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Those known to have served at RAF West Wickham during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Abraham B. A.. Sgt. (d.22nd June 1943)
- Andrews A. S.. Sgt. (d.22nd June 1943)
- Bradshaw E.. Sgt. (d.22nd June 1943)
- Davies D. J.. Sgt. (d.22nd June 1943)
- Gillis David. Sgt. (d.22nd June 1943)
- Henderson Gordon G.. Flt.Sgt. (d.25th June 1943)
- James Ron.
- Law R. R.. Sgt. (d.22nd June 1943)
- Peters H. N.. P/O. (d.22nd June 1943)
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 West Wickham? There are:5 items tagged RAF West Wickham 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. |
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Ron "Jimmy" James 90 Squadron My father Ron James joined 90 Squadron at West Wickham in July 1943 as mid-upper gunner in the crew of F/O Bill Day (RCAF). He flew on Stirling 'R' Roger and took part in raids on Hamburg, Essen, Turin, Peenemunde, Berlin and Mannheim. Later he transferred to 214 Squadron where he completed a second tour of operations on B-17 Flying Fortresses as part of 100 Group secret countermeasures operations. His autobiography 'I Was One of the Brylcreem Boys' has just been published and is available on Amazon. It details his personal experiences and contains some photographs.
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Sgt. David Gillis 90 Squadron (d.22nd June 1943) David Gillis was the son of John and Elizabeth Gillis of 31 Victoria Terrace Portadown, born on 4th December 1918. The 1911 Irish Census place John Gillis at the above address and lists a family of 2 daughters and 2 sons at that time. Educated at Thomas Street Public Elementary School and Portadown Technical School, David was a Sergeant in the 1st Portadown Boys Brigade and played football for Parkmount Football Club. He was employed by Hamilton Robb and was a member of Loyal Orange Lodge 127. David was trained in Canada under the Empire Air Training Scheme and met and married his wife there in 1942. His wife and baby daughter, whom he never saw, resided at Monkton New Brunswick. On his return to England he was posted to 90 Squadron of Bomber Command. Sergeant Gillis was one of a crew of 7 in a Stirling Mark 3 serial number EE887 WP-T. The other crew members were:- - Pilot Officer H.N. Peters RAAF
- Sergeant D.J. Davies RAF
- Sergeant E. Bradshaw RAF
- Sergeant B.A. Abraham RAF
- Sergeant A.S. Andrews RAF
- Sergeant R.R. Law RCAF
Their aircraft took off from West Wickham at 2345 hrs on 21st June 1943 on a bombing mission to Krefeld, Germany. The aircraft was shot down in the early hours of 22nd June by a night fighter, later identified as the German fighter ace Hauptmann H.J. Jabs, and crashed at Hoogwoud, North Holland with the loss of all of the crew. All were buried in Bergen General Cemetery in the Netherlands. David is also commemorated on Portadown War Memorial and on the Memorial in Thomas Street Methodist Church as well as on the Memorial of 1st Portadown Boys Brigade Company Old Boys Association.
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P/O. H. N. Peters 90 Squadron (d.22nd June 1943) 90 Squadron Royal Air Force, Bomber Command, Stirling Mark 3 serial number EE887 WP-T. With a seven man crew took off from West Wickham at 2345 hrs on 21st June 1943 on a bombing mission to Krefeld, Germany. The aircraft was shot down in the early hours of 22nd June by a night fighter, later identified as the German fighter ace Hauptmann H.J. Jabs, and crashed at Hoogwoud North Holland with the loss of all of the crew. Crew members were: - Pilot Officer H.N. Peters Royal Australian Air Force
- Sergeant D.J. Davies Royal Air Force
- Sergeant David Gillis Royal Air Force Volunteers Reserve
- Sergeant E. Bradshaw Royal Air Force
- Sergeant B.A. Abraham Royal Air Force
- Sergeant A.S. Andrews Royal Air Force
- Sergeant R.R. Law Royal Canadian Air Force
All are buried in Bergen General Cemetery in the Netherlands.
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Sgt. D. J. Davies 90 Squadron (d.22nd June 1943) 90 Squadron Royal Air Force Bomber Command Stirling Mark 3 serial number EE887 WP-T. With a seven man crew took off from West Wickham at 2345 hrs on 21st June 1943 on a bombing mission to Krefeld, Germany. The aircraft was shot down in the early hours of 22nd June by a night fighter, later identified as the German fighter ace Hauptmann H.J. Jabs, and crashed at Hoogwoud North Holland with the loss of all of the crew. Crew members were:- < - Pilot Officer H.N. Peters Royal Australian Air Force
- Sergeant D.J. Davies Royal Air Force
- Sergeant David Gillis Royal Air Force Volunteers Reserve
- Sergeant E. Bradshaw Royal Air Force
- Sergeant B.A. Abraham Royal Air Force
- Sergeant A.S. Andrews Royal Air Force
- Sergeant R.R. Law Royal Canadian Air Force
All are buried in Bergen General Cemetery in the Netherlands.
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Sgt. E. Bradshaw 90 Squadron (d.22nd June 1943) 90 Squadron Royal Air Force Bomber Command Stirling Mark 3 serial number EE887 WP-T. With a seven man crew took off from West Wickham at 2345 hrs on 21st June 1943 on a bombing mission to Krefeld, Germany. The aircraft was shot down in the early hours of 22nd June by a night fighter, later identified as the German fighter ace Hauptmann H.J. Jabs, and crashed at Hoogwoud North Holland with the loss of all of the crew. . Crew members were:- - Pilot Officer H.N. Peters Royal Australian Air Force
- Sergeant D.J. Davies Royal Air Force
- Sergeant David Gillis Royal Air Force Volunteers Reserve
- Sergeant E. Bradshaw Royal Air Force
- Sergeant B.A. Abraham Royal Air Force
- Sergeant A.S. Andrews Royal Air Force
- Sergeant R.R. Law Royal Canadian Air Force
All are buried in Bergen General Cemetery in the Netherlands
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Sgt. B. A. Abraham 90 Squadron (d.22nd June 1943) 90 Squadron Royal Air Force Bomber Command Stirling Mark 3 serial number EE887 WP-T. With a seven man crew took off from West Wickham at 2345 hrs on 21st June 1943 on a bombing mission to Krefeld, Germany. The aircraft was shot down in the early hours of 22nd June by a night fighter, later identified as the German fighter ace Hauptmann H.J. Jabs, and crashed at Hoogwoud North Holland with the loss of all of the crew. . Crew members were:- - Pilot Officer H.N. Peters Royal Australian Air Force
- Sergeant D.J. Davies Royal Air Force
- Sergeant David Gillis Royal Air Force Volunteers Reserve
- Sergeant E. Bradshaw Royal Air Force
- Sergeant B.A. Abraham Royal Air Force
- Sergeant A.S. Andrews Royal Air Force
- Sergeant R.R. Law Royal Canadian Air Force
All are buried in Bergen General Cemetery in the Netherlands
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Sgt. A. S. Andrews 90 Squadron (d.22nd June 1943) 90 Squadron Royal Air Force Bomber Command Stirling Mark 3 serial number EE887 WP-T. With a seven man crew took off from West Wickham at 2345 hrs on 21st June 1943 on a bombing mission to Krefeld, Germany. The aircraft was shot down in the early hours of 22nd June by a night fighter, later identified as the German fighter ace Hauptmann H.J. Jabs, and crashed at Hoogwoud North Holland with the loss of all of the crew. . Crew members were: - Pilot Officer H.N. Peters Royal Australian Air Force
- Sergeant D.J. Davies Royal Air Force
- Sergeant David Gillis Royal Air Force Volunteers Reserve
- Sergeant E. Bradshaw Royal Air Force
- Sergeant B.A. Abraham Royal Air Force
- Sergeant A.S. Andrews Royal Air Force
- Sergeant R.R. Law Royal Canadian Air Force
All are buried in Bergen General Cemetery in the Netherlands.
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Sgt. R. R. Law 90 Squadron (d.22nd June 1943) 90 Squadron Royal Air Force Bomber Command Stirling Mark 3 serial number EE887 WP-T. With a seven man crew took off from West Wickham at 2345 hrs on 21st June 1943 on a bombing mission to Krefeld, Germany. The aircraft was shot down in the early hours of 22nd June by a night fighter, later identified as the German fighter ace Hauptmann H.J. Jabs, and crashed at Hoogwoud North Holland with the loss of all of the crew. . Crew members were:- - Pilot Officer H.N. Peters Royal Australian Air Force
- Sergeant D.J. Davies Royal Air Force
- Sergeant David Gillis Royal Air Force Volunteers Reserve
- Sergeant E. Bradshaw Royal Air Force
- Sergeant B.A. Abraham Royal Air Force
- Sergeant A.S. Andrews Royal Air Force
- Sergeant R.R. Law Royal Canadian Air Force
All are buried in Bergen General Cemetery in the Netherlands
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Flt.Sgt. Gordon G. Henderson 90 Squadron (d.25th June 1943)    Gordon Henderson was born at Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia, on the 7th of March 1913.
He was a member of the crew of Stirling Bomber BK813 on a bombing raid over the city of Wuppertal in Germany departing West Wickham Airbase on the 24th June 1943 at 2332 hours. BK813 was shot down over Belgium by the German night-fighter Kollak Reinhard at 0139 hours on the 25th June. Six of the seven crew members died in the crash. They were all buried in the Haasrode Churchyard Cemetery in Belgium. Other crew members were:
- Flt. Sgt. (Pilot) Walter Henry Teede RAAF, 16774 age 29,
- Sgt. (Air Bomber) Aubrey Charles Harris RAF, 1319009, age 30,
- Sgt. (Nav.) Hyman Levine RAF, 658831 age 30,
- Flt. Sgt (W.Op) Leo Peterson, RNZAF, 403611, age 22,
- Sgt (Air Gunner) Patrick James Taylor RAF, 1346152 age 26, and
- Flt. Sgt. (Flt. Engr) Edward Henry Stanton RAF
Stanton baled out and was aided by the local Resistance and after being taken to Bree, he was helped as far as Paris but was arrested by the Germans and held at the Fresnes prison before being sent to Germany and a POW camp.
Flt Sgt. Henderson was one of seven children born to Australian parents, Charles and Agnes Henderson (Phee) who lived in Cessnock. He moved to New Zealand with his parents and at age twelve attended secondary school at the Rotorua High School in 1925. He returned to Australia and completed an Engineering course at the Newcastle Technical College. He undertook an Engineering apprenticeship at Walsh Island Government Dockyards from 1926 to 1930.
He then moved back to New Zealand in 1930 with his parents. He ran a milk run in Rotorua with a friend Ray Spence, sold radios and washing machines with his father, and went farming for a while with friends Percy and Ailsa Newton. He was a keen rugby player, golfer, played tennis and was a strong swimmer.
On 19th September 1936, he married Gwyneth Babette (Betty) Frogley in Auckland, New Zealand and joined the Army but a bad reaction to injections saw him medically discharged. They lived at 4 Eruera Street in Rotorua where his family had settled after migrating from Australia. Their daughter, Janice Esmae Henderson, was born on the 17th of April 1937.
As he had left school early, he attended night school at Cambridge N.Z. (near Hamilton) and obtained his school certificate. He also had his own business as a haulage contractor in Rotorua. He was interested in flying and completed 35 hours of flying as a pupil of the Rotorua Flying Club.
Flt. Sgt. Henderson was enlisted at the Initial Training Wing, Levin, New Zealand on the 25th January 1942 and embarked for Canada on the 2nd of March 1942, on the Empire Air Training scheme.
He arrived in Canada early in April and on the 12th of that month, was posted to No. 3 Wireless School, Winnipeg, Manitoba. In early August 1942 his wireless training ended and he was posted to the Composite Training School and re-mustered to Air Gunner. He arrived at No. 3 Bombing and Gunner School, MacDonald, Manitoba and on the 25th of September was awarded the Air Gunners Badge and promoted to Sergeant.
On the 3rd of October, 1942 he proceeded to No.1 Y Depot, Halifax, Nova Scotia for embarkation to the United Kingdom. He arrived at No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth late October 1942 and on the 16th of November was posted posted to No. 11 Operational Training Unit at Westcott, where he crewed up and completed his training as Air Gunner on Wellington Bomber Aircraft.
On the 4th of March, 1943, he proceeded to No. 1657 Conversion Unit, Stradishell, Suffolk for conversion to Stirling Bomber Aircraft and on the 15th of April was posted to No. 90 Squadron, West Wickham, Cambridge. He was promoted to Flight Sergeant on the 1st of June, 1943.
With Squadron 90, he took part in 11 operational flights the targets including Dortmund (2), Duisberg, Dusseldorf (2), Wuppertel, Krefeld, Mulheim in Germany, and Le Creusot in France, and one mine-laying operation in enemy waters.
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Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
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I Was One of the Brylcreem BoysRon James
Ron James was born in Northampton, England in 1923 and he joined the RAF in 1942, aged 18. After the war, he served two years in South East Asia as Movements Control Officer, helping to release the prisoners of war and internees held by the Japanese in the prison camps of Java. Ron later worked in the commercial side of the engineering industry, owned a transport motel and later fulfilled his lifetime ambition by opening a bookshop in Northampton. He was a keen amateur historian and published a history of 214 Squadron 'Avenging in the Shadows' in 1989. His autobiographies 'I was one of the Brylcreem Boys' and 'Mercy Mission to Java' were completed a couple of years before his death in 1995 and published by his daughter in 2013.
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