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No. 515 Squadron Royal Air Force
No 515 was formed at Northolt from Defiant Flight on 1st October 1942. Defiants carried equipment for jamming enemy radar as part of the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment and the Telecommunications Research Establishment. The Defiants were replaced by Beaufighters in June 1943. No 100 Group was tasked with counter-measures, and No 515 joined it in January 1944, converting to Mosquitoes. Night intruder missions began in March and continued to the end of the war. No 515 disbanded 10th June 1945.
Airfields
No. 515 Squadron
flew from:
- RAF Northolt, Middlesex from the 1st of October 1942 (Defiant II)
- RAF Heston, Middlesex from the 29th October 1942 (Beaufighter IIf)
- RAF Hunsdon, Hertfordshire from the 1st June 1943 (to Bomber Command 15th December 1943)
- RAF Little Snoring, Norfolk from the 15th December 1943 (Beaufighter II, Mosquito II, Mosquito VI)
- disbanded 10th June 1945
3rd March 1944 Operations
5th Jun 1944 Aircraft Lost
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Want to know more about No. 515 Squadron Royal Air Force? There are:2001 items tagged No. 515 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. |
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F/O. Neville John Dusson No. 515 Squadron (d.29th Oct 1944) Neville Dusson served with 515 Squadron, Royal Air Force.
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F/Sgt. Arthur Edward Callard DFC. 515 Squadron Arthur Callard is my father-in-law. He was flying the de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito when he was forced to land in Switzerland by four Swiss fighters in September 1944. He subsequently escaped and was awarded the DFC in December 1944
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Sgt. John Edward Normington 515 Squadron (d.11th May 1944) Sergeant (Navigator/Radar Operator) John Normington was the son of Walter and Ruth Normington.
He is buried in the Kats General Cemetery, Zeeland, Netherlands.
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Flt.Sgt. Harry Dickinson 515 Squadron (d.16th Sept 1944)  Harry Dickinson joined the RAF at the start of the war in 1939. He was the second youngest of nine children and approximately three years older than the youngest, his brother (my father) William born in 1921.
My father told me how Harry had a fiance named Kathleen. On leave from the Submarine Service in May 1940 my father announced after dinner that he was getting married to my mother, unaware that Harry had planned to announce he was to get married to Kathleen. As such Harry postponed his marriage and sadly died in September 1944 when his aircraft was shot down and crashed on an operation over Germany. The pilot also died.
One of the last conversations Harry had with his mother when he was on leave was that they (the crew) had been lucky to get back to England as on more that one occasion they had no fuel left and he said "luck doesn't last forever".
My father died aged 91 having lived a full life and still very sad that Harry did not.
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Flt.Lt. Cyril Victor "Bennie" Bennett DFC 515 Sqd. (d.13th Jan 1945) Cyril Bennett DFC served with 256 and 515 Squadrons.
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Flt/Cmdr. Christopher Ernest Harrison 100 Group Christopher E. Harrison was born October 28, 1914 in Watford, Herefordshire England, youngest son and child of 4 chidren, to Frederick John Harrison and Mary Anne (nee Pipe.) He was a keen motorbike rider at an early age. He lived in the Castle Donington area of Derbyshire in mid 1920's as his father moved through his work on Midlands Railways. Chris was keen on speedway racing and started out in mechanics, then went to work in engineering field, came into working for aviation work, began in Rolls Royce. He joined up in WW2 in the US Air Force, at Packards in Detroit. He came back to the UK in 1940 and joined RAF, flying in Mosquitos and Beaufort planes, joining 100 Group, Spitfires then Beauforts in 515 Squadron. He flew a few missions over Germany and Brussels.
He married in Fakenham, Norfolk in mid 1946 to Madge Anne Osborne. They never had any children. He left UK in early 1950's to start up Rolls Royce factory at Mascot, Sydney Airport. Both my parents worked for or with him. He left in later 1950's to work for Goodyear Tyre Co. Then branched into aviation co for developing airline engine tyres and engines.
Chris and Madge lived in Sans Souci until Madge died November 5, 1997, aged 74. Chris continued being very active in Aviation in retirement, in aviation clubs (Narromine) and bicycles, riding on own well into his 90's. Traveled overseas frequently to visit family and friends. He got ill only in his late 90's in 2012 and moved to a nursing home in Canberra to be looked after. Chis died aged almost 98, on 19/10/12 his funeral was at Woronora Cemetery, Sutherland NSW Australia. He is buried with Madge.
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F/O. John Clifford Flanagan 515 Sqd. Jack Flanagan's navigator, Kelvin Pursie, is still alive and well. Living in Oxford, New Zealand. Jack was my grandfather, the flew with 515 Night Intruder Squadron.
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Flt.Sgt. Hugh Parmenter "Digger" Moule 515 Squadron (d.3rd Apr 1943) Hugh was my father but I never got to know him as he was killed in April 1943 and I was born November 1943. Reading letters that we have that were written to his parents at the start of the war he was extremely proud of his family and of his squadron. At the start of the war he was with the B.E.F. force in France with 13 Squadron. Not sure what else he did but in 1942 he was with 515 Squadron at Heston flying Defiants and Mosquitos as W/Op Air Gunner. He married my Mother, Doris Ethel Mason, in October 1942 at Bishops Stortford.
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