Introduction and 100 Sqn Help

[greg]

Hi all - some of you may know me from the RAF Commands site. I was guided here by Steve "Smudger" Smith, a good friend of mine over many years and with whom I share a passion for rugby (of the Welsh variety!!) and beer (of any variety)

I have recently returned to researching after being away for a number of years, looking predominantly at 100 Squadron from 1917 to the present day. I also do a spot of research into No.1 Group in WW2, although these days that very much takes a back seat to my 100 Squadron activity.

So, I'm currently looking at the loss of Lanc ED559 on a mining trip on the night of 4/5 March 1943, the squadron's first operational sortie since reforming in Bomber Command. The loss card notates the body of the skipper (F/L Curle) as having been found in the sea (from what I can tell anyway - the loss card is very poor quality) on the 7th of March at (again what looks like) "St. Denis-Bayonville". Does anyone with knowledge of the area, or indeed better knowledge than me of this loss, have any further details?

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer

[Dave_Richardson]

Hi Greg

Welcome to the forum Could it be St. Denis-d'Oreron? F/L Curle is buried at the Le Chateau-d'Oleron Communal Cemetry. Oreron is a small island just to the north of the Gironde estuary and St. Denis-d'Oreron is on it's northern tip. If he's buried there it's likely his body was found close-by.

There's also a thread on the Aviation forum you may find interesting:

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=114539

Dave

[Bob Wilton]

Hi all - some of you may know me from the RAF Commands site. I was guided here by Steve "Smudger" Smith, a good friend of mine over many years and with whom I share a passion for rugby (of the Welsh variety!!) and beer (of any variety)

I have recently returned to researching after being away for a number of years, looking predominantly at 100 Squadron from 1917 to the present day. I also do a spot of research into No.1 Group in WW2, although these days that very much takes a back seat to my 100 Squadron activity.

So, I'm currently looking at the loss of Lanc ED559 on a mining trip on the night of 4/5 March 1943, the squadron's first operational sortie since reforming in Bomber Command. The loss card notates the body of the skipper (F/L Curle) as having been found in the sea (from what I can tell anyway - the loss card is very poor quality) on the 7th of March at (again what looks like) "St. Denis-Bayonville". Does anyone with knowledge of the area, or indeed better knowledge than me of this loss, have any further details?

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer

Hi Greg,

Firstly please let me welcome you to to forum.

Your aircraft was Lancaster III ED559 HW-D RAF 100 Squadron. It took off at 18:38 hours from its base on the evening of
Thursday 4th March,1943 on a Gardening Operation to drop mines in the sea between Cherbourg and Bordeaux and then
return back to its at RAF Station Grimsby. From the time it took of there were no wireless communications received from
the aircraft.It was presumed that ED559 went down in the sea of St.Nicholas on the south-west coast of France. The body
of the the pilot Flight Lieutenant Richard Alexander Curle was recovered from the sea at St.Nicholas on Saturday 3rd April,
1943,and he was buried in Chateau Ile De Oleron Cemetery.He was the only crew member of ED559 to be recovered,and all
the other crew members are remembered on the Air Forces Memorial,Runnymede Surrey England.

Information is from the Australian National Archives from the digital record of Sgt.G.W.Durdin 416149 R.A.A.F.
As all the crew was lost and there were no local witness to the crash I think that the information above is all that
will ever be available on the loss of the crew.Unless there are German Luftwaffe records which might indicate
that it was shot down by a fighter or by anti aircraft fire.

St.Nicholas is situated on the south-west coast of France,approximately 30 miles north-west of La Rochelle.

Best regards

Bob

[greg]

Dave - many thanks for a spot of local knowledge there dude!! Thanks to for the steer to the other forum, I've been and had a look and it seems that the chap whose daughter has been looking at this loss lives not too far from me in South Wales.

Bob - thanks for your detailed reply. Although I already have the vast majority of what is contained in it, it's always good from a cross-referencing point of view. It is interesting to note that Durdin's record at the NAA contains references to F/L Curle's body being found on the 3rd of April. I've just had a good look through the file and whilst there are references to MRES there appears to be nothing directly *from* MRES to substantiate this. I've just had another look at the Loss card, with and without a magnifying glass for added clarity, and whatever way I look at it I can't make it anything other than the 7th of March. I am of course assuming that this information was appended to the Loss Card after the war as a result of information received from MRES (this is normally what happened) but can't be sure. In any event it's difficult to see why else it would have been added. A little puzzler eh? I'll ponder it in the traditional Welsh lunchtime way later on - over a pint at the local

One correction to your information though Bob - you have the Sqn letters of the Lanc wrong in your information. "HW-D" is the oft-repeated but incorrect ID for this aircraft, but she was in fact carrying the letters "JA-D".

[smudgersmith218]

Greg,

Welcome to the forum old chap.

A friendly bunch with a vast knowledge of information accumulated over the years. Its good to see one of the “other” groups represented, too many No.5 Group researcher for my liking

Smudger

[greg]

Hi Greg

Welcome to the forum Could it be St. Denis-d'Oreron? F/L Curle is buried at the Le Chateau-d'Oleron Communal Cemetry. Oreron is a small island just to the north of the Gironde estuary and St. Denis-d'Oreron is on it's northern tip. If he's buried there it's likely his body was found close-by.

There's also a thread on the Aviation forum you may find interesting:

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=114539

Dave

I've just tried to post a reply on that thread Dave, but it wont let me. I've registered as a user on the forum and clicked the link emailed to me - do I need to wait for an Admin to approve me to post do you know?

Cheers and all the best,

Greg

[greg]

Greg,

Welcome to the forum old chap.

A friendly bunch with a vast knowledge of information accumulated over the years. Its good to see one of the “other” groups represented, too many No.5 Group researcher for my liking

Smudger

Cheers Smudge - we Taffs like a friendly bunch!!

And we all know that 1 Group led from the front, despite what you might hear elsewhere

[smudgersmith218]

Greggers,

Not from me old fruit, Lancasters flew far to high for the poor old 3 Group lads, 3 Group used an AA road map to target. Left the altitude stuff to your lot and that "other" Group!!

Smudge

[K4KittyCrew]

Welcome to the forum, Greg. I won't mention the Wallabies good win but will say that we have a great bunch of members here who are only too happy to help out with any query.
Cheers,
John

[Dave_Richardson]

Hi Greg

I'm not sure if you need the Admin approval to post. I've had a quick look at the FAQ's on the forum and that was no use! You could try sending an email and put the question to one of the Historic Aviation Mods on this link: http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showgroups.php

i don't know about local knowledge, mate - Google Maps can be your friend!!!!

Dave