|
|
|
Logbooks
Do you have a WW2 Flying Log Book in your possession?
If so it would be a huge help if you could add logbook entries to our new database. Thank you.
View Logbook entries
|
Those known to have served with No. 426 (Thunderbird) Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Abraham Robert Stanley. F/O
- Ashford Albert Edward. WO.
- Biggerstaff Richard A . P/O (d.5th Mar 1945 )
- Brett Peter Brabazon. Fsgt.
- Campbell Thomas Marnoch. F/O. (d.5th Mar 1945)
- Coones Maxwell W . P/O (d.5th Mar 1945)
- Curzon Dennis Rupert Humphrey . Sgt
- Evans Reginald Gordon . W/O
- Evans Reginald Gordon. W/O. (d.25th April 1945)
- Fones Frederick Ernest. Sgt.
- Fraser M. . F/O
- Fredrickson. Turner . F/O (d.30th Sep 1944 )
- Galarneau DFM. Hubert Phillip. Flt.Sgt.
- Garries. Irl . F/O
- Grundy Elson Holland. Sgt. (d.2nd Nov 1944)
- Hetherington Clinton George. (d.23rd March 1944)
- Hicks Earl William . F/Sgt
- Holenchuk William. P/O. (d.9th Jun 1944)
- Hoyle John Isaac. Flt.Sgt. (d.18th Dec 1944)
- Hoyle John Isaac. (d.18th Dec 1944 )
- Irwin D. . P/O
- Jay Albert Clarence. PO
- Jones R. . P/O
- Labelle P. . F/O
- Lawrence. Douglas .
- Layman T. . F/O
- McCarthy Benedict J . P/O (d.5th Mar 1945)
- McCracken Lloyd Christie. FO.
- McGovern DFC. Francis Joseph. P/O
- McKay A. . P/O
- McPhee. Verne Alexander . P/O (d.30th Sep 1944)
- Mcseveney William. F/Lt.
- Myers Frank MacGregor . F/O (d.5th Mar 1945)
- Nicholson. A N . F/O
- North DFC. Allan Kingdom. F/O.
- O'Grady Alan Leo. AC/2
- Pelechaty. Ignatius Thomas . P/O (d.30th Sep 1944 )
- Prockiw Walter. P/O.
- Richardson John. Flt.Sgt.
- Richardson. James W .
- Roberts Ronald . Sgt
- Robinson Le Edward. F/O (d.30th Mar 1944)
- Robinson Norman Kingsley. P/O. (d.3rd Sep 1944)
- Ross John Douglas Carlisle . F/O
- Ryan. Gerald Ernest . P/O (d.30th Sep 1944 )
- Sullivan. John . Sgt (d.30th Sep 1944)
- Tapp James Henry.
- Teskey Stanley James . F/Sgt
- Togwell William A . P/O (d.5th Mar 1945)
- Tuplin James Chester . W/O
- Turnguist D E . F/Sgt
- Watts Humphrey S . F/O (d.5th Mar 1945)
- Watts DFM. James Dowdney. Sgt.
- Watts Richard Herbert. P/O. (d.4th May 1944)
- Way William A . F/Sgt (d.5th Mar 1945)
- White Eric. (d.13th June 1944)
- Williams Edward. Flt.Sgt.
- Williams William John.
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. 426 (Thunderbird) Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force from other sources.
|
|
|
The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
Announcements
- The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 24 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
- 22nd April 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263973 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
- Looking for help with Family History Research?
Please read our Family History FAQ's
- The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site
please consider making a donation.
Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our
Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. |
|
We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates.
If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page.
Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted
photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them.
The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.
World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
|
|
Want to know more about No. 426 (Thunderbird) Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force? There are:2039 items tagged No. 426 (Thunderbird) Squadron Royal Canadian 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. |
|
William John Williams 426 Squadron My father, William Williams, was with 426 Squadron, RCAF, based at Linton on Ouse during WWII.
He was an amateur photographer and I have all of his photos from that period. I would be very keen to get in touch with any descendants of his mates during that period, as he always spoke fondly of them.
I travelled to Linton to see the base in 2000, but only got as far as the gate.
|
P/O. William Holenchuk No. 426 Squadron (d.9th Jun 1944)    William Holenchuk, my great-uncle, was born on 12th April 1919 at Gonor, Manitoba, Canada and was the son of George and Sofie (nee Bloshot) Holenchuk. His parents appear to have both been born in the Bukovina area of Romania/Ukraine (Austria at the time) and had both emigrated to Canada. His mother died in 1928 and his father re-married the following year. William attended school in Manitoba but then moved to Ontario. As a young man he undertook various jobs including truck driving, gold mining, and latterly at a nickel mine at Sudbury, Ontario. He married Annie Polesky and the couple had two children.
William also undertook a pre-enlistment pilot/observer WETP course at the Ontario Training College in Hamilton in early 1942. He then enlisted for RCAF service in Hamilton on 6th of April 1942, and after training in Canada he was awarded his air observer's badge (after bomb aimer training) on 19th of March 1943. He arrived in the UK in the summer of 1943, and following training at 4 (O)AFU, 22 OTU, 1666 HCU and 1679 CF he was posted to 426 Squadron on 4th February 1944. He received a commission on 21st March 1944.
On the night of 8th of June 1944, No. 426 Squadron took off to bomb railway facilities at Mayenne, France. The mission was successful, but upon returning home visibility became very poor and the Squadron had difficulty locating their airbase at RAF Linton on Ouse. They finally located the airbase, but shortly after 04.00am P/O Holenchuk’s bomber (Halifax LW598), nearly out of fuel, was attempting an emergency landing when one of the bomber’s engines caught fire, causing the pilot to lose control of the aircraft. The bomber crashed into some houses in a village near the airbase and all but two of the aircrew, including William, were killed.
William was my grandmother's brother. They were very close and it broke her heart when he was killed. She never really talked about him, and it wasn't until after she died that I knew she had a second brother in the war.
|
P/O. Norman Kingsley Robinson 426 Squadron (d.3rd Sep 1944) Norman Robinson was my father who died when his parachute became detached when he baled out over Cambridge after his Halifax, OW Q, went into an uncontrollable spin while assembling for a raid on an airfield near Volkel in Holland.
The Pilot, who also died, was P/O. R.A.Lamb. 3 of the crew survived. My father is buried at Cambridge cemetery.
He was aged 40 at the time of his death, having volunteered and been judged too old for the R.A.F. he joined the R.C.A.F. instead.
|
Sgt. James Dowdney Watts DFM. 426 Squadron  James Watts is my grandfather who just passed away in June 2018. He served with 426 Squadron during WWII as a gunner on a Lancaster. He enlisted in his home town of Vancouver on the 6th of August 1941 and Trained at No.3 ITS (graduated 7th of November 1941), No. 10 EFTS (ceased training 25 November 1941), No.7 BGS (graduated 25th May 1942) and No.7 AOS (graduated 6th February 1942). He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal on the 6th of August 1943 as per London Gazette dated 17th of August 1943. He was invested with award by King George VI, on the 2nd of May 1944. His citation reads,
"In the capacity of rear gunner this airman has completed numerous sorties against many of the most heavily defended areas in Germany and enemy occupied territory. One night in April while mine laying his aircraft was heavily attacked by an anti-aircraft ship. Sergeant Watts returned the fire causing the ship to break off its attacks. Both in the air and on the ground this airman has displayed outstanding keenness and efficiency and has rendered valuable assistance to the gunnery leader in the training of new crew."
|
F/O. Allan Kingdom North DFC. 426 Squadron Allan North DFC served with 426 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force.
|
WO. Albert Edward "Ginge" Ashford 426 Squadron   Albert Ashford, Ginge joined 426 Squadron from 425 Squadron RCAF in May 1944. He flew as an Air Gunner with the same crew throughout this time,
- Captain, Tony Selfe
- Nav, F/O Sowerby
- B/A F/O Reg Paul
- F/E, Sgt Fellows
- WAG, Sgt Bielby
- MUG, Sgt Turner
- RG, Sgt A E Ashford.
During Ops on D Day in LW377 to Cherbourg the aircraft was hit by bomb taking out port inner engine. He bailed out over Start Bay Devon.
Extract from RCAF Overseas Vol 2, Toronto Oxford University Press 1945, "The following night the Canadians were back on railway targets with the marshalling yards at Ghent as the objective. The accurately-laid eggs caused fires and explosions and inflicted moderate damage. Night fighters were active both over the target and on the homeward journey and several combats took place. Sgts. A. E. Ashford, J. D. Turner and L. S. Owen, gunners on an Alouette Squadron kite skippered by FSgt. C. A. Selfe, were successful when attacked by a Ju88 over the North Sea. After several bursts from our lads’ guns the enemy broke away and hurtled into the mist in a spin with his whole starboard side in flames."
The Log Book of A E Ashford shows this as taking place on the 10th of May 1944, Aircraft Coded KW-O Halifax III of 425 Alouette Squadron.
|
W/O. Reginald Gordon Evans 426 (Thunderbird) Squadron (d.25th April 1945) At 14.32hrs Halifax NP820 set off from Linton on Ouse with 7 crew, on mission to destroy coastal artillery batteries on Wangerooge, one of the Frisian Islands. The plane collided with Halifax NP796 in the target area. All 14 crew from both planes lost their lives. In total 7 aircraft were lost, 6 due to collisions. Warrant Officer Reginald Gordon Evans died aboard NP820 on 25th April 1945 age 22.
|
Sgt. Frederick Ernest Fones 426 Squadron Frederick Fones served with 426 Squadron and 432 Squadron.
|
Flt.Sgt. John Richardson 426 Squadron John Richardson flew with 415 and 426 Squadrons.
|
PO Albert Clarence "Al" Jay 426 Thunderbird Squadron 6th Group I have never been able to find information regarding my father's time overseas during the war.
If there is anyone who has knowledge of his squadron or group I would very much like to hear about it.
With thanks.
|
Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
|
|
|
Site Home
Add Stories
