Traces of World War 2 
RAF - No. 61 Squadron
10/05/1940 - 30/06/1940

      home - latest update 28 July 2008


61 SQUADRON - Bomber, Handley Page Hampden
Bomber Command, 5 Group (Hampdens) - Air Vice-Marshal AT Harris

History | Operations and losses | Sources | Links | Books | Questions and/or remarks



In World War 2 No. 61 Squadron flew with No. 5 Group, Bomber Command, and took part in many notable operations including: the first bombing raid on a German land target (Hornum, 19/20th March 1940), the first big bombing raid on the German mainland (Monchengladbach, 11/12th May 1940), the first bombing raid on Berlin (25/26th August 1940), the epic attacks on Le Creusot and Peenemunde (17th October 1942 and 17/18th August 1943, respectively), the successive drainings of the Dortmund-Ems and Mitteland Canals (late 1944), and the attack on Wesel just before the crossing of the Rhine (23rd/24th March 1945).

Beginning operations with Hampdens, the squadron was given Manchesters towards the end of 1941 and later (spring 1942), Lancasters. Four of its Lancasters - ED860 "N-Nan", EE176, JB138 and LL483 each became veterans of more than 100 operational sorties. Records show that in the case of the first three aircraft, the long road to their centuries included participation in the raid on 3rd/4th November 1943, when Flight Lieutenant William Reid of No. 61 Squadron won the Victoria Cross.

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Operations and losses 10/05/1940 - 30/06/1940
Not all operations listed; those with losses are.

11-12/05/1940: Mönchengladbach, D
13-14/05/1940: Communications, NL and D
23-24/05/1940: Communications, D. 1 Plane lost, 4 POW
09-10/06/1940: Communications, D. 1 Plane lost, 4 KIA
13/06/1940: Training, UK. 1 Plane lost, 2 KIA, 2 WIA
20-21/06/1940: Communications, D. 1 Plane lost, 4 KIA
21-22/06/1940: Schwerte, D. 1 Plane lost, 3 KIA, 1 POW
27-28/06/1940: Gardening. 1 Plane lost, 1 KIA, 3 POW
29-30/06/1940: Geestacht, D. 2 Planes lost, 2 KIA, 4 MIA*, 2 POW

* - One of these missing is buried in The Netherlands as 'unknown RAF Officer'.

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Flying Officer (Pilot) Derek C.G. Clinkard, RAF 39855 (NZ), 61 Sqdn., age 24, 08/03/1940, Scotter Cemetery, UK
Sergeant (Obs./Air Gnr.) Ronald P. Glasson, RAF 580651, 61 Sqdn., age 19, 08/03/1940, Vale Road Churchyard Extension, Clewer, New Windsor, UK
Sergeant (Pilot) Charles C. Hobbs, RAFVR 740516, 61 Sqdn., age unknown, 08/03/1940, Haltemprice (Hessle) Cemetery, UK
Leading Aircraftman (W. Op./Air Gnr) Winston K. Wood, RAF 550803, 61 Sqdn., age 20, 08/03/1940, Blackpool Cemetery, UK

Aircraftman 1st Class Harry S. Burke, RAF 551687, 61 Sqdn., age 19, 12/03/1940, Stockport Borough Cemetery, UK
Sergeant (Obs.) John D. Hartley, RAF 580655, 61 Sqdn., age 20, 12/03/1940, Brighton and Preston Cemetery, UK
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Eric I. Hewett, RAF 41178, 61 Sqdn., age 24, 12/03/1940, Black Bourton (or Burton Abbots) (St. Mary) Churchyard, UK
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Albert C. Manaton, RAF 41600, 61 Sqdn., age 19, 12/03/1940, City of Westminster (Paddington) Cemetery, Mill Hill, UK
Aircraftman 1st Class (W. Op./Air Gnr.) Alec Mullineux, RAF 610830, 61 Sqdn., age 20, 12/03/1940, Walkden (St. Paul) Churchyard, UK

Sergeant James Atkinson, RAF 515180, 61 Sqdn., age unknown, 15/04/1940, missing
Sergeant Victor Emanuel, RAF 563099, 61 Sqdn., age 27, 15/04/1940, missing
Sergeant Ronald Etheridge, RAF 565877, 61 Sqdn., age 35, 15/04/1940, missing
Aircraftman 1st Class Peter G. Graham, RAF 531827, 61 Sqdn., age 19, 15/04/1940, missing

Pilot Officer (Pilot) Jack E.A. Friend, RAF 40818, 61 Sqdn., age unknown, 01/05/1940, Stradishall (St. Margaret) Churchyard, UK
Sergeant (Obs.) Charles Frost, RAF 580650, 61 Sqdn., age unknown, 01/05/1940, Birkenhead (Flaybrick Hill) Cemetery, UK
Flying Officer (Pilot) Charles W. Glover, RAF 39659 (Canada), 61 Sqdn., age 27, 01/05/1940, Harpswell (St. Chad) Churchyard, UK
Aircraftman 1st Class (W.Op./Air Gnr.) John B. Greenall, RAF 547006, 61 Sqdn., age 21, 01/05/1940, Darlington North Cemetery, UK

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11-12/05/1940: Mönchengladbach, D

19 Hampdens (of 49 Sqdn., 61 Sqdn. and 144 Sqdn.) and 18 Whitleys (of 51 Sqdn., 58 Sqdn., 77 Sqdn. and 102 Sqdn.) bomb road and rail targets in Mönchengladbach - the first raid on a German town. 2 Hampdens and 1 Whitley lost; 4 people killed.

One of the 61 Sqdn. pilots involved in this mission was C. A. 'Toby' Baskett (The Times, 24-12-2007)


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13-14/05/1940: Communications, NL and D


Three planes of No. 144 Squadron and three of No. 61 Squadron, bombed German lines of communication between Eindhoven (NL) and the German city Aachen.

Six planes of No. 50 Squadron bombed the bridges at Maastricht and Maaseyk. Two planes returned with their loads still onboard, for they had not been able to locate any targets.

The results of these missions are unknown.

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23-24/05/1940: Communications, D

50 Hampdens, 48 Wellingtons and 24 Whitleys (a.o. 102 Sqdn.) bomb communications and transport targets in Germany, Holland, Belgium and France. 2 Hampdens and 1 Whitley lost.

Type: HP52 Hampden Mk.B.1
Serial number: L4146, QR-R
Operation: Communications
Lost: 24/05/1940
F/S T.A. Ross PoW
Sgt J.W. Wootton PoW
Sgt E.P. Corrigan PoW
Cpl L. Walker PoW
Airborne from Hemswell to attack rail communications in tactical support for the BEF in France. Ran out of fuel and forced landed on a patch of clear ground in the Black Forest between Horb and Rottweil, two small towns SW of Stuttgart, Germany. Horb, on the north bank of the River Neckar, being some 54 km SW. Initially the pilot though they had come down in Scotland and it is assumed that a faulty gyro-compass brought about their unexpected arrival in captivity.

Sergeant Eugene P. Corrigan died from peritonitis 02/03/1941. He is buried in the Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. F/S T.A.Ross was interned in Camps 8B/L1/357, PoW No.13037. Cpl L.Walker in Camps 12A/8B/L1/L3, PoW No.13099. Sgt J.W.Wootton in Camps 8B/357, PoW No.13055.


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09-10/06/1940: Communications, D

Type: HP52 Hampden Mk.B.1
Serial number: P4336, QR-?
Operation: Communications
Lost: 10/06/1940
Squadron Leader (Pilot) Leslie S. Lawrence, RAF 37409, 61 Sqdn., DFC, age unknown, 10/06/1940, Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, D
Flying Officer (Pilot) James R. Guthrie, RAF 33314, 61 Sqdn., age 22, 10/06/1940, Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, D
Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.) John Fraser, RAF 552209, 61 Sqdn., age unknown, 10/06/1940, Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, D
Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.) Henry C. Davies, RAF 523102, 61 Sqdn., age unknown, 10/06/1940, Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, D
Airborne from Hemswell. Hit by Flak and crashed at Krefeld- Uerdingen on the west bank of the Rhine, Germany.

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13/06/1940: ?

Type: Hampden I
Serial number: P4339, QR-H
Operation: Training
Lost: 13/06/1940
P/O D.A. Helsby - injured
Pilot Officer (Pilot) George A. Atkinson, RAF 42329 (Ireland) , 61 Sqdn., age 22, 13/06/1940, Middleton Stoney (All Saints) Churchyard, UK
Sergeant (Obs.) Sydney J. Golding, RAF 516472 , 61 Sqdn., age 30, 13/06/1940, Eyam (St. Lawrence) Churchyard, UK
Sgt Hutchinson - injured.
Took off at circa 12.00 hrs from Upper Heyford. Collided at 20 feet with 16 OTU Hampden L4138 which had taken off on what, tragically, proved to be a converging course. The three occupants of the 16 OTU machine were injured, two of them seriously.

Sources: CWGC; W.R. Chorley, Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, Volume 1, 1939/40 and W.R. Chorley, Bomber Command Losses. Volume 7. Operational Training Units 1940-1947, Midland Publishing, 2002

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20-21/06/1940: Communications, D

Type: HP52 Hampden Mk.B.1
Serial number: P4355, QR-?
Operation: Communications
Lost: 20/06/1940
Flying Officer (Pilot) Albert .S. Smith, RAF 40187, 61 Sqdn., age 23, 20/06/1940, Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, D
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Colin Matheson, RAF 41722, 61 Sqdn., age unknown, 20/06/1940, Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, D
Sergeant (Obs.) Rex S. Powell, RAF 614266, 61 Sqdn., age 28, 20/06/1940, Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, D
Sergeant (W. Op.) William S. Rowcliffe, RAF 631427, 61 Sqdn., age unknown, 20/06/1940, Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, D
Airborne from Hemswell. Shot down by Flak near Rheine, Germany. All are buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.

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21-22/06/1940: Schwerte, D

Type: HP52 Hampden Mk.B.1
Serial number: P4346, QR-?
Operation: Schwerte
Lost: 22/06/1940
F/L D.M. Barrett PoW
Pilot Officer (Pilot)Jeffrey G. Mitchell, RAF 41862, 61 Sqdn., age unknown, 22/06/1940, Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, D
Sergeant (Obs.) Roland Houghton Brown, RAF 581100, 61 Sqdn., age 22, 22/06/1940, Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, D
Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.) Charles N. Webster, RAF 631464, 61 Sqdn., age 19, 22/06/1940, Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, D
Airborne from Hemswell. Hit by Flak which destroyed the tailplane. Crashed near Jollenbeck, 6 km NNW of Bielefeld, Germany. F/L D.M.Barrett was interned in Camps L1/L3. PoW No.93



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27-28/06/1940: Gardening

Type: HP52 Hampden Mk.B.1
Serial number: L4112, QR-?
Operation: Gardening (mine laying)
Lost: 28/06/1940
P/O S.B. Morley PoW
P/O N.E. Hope PoW
Sgt B.D. McPherson PoW
Sergeant (W. Op. [Air]) William F. Anderson, RAF 532047, 61 Sqdn., age 23, 28/06/1940, Kiel War Cemetery, D
Airborne from Hemswell on a mine-laying operation in Kiel Bay (Wallflowers Region). Shot down by KriegMarine Flak and crashed into the waters of Kiel Bay. Sgt Anderson is buried in Kiel War Cemetery. P/O N.E.Hope was interned in Camps L1/L3, PoW No.99 with P/O S.B.Morley, PoW No.106. Sgt B.D.McPherson in Camps L1/L6/357, PoW No.70.



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29-30/06/1940: Geestacht, D

Type: HP52 Hampden Mk.B.1
Serial number: P4356, QR-?
Operation: Geestacht
Lost: 30/06/1940
Flying Officer (Pilot) George M. Wyatt, RAF 40453, 61 Sqdn., age 21, 30/06/1940, Becklingen War Cemetery, D
P/O L.S. Adams PoW
Sgt H.G. Hill PoW
Sergeant (W.Op. [Air]) Ralph Burnett, RAF 619744, 61 Sqdn., age 22, 30/06/1940, Becklingen War Cemetery, D
Airborne from Hemswell. Shot down by Flak. Crash-site not established. P/O L.S.Adams was interned in Camps L1/L3. PoW No.94. Sgt H.G.Hill in Camps L1/L3/L6, PoW No.133.

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Type:
HP52 Hampden Mk.B.1
Serial number: P4341, QR-?
Operation: Geestacht
Lost: 30/06/1940
Pilot Officer Alfred G. Pascoe, RAF 40746 (Australia), 61 Sqdn., age 23, 30/06/1940, missing
Pilot Officer Alexander C. Ennis, RAF 70896, 61 Sqdn., age 25, 30/06/1940, missing
Sergeant James W. Greig, RAF 548517, 61 Sqdn., age 21, 30/06/1940, missing
Sergeant Fred Pursglove, RAF 516705, 61 Sqdn., age 26, 30/06/1940, missing
Airborne from Hemswell. Shot down by Flak and crashed into the sea off Holland. The remains of a Pilot Officer of Hampden P4341 are buried in Schipluiden General Cemetery, Netherlands. The casualty is known to be either Pilot Officer A G Pascoe or Pilot Officer A C Ennis.
Three bodies were not recovered. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

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Sources

Air Force POWs 1939-1945
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Lost Bombers
Royal Air Force - 61 Squadron
RAF - Campaign Diary - The Battle of France (May-June 1940)
RAF History - Bomber Command
RAF Museum: British Military Aviation in 1940
RAF Order of Battle, France, 10th May 1940
Royal Air Force History Section
The Royal Air Force, 1939-1945
The Second World War - a day by day account

War over Holland

Books

W.R. Chorley, Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, Volume 1, 1939/40, Midland Counties Publications, ISBN 0 904597 85 7
Cecil Lewis 'Sagittarius Rising' (RFC) (Peter Davies 1936)
Chris Ward '61 Squadron' (Bomber Command Profile no. 19)

Links

Aircraft crashes North Yorkshire Moors
Air Aces
Airwar over Denmark
Allied World War II Casualties in the Netherlands
Armée de l'Air - Order of Battle, 10th May 1940
Australian Wargraves
Axis History Factbook
Battle-of-Britain.com
De Belgen in Engeland 1940-1945 (in Dutch)
Belgian Aviation History Association Archaeological Team
British Aviation Archaeological Council - Books and research links
CWGC Cemeteries Netherlands
Czechoslovak airmen in the RAF 1940-1945
Danish WW2 Pilots

Håkans aviation page (from Sweden, in English)
'High flight', poem by John Gillespie Magee
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death, poem by W.B. Yeats
Jagdgeschwader 27 (in German)
Luchtoorlog ('Arial War', in Dutch, with many photos)
The National Ex-Prisoners of War Association
Naval History.net
Nordic Aviation during WW2
Pilotfriend.com: aircraft of WW2
Polish Air Force 1940-1947 Operations Record Books
RAF Battle of Britain
De Slag om de Grebbeberg
(Dutch)
Warbird Alley
World War II Aircraft wrecksites in Norway
www.bomber-command.de

Bills-Bunker.de
North East Diary 1939-1945
Wartime Leicester and Leicestershire


The Aerodrome - Aces and Aircraft of World War 1


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This page is dedicated to the men of 61 Squadron.

© Bart FM Droog / Rottend Staal Online 2008. Permission granted for use of the data gathered here for non commercial purposes, if this source is mentioned with a link to http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/index.html