Wevelgem flugplatz (The Allied story)

[Harry Jacobson]

My father Clifford Arthur Hewitt was in the advance party which arrived in Wevelgem at the beginning of September 1944, he came before Harold Jacobsen who arrived about the 17th I believe. He was originally 511fru, then 151RU, he also had a certificate for the Christmas party for the children in 1944, we went over a few years ago and met with Etienne Veneker and his wife who had been at the party. Etienne borrowed our certificate and we think it is now in the little Museum on the Airfield.

Hi I'm Harry Jacobson's eldest son. Dad died 13 July 2012. I live in Somerset now. Went to Wevelgem with my son in 2011 and met Etienne and Annie. Thanks for your post. Just searching and came across it. Harry

 

[Harry Jacobson]

already opened a topic about the german side and this is his Allied counterpart.

RAF Squadrons operating out of Wevelghem.

No.2 Squadron.
15 May 1940 Detachment. (Lysander II)

No.74 Squadron.
17 September 1944. (Spitfire LFIXE)

No.329 Squadron.
17 September 1944. (Spitfire IX)

No.340 Squadron.
17 September 1944. (Spitfire IX)

No.341 Squadron.
17 September 1944. (Spitfire IX)

No.345 Squadron.
1 November 1944. (Spitfire HFIX)

The Allied forces liberated Wevelgem in 1944. Soon after that they found the airfield interesting for their own warfare. the damaged airfield was repaired and soon after that the first squadrons arrived.

Groupe de chasse 1/2 cicognes where one of the 2 French squadrons who staid a while in Wevelgem.

A piece about wevelgem airfield viewed from No. 151 Repair Unit.

The Merlins, Alisons and Griffons roar,
The Sabres Rattle,
The Wasps Sting,
The Cyclones Blow,
and
The little Lycomings purr away.
These engines left our good unit for those on high, flying above and around us.
In their going out and their coming safely back, the Aircrew thanks go to 151.
The story of 151 enshrines the past,
As leaf by leaf,
So day by day,
Year by year,
Reunion after reunion,
The stories of our lives unfold.
Our eyes grow dim, our hair turns grey,
Could we, but have read when 151 began
That the story of our works would stand?
Through all our days and all our nights
Until the enemies were put to flight
- Epitaph to No. 151 Repair Unit (Aircraft), 2nd Tactical Air Force,
Wevelgem, Belgium, 1944-45, by Harold E Jacobson, ex. 151RU(A)

In September 1944, three Queen Mary lorries, each loaded with an aircraft engine test bench, and a Hillman Utility loaded with emergency rations, arrived at Wevelgem Airfield, near Brussels in Belgium. This was an advance party from No. 151 Repair Unit (Aircraft) - or 151RU(A) - a detachment of the 2nd Tactical Air Force.
Wevelgem itself had had a pedigree flying history, having been used by German flying ace Baron Von Richthofen during WW1, and from 1942 by the 'Top Guns of the Luftwaffe', the JG26, under the jurisdiction of legendary Jagdgeschwader General Adolph Galland.
But in 1944, Wevelgem was back under Allied control, initially under a Free French squadron of Spitfires. By the time the main unit of No. 151 Repair Unit (Aircraft) arrived in October 1944, the advance party had already established three aircraft engine test benches in position and ready for work. Eventually, there were six benches;

1. two for the Merlins
2. one for Wright-Cyclones
3. one for a Pratt and Witney Twin Wasp
4. one for a Lycoming
5. one for Griffon engines (for the Spitfires of 610 Squadron)

In addition, a Hawker Typhoon EJ693 was adapted by 151 RU (Repair Unit) as a test bench for Napier Sabre engines. All in all, the unit was able to service nine aircraft of the 2nd Tactical Air Force, four British and five American.

1. Spitfire (British)
2. Typhoon (British)
3. Mosquito (British)
4. Tempest (British)
5. Mustang (US)
6. Boston (US)
7. Mitchell (US)
8. Marauder (US)
9. Auster (US)

Standard propellers were used with a depression box to take the engines up to their rated altitudes. Notably, this was the only engine test bench facility in the 2nd Tactical Air Force and played a vital role in keeping the aircraft flying. And from the first engine test in November 1944, the two Merlin benches worked three shifts a day, day-in, day-out, until beyond VE Day, 8 May 1945.
During that period, at Christmas 1944, the men of 151RU(A) gave a festive party for the 2,000 or so children of Wevelgem. It was the same time as the Ardennes Offensive.

'We served the children carrying our Sten Guns and two clips of ammunition, whilst serving the children with currant bread and cocoa as the Germans dropped their troops behind our lines. One of the young children, Anny, sang God Save The King, in English. She is now is a very close friend of ours, and her husband Etienne Vanackere is now curator of the Wevelgem Airfield Museum.'
- Harold E Jacobson

Harry Jacobson formed part of the advance party arriving at Wevelgem from RAF Odiham in September 1944. With his wife Min, and uniquely for an English couple, he was invited to and attended a Luftwaffe reunion from 12-15 May 1994, there meeting up with members of the old JG26 who had used Wevelgem from 1942-44. The speech he gave, whilst exchanging plaques with ex-JG26 Luftwaffe flier, Gottfried Schmidt, at the reunion was approved by then British Prime Minister, John Major.
Harry also revisited Wevelgem Cemetery on 18 May 1997, laying there a wreath to commemorate those who lost their lives during WW2. Over 2,000 RAF and Commonwealth aircrew are buried in Belgium, some of whom share the same Flanders soil as their relatives who died in 1914-18.

A hartwarming story wich my grandfather and grandmother still remember (they were about 12-13 years old then) The y are still thankfull to those fine English soldiers.

After the war Wevelgem remained an important "RAF- repair" airfield.

My dad, Harry Jacobson passed away 13 July 2012. Hope I can carry on his legacy for his grandchildren.

 

[Godot]

Hi, my great grandfather also had one of these certificates (attached). My great grandfather is a hero to me, however I know almost nothing of his service as he passed away several decades ago now. I've tried looking online about this certificate however this is the only forum with proof of another remaining version. What I find interesting in comparison to the two is the names are written in entirely different fashions. Hopefully I can get some information out of this on what he was doing.

 

[Patricia]

Hallo allemaal,
Zo leuk om de foto's van Wevelgem te zien. Zou er toevallig iemand een foto hebben waar Robert Revers ( ze noemden hem Bob ) opstaat ? Hij werkte aan de vliegtuigen in Wevelgem.
Met vriendelijk groet
Patricia

 

[Wurger]

Hallo allemaal,
Zo leuk om de foto's van Wevelgem te zien. Zou er toevallig iemand een foto hebben waar Robert Revers ( ze noemden hem Bob ) opstaat ? Hij werkte aan de vliegtuigen in Wevelgem.
Met vriendelijk groet
Patricia

Welcome to the forum.
However it is an international board and I would like to ask for using of the English that is the main language here.

 

[SaparotRob]

Hi Patricia, welcome.

 

[Patricia]

Hi Rachel,
I am pleased that you found your father on the pictures, I hoped you would.
My grandfather is 6 to the left of your father on the last picture and second row from the back, second on the left, on the second photo. They must have been in the same section and have known each other.
I have got an old serviette from the 23rd December 1944 from a Christmas dinner, signed by all the unit, I will see if I can find your father on it, some have written messages and addresses. It is somewhat delicate as it is very cheap paper with Christmas printing and has been folded several times, so I try not to handle it too much. If i can find your father I will try to scan it.
Best regards
John

Hi John,
My grandfather was also based in Wevelgem.
So i think he was also present at the christmas dinner in the same period. We don't have any souvenirs of him because my grandmother died. His name was Reeves (Bob??)
Have you any notice about this name on your paper of do you know some people who can help us. Thanks in advance.

Many Greetz,

Patricia

 

[JCB1966]

Hi John,
My grandfather was also based in Wevelgem.
So i think he was also present at the christmas dinner in the same period. We don't have any souvenirs of him because my grandmother died. His name was Reeves (Bob??)
Have you any notice about this name on your paper of do you know some people who can help us. Thanks in advance.

Many Greetz,

Patricia

Hi Patricia, I will dig the serviette out and see if I can see your grandfather's signature. Did he complete his training at RAF Odiham, as most did ? If so I have some group photographs that were taken in about 1942-1944. I also have one of the RAF choir in Wevelgem, which my grandfather belonged to. You might find your grandfather in one of the photos. I think the photos are of D-Flight 151 FRU. I know that there were a couple of thousand personnel, so he might not be in the photos, if he was attached to a different flight.
Nice to hear from you,
Kind regards
John

 

[Patricia]

Hi Patricia, I will dig the serviette out and see if I can see your grandfather's signature. Did he complete his training at RAF Odiham, as most did ? If so I have some group photographs that were taken in about 1942-1944. I also have one of the RAF choir in Wevelgem, which my grandfather belonged to. You might find your grandfather in one of the photos. I think the photos are of D-Flight 151 FRU. I know that there were a couple of thousand personnel, so he might not be in the photos, if he was attached to a different flight.
Nice to hear from you,
Kind regards
John

Hi John ,
Thank you very much for the photo's you posted. We are now trying to find out if our grandfather is on it because our problem is that we do not know what he looks like,we have never seen a picture of him. We only know his name and that he worked on the planes in Wevelgem during that period.In that photo of the choir there is someone in the last row second from the right who looks like a cousin of ours would anyone know his name ?
Thank you in advance !
Many regards
Patricia

 

[JCB1966]

Hi Patricia, I will dig the serviette out and see if I can see your grandfather's signature. Did he complete his training at RAF Odiham, as most did ? If so I have some group photographs that were taken in about 1942-1944. I also have one of the RAF choir in Wevelgem, which my grandfather belonged to. You might find your grandfather in one of the photos. I think the photos are of D-Flight 151 FRU. I know that there were a couple of thousand personnel, so he might not be in the photos, if he was attached to a different flight.
Nice to hear from you,
Kind regards
John

Hi Patricia,
I was unable to find you grandfather's signature on the serviette. In fact, now that I have looked at it again, there are only one or two RAF signatures on it, most of them seem to be local Belgians and mainly women at that, typical of my grandfather ! I do not have any names for the choir other than Group Captain Donald Steer who was the choir leader and conductor. He is in the front row seated and wearing glasses, slightly to the left of center. if you draw a line through the center of the photo my grandfather is slap bang in the center, towards the back. I do know that he kept in touch with Frank Wormall, Harry Allen & Tony Shanks. It is a pity that you don't have any pictures of your grandfather, could anyone else in the family help ?
Best regards
John

 

[Patricia]

Hi Patricia,
I was unable to find you grandfather's signature on the serviette. In fact, now that I have looked at it again, there are only one or two RAF signatures on it, most of them seem to be local Belgians and mainly women at that, typical of my grandfather ! I do not have any names for the choir other than Group Captain Donald Steer who was the choir leader and conductor. He is in the front row seated and wearing glasses, slightly to the left of center. if you draw a line through the center of the photo my grandfather is slap bang in the center, towards the back. I do know that he kept in touch with Frank Wormall, Harry Allen & Tony Shanks. It is a pity that you don't have any pictures of your grandfather, could anyone else in the family help ?
Best regards
John

Hi John ,
Thank you so much for the info and searching the serviette. In the meantime I have also been to the aviation museum in Wevelgem to view photo's there , but also without result because I only know the name and not what he looked like . It keeps searching …
Many regards and thanks again
Patricia