No. 99 Squadron Royal Air Force

No. 99 Squadron was formed at Yatesbury on the 15th of August 1917 from elements supplied by No. 13 Training Squadron, RFC. It went to France in April 1918 as a heavy bomber squadron and was part of the Independent Air Force (IAF) tasked with long-range missions behind enemy lines. After the Armistice it was sent to India where it was disbanded in 1920 by being renumbered as No. 27 Squadron RAF.
No. 99 Squadron re-formed in 1924 at Netheravon, Wiltshire, this time as a night-bomber unit. The Squadron was based at RAF Mildenhall in October 1938 when it bacame the first Squadron to receive the Vickers Wellington.
For the first few months of the war the squadron was engaged in leaflet dropping flights over Germany. Bombing operations began in April 1940, after the German invasion of Norway. The squadron continued to perform bombing operations from Britain until 14 January 1942.
The squadron was then transferred to India, re-forming at Ambala in June 1942, beginning operations by the end of 1942, conducting night raids on Japanese targets in Burma.
The squadron lost its Wellingtons in September 1944, when they were replaced by long range Liberator VIs. During the first half of 1945 they operated these aircraft from Dhubalia (Bengal), before moving to Cocos Island in preparation for the planned invasion of Malaya. The Japanese surrender meant that this invasion never happened, and the squadron disbanded on 15 November 1945 on the Cocos Island (reforming two days later at Lyneham in Yorkshire as a transport squadron).
Airfields No. 99 Squadron RAF flew from:

RAF Newmarket, Cambridgeshire. from 3rd to 9th Sept 1939 (Wellington Ia)
RAF Elmdon, Warwickshire. from 9th to 15th Sept 1939
RAF Newmarket. from 15th Sept 1939 to 18th Mar 1941
RAF Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire from 18th Mar 1941 to Feb 1942 (disbanded)

(Reformed) Ambala, India. 6th June to 19th Sep 1942
Pandaveswar, India from 19th Sep to 25th Oct 1942
Digri, India from 25th Oct 1942 to 12th Apr 1943
Chaklala, India from 12th Apr to 23rd May 1943
Jessore, India from 23rd May 1943 to 26th Sep 1943
Dhubalia, India from 26th Sept 1944 to 29th Jul 1945 (Liberators)
Cocos Island from 29th July to 15th Nov 1945 (disbanded)

3rd September 1939 On the move

8th September 1939 Leaflets dropped

3rd March 1940 Crash in training

18th April 1940 Aircraft missing

1st May 1940 Killed in training

10th May 1940 War over Holland

15th May 1940 German troops attacked

22 May 1940 Shot down over France

30th May 1940 Out of fuel

12th June 1940 Operation Haddock

20th June 1940 Ditched

7th November 1940 Aircraft lost

13th November 1940 Reinforcements

24th November 1940 Three Wellingtons destroyed on transit flights

7th December 1940 Libyan Airfields attacked

14th December 1940 New Squadron formed on Malta

18th March 1941 On the move

9th Apr 1941 Bomber Command

20th Apr 1941 Aircraft Lost

29th Apr 1941 Aircraft Lost

5th May 1941 Aircraft Lost

8th May 1941 Aircraft Lost

11th Jun 1941 Aircraft Lost

19th Jun 1941 Aircraft Lost

21st Jun 1941 Aircraft Lost

25th Jun 1941 Aircraft Lost

3rd July 1941 Aircraft Lost

7th Jul 1941 Aircraft Lost

30th Jul 1941 Aircraft Lost

16th Aug 1941 Aircraft Lost

31st Aug 1941 Aircraft Lost

13th Sep 1941 Aircraft Lost

28th Sep 1941 Aircraft Lost

20th October 1941 Aircraft Lost

7th November 1941 Aircraft Lost

15th Nov 1941 Aircraft Lost

7th Dec 1941 Aircraft Lost

14th Jan 1942 Aircraft Lost

February 1942 Stood down

19th September 1942 Operational

8th September 1943 Wellington ditched in the Bay of Bengal

5th February 1944 Attack on Japanese aerodrome

21st May 1944 Relief crews

17th June 1944 Wellington lost in combat

26th September 1944 New aircraft

3rd December 1944 Mid-air collision

16th December 1944 Aircraft abandoned

1st January 1945 Shot down over Burma

21st January 1945 mid-air collision

29th July 1945 Move to Cocos Islands

1st September 1945 PoW supplies

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Those known to have served with
No. 99 Squadron Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.

Anderton AFC. James. F/Lt.
Antell William Fishwick. Sgt. (d.14th Dec 1939)
Baker George. Flt.Sgt. (d.21st Jan 1945)
Barron Grace Shade.
Black DFC. James Barclay. Sqn.Ldr.
Booth Stephen Dion. F/O. (d.3rd Dec 1944)
Brace Richard Henry James . Sgt. (d.14 Dec 1939)
Bryson Robert Strang. Cpl. (d.18th April 1940 )
Burns DFM. James Conway. F/O. (d.6th Oct 1945)
Canning Cornelius Daniel McColgan . Sgt. (d.7th November 1940)
Clark Edward Wilfred.
Cooper Charles Stanley. W/Cdr. (d.25th Sep 1943)
Cooper John Arkell. F/O (d.14th Dec 1939)
Docherty Denis. Sgt.
Drew DFC Leslie Samuel. FO (d.1945)
Durtnall Edward Thomas. Flt.Sgt.
Dyer MM. Wallace Harry. Sgt.
Ewin Albert Edward. AC1
Galloway Thomas Frank. F/Sgt.
Harniman DSO Robert Joseph. Sgt
Jones Ronald Watcyn. F/Lt. (d.7th November 1940)
Kyle Alexander. F/Sgt.
Lee DFM Colin John Willmot. Flt.Sgt.
Montgomery George Wilson. WO.
Myatt Norman Edward.
Neil J.. AC/1
Pickthorne Emerson Blair.
Pinkerton Robert. Sgt. (d.21st Oct 1941)
Ross Alexander Gordon. Flt. Sgt. (d.4th January 1944)
Skepper Reginald. WO.
Smith Arthur J.. Sgt.
Smith William George.
Spencer J.. AC/1
Steele John Edwin Hosking. F/O. (d.1st September 1945)
Stevens Alwyn Oswald Lawrence. Fl/O (d.7th November 1940)
Stuart Robert Samuel. WO.
Tiplady Frederick Harry. FO (d.4th January 1944)
Venn Frank. LAC (d.1st Nov 1945)
Ware DFM. James. Sgt.
Webster DSO, DFC & bar. Alexander Swift . Wing Cdr.
Westbrook Stanley Gordon. Sgt. (d.22nd Oct 1941)
Westley Herbert Charles. Sgt. (d.7th November 1940)
Willis Stanley John.
Wood R.
Wright George Donald. F/Sgt. (d.1st Jan 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

Records of No. 99 Squadron Royal Air Force from other sources.

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Want to know more about No. 99 Squadron Royal Air Force?

There are:2050 items tagged No. 99 Squadron Royal Air Force 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.

Sgt. Wallace Harry "Bob" Dyer MM. 99 Squadron

Bob Dyer was my father in law and flew as rear gunner with 99 Squadron in Wellingtons from Waterbeach. He was shot down over Belgium on 28th September 1941. Although injured when bailing out, he evaded capture escaping from an enemy patrol. He was arrested in Northern France in unoccupied territory but escaped by assaulting his guards and finally succeeded in making his way to Spain from where he was repatriated. He was awarded the Military Medal. He lived in Dumfries and died in 1987.

Alan Scouller

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Sgt. Robert Pinkerton No. 99 Squadron (d.21st Oct 1941)

Robert Pinkerton was the elder son of Robert and Agnes Pinkerton. His father was a solicitor having offices both in Edinburgh and Perth. Robert attended Sedburgh School with his younger brother. After entering wartime service at RAF Padgate, he was mustered as an air gunner and posted to No. 99 Squadron, which was based at RAF Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire. There, he was assigned to a Wellington bomber, which went missing whilst on a bombing mission over Antwerp. The aircraft and the crew (all sergeants) were never found. His younger brother Alexander Carrick Pinkerton died during the same week on war operations. He was a second lieutenant in the Durham Light Infantry.

John Black

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Sqn.Ldr. James Barclay Black DFC. No. 99 Squadron

Squadron Leader James Black was gazetted for the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross on 18th of July 1941 for service with 99 Squadron, RAF.

John Graham Loades

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FO Frederick Harry Tiplady 99 Squadron (d.4th January 1944)

Frederick Tiplady served with the Royal Air Force in 99 Squadron as Navigator in WW2. He died 4th of January 1944 in an accident in India. He was 23 years old and is buried in the Chittagong War Cemetery at Chattogram, Bangladesh. He had signed up in Oxford during university but from Shipley Yorkshire.
Always remembered

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F/O. Stephen Dion Booth 99 Squadron (d.3rd Dec 1944)

Stephen Booth was the son of Ernest and Dora Clarkson Booth.

Georgina Worboys

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F/O. John Edwin Hosking Steele 99 Squadron (d.1st September 1945)

John Steele is buried in Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia after dying in captivity at Palembang.

Daryl Mills

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F/Sgt. Thomas Frank Galloway 99 Squadron

My Father Thomas Galloway served in 99 Squadron during WW2 ending up in the Cocos Islands and originally training in Canada for the RAF as a wireless operator. I still have his log books as well as photographs taken from the Liberator as well as his silk map and flag which contains message, we are friendly.

Steve Galloway

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Sgt. Stanley Gordon Westbrook 99 Squadron (d.22nd Oct 1941)

Stanley Westbrook was born May 15, 1918 in Toronto, York County, Ontario, Canada, and went missing 22nd of October 1941 while flying in A Wellington Aircraft as an air gunner with 99 Squadron. He was a member of the crew of a Wellington bomber that was fully equipped with camera and bombs, and the last communication received from the bomber advised that engine trouble had developed. The Military was unable to report whether the bomber had reached its objective and was returning to its base. They also had no idea what was the cause of the engine trouble.
His parents were Ernest Frederick Westbrook who was born September 5, 1884 at Brantford, Brant County, Ontario and his mother was Edna May Heatherington who was born May 18, 1887 in Carleton Place, Lanark County, Ontario.
There is very little information regarding the final flight of Stanley and his mates. He is not even listed with Squadron 99. He is remembered in the book of remembrance. I have put his service number as well as his name in the internet and in different military sites but nothing comes up. He and his mates seem to be forgotten. I was trying to find out who the other fellows on his squadron were, but to no avail. His flight and missing crew are nowhere to be found.
I have given this information from his service files. Our family thought he went down over the English Channel but no one knows where that information came from nor can it be confirmed.

Sandra Deforest

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Flt.Sgt. Edward Thomas Durtnall 99 Squadron

Having only recently been posted to Dhubalia, on his second mission in the Gulf of Siam, attacking enemy shipping two miles south west of Changklam on Samui Island, F/Sgt Ted Durtnall was the air bomber. The plane, a Liberator (KG878), was hit by anti-aircraft fire. The Navigator, Pilot Officer John Thomas Adair, attempted to bale out and F/Sgt Durtnall tried to stop him. Unsuccessful, he and Adair got caught in the slipstream and literally fell out of the plane, which later crashed at Mingaladon in Rangoon. The pilot, Pilot Officer Jack Parkin, was killed. In a letter of 12 Sep 1945 from Bombay, F/Sgt Durtnall said he thought Adair had not survived as his chute had not opened. The second pilot survived the crash landing.
After being washed up on the shore F/Sgt Durtnall was initially held prisoner in the police station on Koh Samui, Siam (now Thailand). Apparently the local people found them a source of entertainment and would come to watch them eat. He was then transferred to a POW & civilian internment camp in Bangkok. From an article in the Plymouth Evening Herald after his return home he reported that the Japanese needed for economic reasons to co-operate with Siam and were never allowed near the POW camp. Meals were not too bad, being partly European and partly native, and were prepared by internees with money given to them by the Swiss Consul.
On VJ day he and a small number of others were smuggled out of the camp and flown away by a Siamese aircraft, being seen off by the camp commandant himself . He travelled from Rangoon on the aircraft carrier H.M.S. Searcher to Madras and thence to Bombay by train. He returned to England in a flying boat, arriving in Poole, Dorset. No-one from the British Government was there to greet them.

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FO Leslie Samuel Drew DFC 99 Squadron (d.1945)

My uncle Leslie joined the RAF after the family home was partially destroyed by incendiary bombs.
He first flew Lancasters over Germany taking part in raids on Berlin, Frankfurt and Cologne plus many other targets in Germany. I understand that he did about 3 tours until Germany surrendered.
He then, apparently, volunteered to transfer to 99 Squadron flying Liberators out of the Cocos Islands. It was there while dropping supplies to ex Japanese prisoners that his aircraft went missing. He was awarded the DFC posthumously which my father received from Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, I know little of his story & I am in the course of research trying to complete his story for my kids & grand children

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Those known to have served with
No. 99 Squadron Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.

The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

Announcements

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The Wartime Memories Project - No. 99 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War -

No. 99 Squadron Royal Air Force

Logbooks

Those known to have served with No. 99 Squadron Royal Air Forceduring the Second World War 1939-1945.

The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

Announcements

Want to know more about No. 99 Squadron Royal Air Force?

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- No. 99 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War -

Those known to have served with
No. 99 Squadron Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.