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- No. 626 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War -


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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

No. 626 Squadron Royal Air Force



   No 625 Squadron was formed from 'C' flight of No 12 Squadron, at Wickenby, on 7th November 1943. It flew Lancasters in a strategic bombing role until April 1945. After a short period of dropping food to the Dutch, POW repatriation flights and transporting troops from Italy back to Britain, it disbanded 14th October 1945.

Airfields No. 626 Squadron flew from:
  • RAF Wickenby, Lincolnshire from 7th November 1943 (formed. Lancaster I, Lancaster III)
  • disbanded 14th October 1945.


 

7th Nov 1943 New Squadron Formed

8th Nov 1943 Poor Conditions

9th Nov 1943 Fog

10th Nov 1943 Operations

11th Nov 1943 Lecture

12th Nov 1943 Exercise

13th Nov 1943 Snow Storm

14th Nov 1943 Poor Weather

15th Nov 1943 Training

16th Nov 1943 Training

17th Nov 1943 Training

18th Nov 1943 Operations

19th Nov 1943 Fog

20th Nov 1943 Fog

21st Nov 1943 Fog

22nd Nov 1943 Operations

23rd Nov 1943 Operations

24th Nov 1943 Training

25th Nov 1943 Orders Cancelled

26th Nov 1943 Aircraft Lost

27th Nov 1943 Aircraft Lost

29th Nov 1943 Aircraft Lost

2nd Jan 1944 Aircraft Lost

25th Apr 1944 Aircraft Lost

3rd May 1944 Aircraft Lost

20th July 1944 Bomber Command

20th July 1944 Bomber Command

13th Sep 1944 626 Squadron Lancaster lost


If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.



Logbooks



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Those known to have served with

No. 626 Squadron Royal Air Force

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

  • Dartnell. Fred
  • Bennet. R C. P/O.
  • Bennett. R. J.. P/O
  • Biggs Donald. Sgt.
  • Binder Hector. W/O
  • Bishop. DFM Tommy P.. F/S
  • Bock Earl William. Flt.Sgt. (d.22nd Oct 1944)
  • Bowditch Brian. Sergeant
  • Cassidy DFC Jim. F/O
  • Clarke. DFC Robert. P/O
  • Colles. J. W. L.. Sgt
  • Craddock Ronald Gerrard. Flt.Sgt. (d.24th Apr 1944)
  • Cruickshank DFM William. Sgt
  • Currie. DFC Jack. P/O
  • Drew. DFC Harry. F/O
  • Dwyer. Pat.
  • Edgeworth Bob. Sergeant
  • Fairbairn. DFM Charlie. Sgt
  • Gauvreau DFC. Raymond Joseph. F/O.
  • Goodall Arthur Manley. FltSgt (d.14th Jan 1944)
  • Goodkey Leonard. P/O
  • Gregory. George.
  • Hames. DFM Denis Charles. Sgt
  • Hewitt DFC Gordon Hedley.
  • Hodgson Arthur. F/S
  • Hutchinson DFC Jack Pierce. F/O
  • Landells. Les.
  • Lanham DFC Charlie Wesley. P/O
  • Luke. Albert George. Sgt (d.2nd Dec 1943)
  • Macey Ken. F/S
  • Macey. Kenneth Joseph. F/Sgt. (d.25th Feb 1944)
  • Martindale. Eric.
  • McLaughlin DFC Benjamin Edward. F/Lt.
  • Neeson. John. Andrew
  • Newman. William Howe. F/O
  • Pearce George Arthur. WO.
  • Rees DFM E T M . P/O
  • Storey. Albert.
  • Street. Leslie Charles John. Sgt (d.2nd Dec 1943)
  • Threadgold. . Boris
  • Turgoose Ernest .
  • VanHal. Henrui Antonius. Sgt (d.2nd Dec 1943)
  • White Thomas. Sergeant (d.1st July 1944)
  • Wilkinson. John. F/O (d.31st Jan 1944)
  • Wood DFM G H . F/Sgt
  • Woodhouse William Thomas. Sgt. (d.21st July 1944)
  • Young Peter Henry Wilson. F/O

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. 626 Squadron Royal Air Force from other sources.



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Want to know more about No. 626 Squadron Royal Air Force?


There are:2027 items tagged No. 626 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.


Flt.Sgt. Ronald Gerrard Craddock 626 Sqd. (d.24th Apr 1944)

Flt Sgt Ronald Gerrard Craddock was a W-Op/Air Gunner, on Lancaster ED424, lost April 24th, 1944 returning from mission over Karlsruhe. His wife, my late aunt Vera Craddock nee Davidson was in the Airforce also stationed at Wickenby and was on duty on that night. Their daughter, my cousin Joy was born in November 1944. I am investigating my family history and would be grateful for any info.

Keith Oliver



F/O Jack Pierce Hutchinson DFC 626 Squadron

On 24/25 February 1944 Lancaster ll797 of 626 Squadron from Wickenby was brought down over Marsal France on the way to bomb Schweinfurt. This was to be the 30th operation of their first tour.

The crew were:

  • F/O Jack Pierce Hutchinson DFC RAAF (Pilot)
  • F/O Peter Henry Wilson Young (Air Bomber)
  • P/O Leonard Goodkey RCAF
  • F/S Arthur Hodgson
  • F/S Ken Macey
  • Sgt Bob Edgeworth
  • W/O Hector Binder RCAF
  • and second pilot Sgt Brian Bowditch.

    I believe an issue of the Wickenby Register from around 2002 contains a report about this crew. If anybody should have a copy of this, or any information at all about the crew and the circumstances of their crash, I would be very pleased to hear from them.

  • A Varten



    Sergeant Thomas White 626 Squadron (d.1st July 1944)

    Thomas White was in 626 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, service no 925205 and flew the Lancaster bomber for Bomber Command. He was a Sergeant (Flt. Engineer). On the 30 June/1 July 1944 (quote from RAF) "118 Lancasters of No: 1 Group attacked railway yards at the small town of Vierzon, south of Orleans and bombed with great accuracy, a success for No: 1 Group's own marking flight. 11 Lancasters were lost, nearly 12% of the force". Tom was shot down over France and killed on 1 July 1944. He is commemorated at Theillay Communal Cemetery, Loire et Cher, France.

    He had covered a certain amount of flights but due to the shortage of pilots was given extra flights to do and it was on this final flight that he got shot down and killed.

    Rachel Merritt



    Gordon Hedley Hewitt DFC 626 Squadron

    My father was a pilot of a Lancaster bomber during WW2. He served with 626 Squadron out of Lincolnshire. His name was Gordon Hedley Hewitt, DFC. It is sad for me to say, but he passed away in 2006. The plane he flew was nicknamed the Pony Express. He was a born in New Zealand and trained here and in Canada before joining the RNZAF in 1939. His number was NZ415225.

    Stephen Hewitt



    F/O. Raymond Joseph Gauvreau DFC. 626 Squadron

    Ray Gauvreau

    D.F.C. London Gazette 13th of February 1945. The Recommendation, dated 5th of November 1944, states: 'Flying Officer Gauvreau, a Canadian, as pilot and captain of aircraft has carried out 30 operational sorties against the enemy. These sorties have included such important targets as Kiel, Stuttgart (three attacks), Stettin and Russelheim. Throughout this, his first tour of operations, Flying Officer Gauvreau has shown himself to be a competent and skillful pilot and his keen offensive spirit coupled with his fearlessness has set a magnificent example to his crew. His captaincy and determination have been of a high order enabling him at all times to drive home his attacks to the fullest advantage. I recommend that Flying Officer Gauvreau’s fine record and devotion to duty be rewarded by the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross.'

    Raymond Gauvreau was born on 30th September 1921 in Ottawa, Ontario, and was educated at LaSalle Academy, The Glebe, Ottawa. He served with the Cameron Highlanders from 1940 to 1942 and was employed at Ottawa Car and Aircraft Limited, before enlisting with the Royal Canadian Air Force at No. 5 Manning Depot in Lachine, Quebec, on 30th of April 1942.

    Receiving his wings as a Sergeant Pilot on 25th of June 1943, he proceeded to England in July of that year, and after serving with No. 30 Operational Training Unit at R.A.F. Seighford, Staffordshire, he was commissioned Pilot Officer in April 1944. Posted to No. 626 Squadron at R.A.F. Wickenby, Lincolnshire on 16th of June 1944.

    He later reflected on the creation of his flight crew, along with another pilot he had met getting ready for his first mission which would prove to be a fatal one: "I served with the 626 Squadron in England, from an airport called Wickenby. I started right into the Lancasters. They sent me to a station in central England where they had a variety of every crew member imaginable, from gunners to navigators, but not pilots. I was sent to that station with a date at a certain point to pick out six men to join me as my crew members. I was completely in the dark about what it involved, but when I got to it, I got to this big building and opened the door and it looked like I was entering a huge double gymnasium, loaded with people who were all aircrew members of different stations in an aircraft, from a tail gunner to a navigator. I immediately closed the door and stood back, and said, I’ve got to go in there and pick out six men, and I don’t know a soul? There was nobody to talk to. I was all by myself. I finally said a prayer, and I said, “Lord, help me to do this.” I walked in and before I could even close the door, there was a great big guy stood in front of me and says, "my name is George MacIntosh from [Fort] MacLeod, Alberta, I’m a navigator and I’d like to join your crew, will you take me on?" I says, "you bet, George, shake hands." And as we were shaking hands, five more men came walking right over, and I signed all of them on; and that became my crew. Oh, one other Canadian was John Halliday from Welland, Ontario and the rest were British chaps from a variety of places in England. After I had completed six trips, my first six trips, a young pilot came to my billet; and he was allocated the extra bed that I had in that particular billet. And since he was just starting off his trips – that night he was going to have his first trip while I was having my eighth: it was my eighth trip; it was his first trip – I got acquainted with him and helped him to unpack his luggage, and so forth. He took a photograph and put it on the table between our beds; and it was a picture of his wife and his one-year-old daughter back home in Winnipeg. And, however, we went to the flights later on and got ready for my usual bombing trip; and when I got back, about 2:30 in the morning, he hadn’t yet arrived. So I stretched out on the bed and waited for him, so we could talk over what happened. A short time later, a knock came on the door and it was my station commander who said, “Ray, I’m sorry to tell you this, but your friend has not returned, will you please repack his luggage so we can send it back to his wife in Canada.” It left me with real sad memories thinking about my wife whom I married just two weeks before I left for overseas."

    Gauvreau and his crew flew numerous sorties over ten locations in France, bombing various targets between 20thof June and 19th of July 1944, including Reims, Liegscourt, Vaires, Saint Pol, Viezon-Ville, Domleger, Orleans, Foret-de-Croc, Caen (twice) and Tours. The month of July would conclude with missions to Courtrai, Belgium on 20 July and over a span of five days, from 23 to 28 July, three sorties to Germany: Kiel and Stuttgart (twice). In the period between 8 August and 19 October 1944, further sorties were flown to France (Aire, Falaise Sector, Le Havre, Calais and Cap Oriz Nes), Holland (Volkel, Gent, Eindhoven and Weskapelle), Belgium (Frederick Hendric), and Germany (Russelsheim, Stettin, Saarbrucken, Duisburg (twice) and Stuttgart).

    At the end of his tour he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. By his own recollection, Gauvreau dropped a bomb over Caen, which was marked with the personal message 'To Adolf, from the Ottawa Car and Aircraft Limited of Ottawa'. He died in Ottawa in August 2015, at the age of 93.

    Ashley Baldwin



    Sgt. Donald Biggs 626 Squadron

    Donald Biggs was my Father. He served in North Africa, before joining Bomber Command. He flew 30 ops from Wickenby as a a Wireless Operator with 626 Squadron, mostly in LL895. His biggest Mission was Maely le Canp in 1944.

    My brother got Dad's log book and wont let me have it, although Dad promised it to me.

    Leslie Melvyn Biggs



    Sgt. William Thomas Woodhouse 626 Squadron (d.21st July 1944)

    William Woodhouse was a Rear Gunner with 626 Squadron.

    Sunta



    Flt.Sgt. Earl William Bock 626 Squadron (d.22nd Oct 1944)

    Flight Sergeant Earl William Bock served as a Lancaster rear gunner with 626 Squadron. He died age 21, when his severely damaged Lancaster barely made it back to England, and crashed on return.

    Art Osborne



    FltSgt Arthur Manley "Buster" Goodall 626 Squadron (d.14th Jan 1944)

    Arthur M. Goodall is my great uncle. He served in WWII in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a bomb aimer and was killed on January 14 1944, when the Lancaster was shot down at Halderstadt, Germany. Five other crew members also lost their lives, and I believe there was one crew member who survived.

    Brandi Goodall



    Ernest Turgoose 626 Sqd.

    My wife's late grandfather, Ernie Turgoose, volunteered and entered the RAF in 1939/40, aged approx 35. He was in Groundcrew throughout WW2, in the UK. I believe he ended the war at Wickenby, I saw his squadron photo taken in front of a Lanc, which I believe was shot there when was he with 626 Squadron. My wife recalls him saying he was also at Honiley (Warwickshire) which is our 'local' airfield. He may also have been at Honeybourne (Worcs). Does anyone remember him or know anything more about his service?

    Richard Pratt







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