The Wartime Memories Project

- RAF Honiley during the Second World War -


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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

RAF Honiley



10th September 1941 Onto operations

10th November 1941 Squadron departs for the East

20th October 1942 Move to the Midlands

17th Dec 1942 Move to N Africa

12th March 1943 Training for new role

20th April 1943 New Spitfires

5th May 1943 156 Squadron Lancaster lost

21st May 1943 On the move

June 1943 Mosquitos

5th July 1943 Training

4th August 1943 Overseas posting cancelled

5th August 1943 Operations over the continent

1st February 1945  


If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.



Those known to have served at

RAF Honiley

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List



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Want to know more about RAF Honiley?


There are:12 items tagged RAF Honiley available in our Library

  These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War.


Ernest Turgoose 626 Sqd.

My wife's late grandfather, Ernie Turgoose, volunteered and entered the RAF in 1939/40, aged approx 35. He was in Groundcrew throughout WW2, in the UK. I believe he ended the war at Wickenby, I saw his squadron photo taken in front of a Lanc, which I believe was shot there when was he with 626 Squadron. My wife recalls him saying he was also at Honiley (Warwickshire) which is our 'local' airfield. He may also have been at Honeybourne (Worcs). Does anyone remember him or know anything more about his service?

Richard Pratt



Robert Thomas Bradbury 115 Squadron

My Dad, Robert Thomas Bradbury, served as an engineer with Bomber Command in 115 Squadron. He did his initial training at Cardington. He is second left on this picture which was taken at Marham in 1940. He transferred to Honeybourne at the end of 1941 and to Honley in 1943. The second picture was taken there and Dad is in the centre of the back row. It is labelled MU Honley 1944/45

David



F/Lt. Thomas Charles "Nick" Carter 234 Squadron

Flt Lt TC Carter sketching wtched by Fg Off Bickford

Some of the pilots of 549 Sqn. Nick Carter at left.

My father Thomas Carter joined the RAF soon after his 18th birthday and started his flying training at 16FTS, Derby. At some point during these early months he was given the sobriquet 'Nick', after the hero of a popular radio series entitled 'Nick Carter Private Detective'. For the rest of his life he was known as Nick to RAF and work colleagues.

After basic flying training he was posted to 57 at RAF Hawarden to convert onto Spitfires. After 12 hours of solo on Spitfires he was suddenly posted, as a Sergeant Pilot, to RAF Roborough where he flew Lysanders on Air-Sea Rescue duties. From Roborough he was transferred to RAF Warmwell in Dorset where he continued flying Lysanders on 1487 Target Towing Flight. Finally, at the beginning of 1943 he was posted to 52 OTU at RAF Aston Down to restart his conversion onto Spitfires. This time he completed the course.

From Aston Down he joined 234 Squadron at RAF Skeabrae in the Orkneys flying Spitfire Vb and from there he moved with the squadron to RAF Honiley and then to RAF West Malling. At West Malling 234 Squadron commenced fighter sweeps and bomber escort sorties over France. During a busy couple of months Nick Carter was awarded one Messerschmitt Bf 109, probably destroyed, and one damaged.

Then, virtually all of the 234 Squadron pilots were sent to Australia to form 549 Squadron flying Spitfire Mk VIII. For the rest of the war Nick and the rest of the pilots, their aircraft serviced by RAAF groundcrew, flew in the defence of Darwin in Northern Australia.

In many ways Nick had a lucky war; despite 5 years of operational and training flying he came through unharmed. Unlike the 'aces' he did little damage to the enemy, but, in common with the vast majority of RAF aircrew who never made it into the history books he did 'his bit' and we should be immensely proud of all of them.

Chris Carter







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    The free section of the Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers. We have been helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items.

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