Looking for information on Stirling Aircraft & Crews ?

[Oggie2620]

I have copies of Vol 1 & 3 of Errol Martyns excellent For your tomorrow and would be willing to do look ups on New Zealanders. Errol is also available on a couple of the other forums and is a mine of information about esoterica relating to New Zealanders.
Dee

[notned]

Gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself,

My Name is Paul Denton and i live in New Zealand.I am married to the lovely Mamiko and we have 2 sons, Sebastian and Charlie.
I collect RNZAF Wartime memorabilia, Tunics, ( Named) Flying gear, hats, webbing, Books, medals and badge both cloth and metal.Basically i try to complete ensembles that i can display on a mannequin.

My main focus is collecting named gear, therefore i get to research the man behind the items. I can then dress up a mannequin in his uniform etc, and display him and tell his story. Not all chaps who served were decorated for their efforts and this is one way to preserve their memory.

I was recently given a Stirling pilots uniforms hat, medals and photographs and a copy of his logbook,, ( Hope to get the real logbook soon) He flew with 15 SQn Between 8/2/43 to the 26/8/43 after completing a full tour of Ops.
His Name:F/O ( later Flt/Lt) Francis Irvine Norris RNZAF.
He and his crew flew Stirling BK-654 LS-W
From the book, the history of 15 Squadron, while he gets a few mentions in the history there is no photo of him and his crew. A quick look at the history and I think it said that one time he flew an aircraft called Madam X.

On the 16 April 1943 on an attack on Mannheim, F/O Norris flying Stirling BK654 LS-W came under the attention of the searchlights for ten minutes but after much evasive action BK654 managed to slip into the safety of the night. The gunners fired on the base of the blinding ray and much to their amazement the tenacious beams went out. At the de-briefing F/O Norris and his crew reported a friendly aircraft being shot down and three parachutes emerging from the stricken bomber.
One Sortie that they had a bit of a “Shaky Do” is described below…
on the 4/5 May 1943 they attacked Dortmund, he was flying Stirling BK654 LS-W, just as they were about to release their bombs they were hit by flak, one engine was hit and the blades broke off and hit the other engine this was at 01.14 hours, they jettisoned the bombs over the target area and returned to base.

On an attack on Dortmund on the 23 May 1943. F/L Norris was forced to return early when the electrical circuits operating the bomb doors on his Stirling failed.

Gil Marsh was detailed to fly with F/L Norris on the 3 July 1943 for an attack on Cologne, he took off at 23.30 in Stirling BK654 LS-W before they reached Amsterdam 6 aircraft went down. By the time they reached the target it was a blazing inferno with smoke palls rising to approximately 8000 feet. Their job done they turned their Stirling for home.

On the 24/25 July 1943 F/L Norris was detailed to attack Hamburg, but he had trouble with his starboard inner engine of BK654 LS-W and had to return early and landed at home base after jettisoning his bombs safe in the sea at 00.25.
This is what he got up to after being tour expired;
to 1657 CU 25/8/43 presumably as staff pilot/instructor, for his "rest" tour),
Whilst in the UK he also attended an OTU Staff Pilots course (No.45) at
3 FIS 31/8 - 28/9/43, attended a Hercules engine course (No. 146) at No. 1
ECDU (at 11 OTU, Westcott) 15/4 - 9/5/44, and qualified for a Cat B ME
instructors rating (Instructors Category on Multi-Engine aircraft) on
27/10/44. (He passed all these courses).
Presume the course at 3 FIS was to prepare him for his duties at 1657 CU, and the Hercules engine course would be to brush up on his engine handling at the same unit, so that he could pass on his accumulated wisdom with some theoretical understanding to
his pupils. I am not so certain about his qualification as a Cat B-ME
instructor but it was possibly completed within the 1657 (Heavy) CU, and was
possibly formally qualifying for duties that he had in fact been carrying
out for the previous 12 months or so!

I have him noted as being at 13 OTU 14/11/44 (Mosquito conversion and re-crewing, etc),
to 2 GSU (2 Group Support Unit) 25/2/45,

Frank went on to fly Mosquitos with 487 (NZ) SQN from the 6/3/45 Flying one Op on the night of 8-9/3/45
Which was the night bombing of a marshalling yard using the apparatus called "Gee",between 2155 – 0025 hours


Any info on him and his crew would be appreciated, photos of BK654 would be excellent!

Anyway i hope to enjoy the company of other forumites and learn more!

Kind regards from New Zealand
Paul Denton

[M Simpson]

Hi Paul,
A photo of a Stirling coded LS-W and reckoned to be BK654 appears on page 184 of my edition of Michael Bowyer's book 'The Stirling Story'.
Hope this helps,
Regards,Mark.

[notned]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for that I will start scouring the net for a copy

Is it a clear photo? and is it just the Aircraft not any of the crew/groundcrew?

Cheers
Paul D

[M Simpson]

Hi Paul,
It is a picture of BK654 taking off from Bourn on 13 April 1943,the day XV Squadron moved to Mildenhall.The reproduction is not terribly good,about a quarter-page size and there is no credit under the photo-it might be an idea to try to contact Michael Bowyer to see who has the original and if you could get a better copy.
Regards,Mark.

[notned]

Hi Mark,

Many thanks for that!

According to his log book, he was flying BK654 that day to Mildenhall, from Bourn.

How do i contact this Michael Bowyer?

Excellent! i will really make sure i get a copy of this photo...as its Norris flying it in the Photograph!

Thanks so much!

Kind regards
Paul

[M Simpson]

Hi Paul,
You could try to contact Mr.Bowyer via the publisher Crecy Books at www.crecy.co .uk
Regards,Mark.

[Douglas]

Hi All

I have photographs of 7 Sqn taken in the early months of 1941, Flt Lt Raymond Cruickshanks DFC & Bar, Sgt John MacIntyre Ag/Wo, the CO of 7 Sqn and photographs of the crash scene of Stirling N6012.

If you would like copy of these please email me and I will send them to you. douglas.margaretmiller@hotmail.co.uk

Yours aye.

Dougie

[K4KittyCrew]

Thanks Dougie, I'm sure Bruno will be in touch and by the way, welcome to the forum.
Regards,
John

[sundancer]

Hello.
A new member from Canada, I have been scanning messages with great interest. Would anyone have information about Stirling # W7428 or its crew?
A late uncle, Flight Sergeant James LLoyd Ruthven,(F72419) of Ontario, Canada, was on his 3rd operational mission with 15 Squadron during a daylight raid 18/12/41 over Brest, France, after which he was declared missing, then KIA.
In a letter to his mother, Wing Commander P.B.B. Ogilvie expressed his condolances, and reported that the Stirling was last seen losing altitude over the target and presumed to have been hit by fighter aircraft. Where it came down was then unknown.
Thanks for any help.
Steve from Canada