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No. 40 Squadron RAF
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No.40 Squadron, RFC, was formed at Gosport, Hampshire, in 1916, serving on the Western Front as a fighter squadron. Disbanded in 1919. No.40 was re-formed as a bomber squadron in 1931 and in the Second World War operated in several theatres: flying Blenheims and Wellingtons from bases in England, it bombed targets in France, the Low Countries and Germany; flying Wellingtons from bases in the Middle East, it bombed targets in North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, Rhodes, Crete, Greece, Pantellaria, Lampedusa and Italy. Flying Wellingtons and Liberators from a base in Italy (Foggia Main) it bombed targets in Italy and the Balkans. In March 1945 the Squadron converted to Liberators which were moved to Egypt in October. In January 1946 the Liberators were replaced with Lancasters which were flown until No. 40 was disbanded on 1 April 1947.
Airfields No. 40 Squadron RAF flew from.
- Bethenville, France. from 3rd Sept to 2nd Dec 1939
- Wyton, Huntingdonshire. from 2nd Dec 1939 to 2nd Feb 1941
- Alconbury, Huntingdonshire. from 2nd Feb 1941 to 14th Feb 1942
- Malta. detachment October 1941
- Middle East. 14th Feb 1942
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List of those who served with No. 40 Squadron RAF during The Second World War
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Wing Commander Owen David Staple DFC 107 Squadron 14 Squadron 75 squadron 41 Squadron 40 Squadron Owen David Staple was from Dec-1942 with 36(Mosquito) Operational Training Unit in Canada as a pilot; from February 1944 with 60 OTU in the United Kingdom; from June 1944 with 107 Squadron (Mosquito); from April 1948 14 Squadron in Japan; from November 1954 75 Squadron; from September 1959 with 41 Squadron in Malaya.
Decorations,Medals,Awards:
DFC-1945, AFC-1960, 1939/45 STAR, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal
1939/45 War Medal, New Zealand War Service Medal, General Service Medal (Malaya).
Wing Commander Owen David Staple past away in 1974 at the age of 49.
I am looking for more information on him as he died when I was 3 months old. The information is going towards the family tree so we do not forget the memories of the brave men and women of war. |
Sgt. Roger "Pluto" Peacock 40 Sqd. (d. ) Roger Peacock was born in Liverpool on January 1, 1920. He joined the RAF in 1937 and was trained to be a wireless operator and a gunner on a Blenheim Bomber. His plane was shot down on July 26th, 1940 during an air raid near Wilhelmshaven in north-west Germany. He was taken prisoner and spent five years in German POW camps:Oberursel-Barth-Sagan-Heydekrug-Fallingbostel. He took part in the "Long March" before returning to Britain after liberation.
After two years in hospital he became a teacher. After his retirement he adopted the pen name "Richard Passmore" and wrote three autobiographical works published by Thomas Harmsworth Publishing London: "Blenheim Boy"(1981),
"Moving Tent" about his time as a POW(1982)and "Thursday is Missing" about his childhood and youth in Liverpool(1984). He died in 1996.
After being discharged from hospital in 1947 he returned to Germany on a bicycle tour. During his stay at the youth hostel here in Osnabrueck he met a young man living in the neighbourhood, who invited him to get to know his family. This was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. |
LAC. Arthur William Henry Parker 40 Sqd. Arthur Parker served overseas in Egypt and Italy from 11/2/42 until 30/12/45 with MEF and CMF. He was an Armourer. He died in 1995 and did not speak a lot about his experiences. We have his Service & Release Book, his Medals and an album of old photographs from his service period.
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Sgt. Percy Addison 40 Sqn Percy was the only surviving crew member of Wellington bomber R1167 from 40 Sqn RAF that was lost on a raid over Hannover on 15/16 May 1941. He was captured by German officers and spent the rest of the war in POW camps. After his return to the UK, he married his sweetheart, Barbara with whom he lived, in the north east until, his death in 2006. My great uncle Percy left behind an interesting collection of books, photos and correspondence from the war years.
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Flt.Sgt. Henry Bartlett DFM Distinguished Flying Medal 40 Squadron My father, Harry Bartlett, was born in Ramsbottom, Lancashire. After a bit of the usual teenage angst, he joined the Scots Guards before the War. Sporting a bearskin he guarded Windsor Castle. With the outbreak of hostilities, they were given despatch rider duties in the London area on an assortment of requisitioned motor-cycles. They were given much slower WD issue bikes when their mortality rate rose higher than front-line troops.
In due course the Guards were sent to Norway for the short-lived campaign of April 1940. Dad spent a little while looking at neutral Sweden a short distance away, and wondered how easy it would be to make a map-reading error and spend the rest of the war in neutrality. Instead he volunteered for pilot training, and learnt to fly in Florida and Georgia.
Returning to England, he subsequently flew a Wellington to North Africa with 40 squadron RAF, and spent a while bombing Sicily. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal - he says it was because it was his turn to get one rather than for anything particularly impressive. The aircraft was shot down, and Dad swam ashore, to spend the rest of the war in Stalag IVB in Germany. He rarely spoke of his time in the prison camp, but years later could be heard talking to himself in German at times. |
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