naivasha road — "because it was the nearest suitable strip to the Officers' Mess".
In 1955 Dodds left Kenya for New Zealand, where he joined Fieldair in Gisborne spraying a top dressing on numerous sheep stations in the area. He met his future wife, Robin, in New Zealand, and in 1956 she accompanied him back to Nairobi, where he rejoined Campling Vanderwal.
On June 30 1960 the former Belgian Congo became independent, and 10 days later Congolese soldiers mutinied against their European officers. There was widespread panic among the 97,000 whites, and Dodds immediately volunteered to join an airlift to evacuate those in the east of the country. On July 10 he flew a single-engine Comanche aircraft to the town of Bunia in the Congo, starting a shuttle between Bunia and Kasase in western Uganda, flying out to safety nuns, missionaries and civilians. Over the next four days he flew for six or seven hours a day, making nine round trips during which his small aircraft was often overloaded and the target of rifle fire.
He then made four more evacuation flights from other Congo towns, making his last on July 16, when he picked up refugees from Paulis (now Isiro) and took them to Entebbe, in Uganda.
In November 1960 Dodds left for Mwanza in Tanzania, establishing his own air charter business flying a Cessna 206. His wife did the bookings and paperwork while he traversed East Africa on both business and tourist charter flights. These included frequent visits to game parks, providing him with opportunities to indulge his keen interest in both wildlife and photography.
Dodds returned to his native Scotland in 1970, building a marina on the banks of the Caledonian Canal in Inverness. He also designed the superstructure of a cabin cruiser based on a 23ft fibreglass hull; she was hired out on the canal for some years, and chandlery, moorings, and small boat hire and sales gradually augmented the business.
Finally settled in East Berwickshire Jimmy Dodds passed his time gardening, reading and listening to classical music .
He is survived by his wife, whom he married in 1956, and by their two sons and one daughter.
Jimmy Dodds, born July 22 1921, died July 17 2014.
source: The Telegraph
F/Sgt Wlodzimierz "Don" Chojnacki
Don was a member of 303 Squdron, which was one of 16 Polish Fighter Squadrons in the RAF during the Second World War. It was the highest scoring Polish-manned RAF Squadron during the Battle of Britain. Of interest, according to the RAF Museum, the Poles were keen to fight but the RAF would not at first let them fly operationally. This was because few of the exiles spoke English and there was concern about their morale. What the British did not yet realise was that many of the Poles were excellent pilots. Having come through the Polish and French Campaigns, they had more combat experience than most of their British comrades and they employed superior tactics.
The photo of Don in his "Hendon Lamb" Spitfire W3506, a Mark Vb marked RF-U, was possibly taken at Northolt or Kirton in Lindsey in 1942. No. 303 Squadron records indicate that the "Hendon Lamb" Spitfire was W3506, a Spitfire Mk. Vb marked RF-U. This would date the photo to a period between 3 Oct 1941 (W3506 assigned to No. 303 Sqn) and 12 Apr 1942, when the same aircraft was lost. Damaged by a Fw 190 during a Circus 122 mission over France, it ditched five miles South-East off Dover; the pilot, P/O Wojda, was rescued by an RAF launch.
(Note the two emblems on his Spitfire. The right one is the circular "Kosciuszko" emblem of 303 Squadron, commemorating a Polish general who fought in the American Revolutionary War (note that the emblem features the stars and stripes of the American flag). The second one, "Hendon Lamb" is a presentation name of this particular Spitfire, adorned by the coat of arms of Hendon - a Lamb carrying a St George's Flag, which is seen on St Mary's Church in the town. The elaborate presentation logo is an interesting example of local patriotism. Hendon had become a municipal borough with its own mayor and the right to to have its own coat of arms only eight years previously, in 1932, when Don was going through his initial flying training.
Chojnacki career as a pilot begun in 1932 in Poznan, where he got his license. He quickly distinguished himself as a skilfull aviator. By the time the war broke out, he already was a qualified fighter instructor in the Polish Air Force.
Like many of his peers, after the demise of his home country Chojnacki escaped to Britain. There, for the 15 months' in 1941 and 1942, he served with Nos. 303 and 129 Squadrons in which he flew Spitfires Mk. Vb and Vc.
After the Dieppe Raid where he flew on Operation Jubilee, he was awarded the Polish Cross of Valour which was presented to him by the Polish President at a special parade, about two weeks after the operation.
During his Flying Career, Wlodek flew nearly 4000 hours on 28 different types of aircraft.
Wlodzimierz "Don" Chojnacki died October 1 2014 in Melbourne.
Don was a member of 303 Squdron, which was one of 16 Polish Fighter Squadrons in the RAF during the Second World War. It was the highest scoring Polish-manned RAF Squadron during the Battle of Britain. Of interest, according to the RAF Museum, the Poles were keen to fight but the RAF would not at first let them fly operationally. This was because few of the exiles spoke English and there was concern about their morale. What the British did not yet realise was that many of the Poles were excellent pilots. Having come through the Polish and French Campaigns, they had more combat experience than most of their British comrades and they employed superior tactics.
The photo of Don in his "Hendon Lamb" Spitfire W3506, a Mark Vb marked RF-U, was possibly taken at Northolt or Kirton in Lindsey in 1942. No. 303 Squadron records indicate that the "Hendon Lamb" Spitfire was W3506, a Spitfire Mk. Vb marked RF-U. This would date the photo to a period between 3 Oct 1941 (W3506 assigned to No. 303 Sqn) and 12 Apr 1942, when the same aircraft was lost. Damaged by a Fw 190 during a Circus 122 mission over France, it ditched five miles South-East off Dover; the pilot, P/O Wojda, was rescued by an RAF launch.
(Note the two emblems on his Spitfire. The right one is the circular "Kosciuszko" emblem of 303 Squadron, commemorating a Polish general who fought in the American Revolutionary War (note that the emblem features the stars and stripes of the American flag). The second one, "Hendon Lamb" is a presentation name of this particular Spitfire, adorned by the coat of arms of Hendon - a Lamb carrying a St George's Flag, which is seen on St Mary's Church in the town. The elaborate presentation logo is an interesting example of local patriotism. Hendon had become a municipal borough with its own mayor and the right to to have its own coat of arms only eight years previously, in 1932, when Don was going through his initial flying training.
Chojnacki career as a pilot begun in 1932 in Poznan, where he got his license. He quickly distinguished himself as a skilfull aviator. By the time the war broke out, he already was a qualified fighter instructor in the Polish Air Force.
Like many of his peers, after the demise of his home country Chojnacki escaped to Britain. There, for the 15 months' in 1941 and 1942, he served with Nos. 303 and 129 Squadrons in which he flew Spitfires Mk. Vb and Vc.
After the Dieppe Raid where he flew on Operation Jubilee, he was awarded the Polish Cross of Valour which was presented to him by the Polish President at a special parade, about two weeks after the operation.
During his Flying Career, Wlodek flew nearly 4000 hours on 28 different types of aircraft.
Wlodzimierz "Don" Chojnacki died October 1 2014 in Melbourne.
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fubar57
General
Jadwiga Pilsudska-Jaraczewska: Pilot daughter of Marshal Pilsudski who served the Air Transport Auxiliary during WW2
Pilsudska-Jaraczewska was among the female pilots who worked the Air Transport Auxiliary, transporting warplanes around the country, alongside such British women as Freydis Sharland and Maureen Dunlop.
Jadwiga Pilsudska-Jaraczewska, who has died at the age of 94, was a Second World War pilot and a daughter of Marshal Jozef Pilsudski, the father of Polish independence.
She was the younger of two daughters of the celebrated military leader who helped Poland regain its independence at the end of the First World War after being wiped off the map for 123 years.
He commanded Polish troops in the 1920 victory against Bolshevik forces known as "The Miracle on the Vistula" that turned the tide in Poland's favour during the Polish-Bolshevik war of 1919-1920. He went on to guide the country until his death in 1935.
Four years later his daughters fled the Nazi invasion and settled in Britain. Pilsudska-Jaraczewska was among the female pilots who worked the Air Transport Auxiliary, transporting warplanes around the country, alongside such British women as Freydis Sharland and Maureen Dunlop.
In 1944 she married a Polish Navy officer, Andrzej Jaraczewski, and later earned a degree in architecture, working for the Polish immigrant community in her free time. The sisters returned to Warsaw after the fall of communism in 1989. Her sister, Wanda, died in 2001.
Jadwiga was born in 1920, the second out-of-wedlock daughter of Pilsudski and his companion Aleksandra Szczerbinska. At the time he was unable to marry Szczerbinska because his first wife refused a divorce. They married after Pilsudski's first wife died in 1921. From their earliest years Pilsudski's daughters joined him in public appearances. They lived for a time in Belweder, a Warsaw palace that is now a presidential residence.
Jadwiga Pilsudska-Jaraczewska, pilot: born 28 February 1920; died 16 November 2014.
Pilsudska-Jaraczewska was among the female pilots who worked the Air Transport Auxiliary, transporting warplanes around the country, alongside such British women as Freydis Sharland and Maureen Dunlop.
Jadwiga Pilsudska-Jaraczewska, who has died at the age of 94, was a Second World War pilot and a daughter of Marshal Jozef Pilsudski, the father of Polish independence.
She was the younger of two daughters of the celebrated military leader who helped Poland regain its independence at the end of the First World War after being wiped off the map for 123 years.
He commanded Polish troops in the 1920 victory against Bolshevik forces known as "The Miracle on the Vistula" that turned the tide in Poland's favour during the Polish-Bolshevik war of 1919-1920. He went on to guide the country until his death in 1935.
Four years later his daughters fled the Nazi invasion and settled in Britain. Pilsudska-Jaraczewska was among the female pilots who worked the Air Transport Auxiliary, transporting warplanes around the country, alongside such British women as Freydis Sharland and Maureen Dunlop.
In 1944 she married a Polish Navy officer, Andrzej Jaraczewski, and later earned a degree in architecture, working for the Polish immigrant community in her free time. The sisters returned to Warsaw after the fall of communism in 1989. Her sister, Wanda, died in 2001.
Jadwiga was born in 1920, the second out-of-wedlock daughter of Pilsudski and his companion Aleksandra Szczerbinska. At the time he was unable to marry Szczerbinska because his first wife refused a divorce. They married after Pilsudski's first wife died in 1921. From their earliest years Pilsudski's daughters joined him in public appearances. They lived for a time in Belweder, a Warsaw palace that is now a presidential residence.
Jadwiga Pilsudska-Jaraczewska, pilot: born 28 February 1920; died 16 November 2014.
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Lieutenant General