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24th February 1944On this day:
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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Remembering those who died this day.
- Blencowe John Dawson. F/O. (d.24th Feb 1944)
- Botterill William Henry. Sgt. (d.24th Feb 1944)
- Brown John William. Sgt. (d.24th Feb 1944)
- Colley Ronald Jack. Sgt. (d.24th Feb 1944)
- Dekker Cornelis Gijsbertus. (d.24th Feb 1944)
- Gilbert James Walter . Sgt. (d.24th Feb 1944)
- Hall Robert Ewen. Sgt. (d.24th Feb 1944)
- Irvine Thomas. Spr. (d.24th Feb 1944)
- Richardson Peter Herbert. Pte. (d.24th Feb 1944)
- Snape Desmon Byrne. P/O. (d.24th February 1944)
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
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Want to know more about the 24th of February 1944? There are:20 items tagged 24th of February 1944 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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Stories from 24th February 1944
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Sgt. Lawrence Earl Romig. United States Army Air Forces, 92nd BG 407 squadron 407th Bomb Sqd.. Lawrence E. Romig was waist gunner on a B-17 that was shot down somewhere over Holland on 2-24-1944. He and the other crew members were captured and sent to Stalag #4 POW Camp. I beleive the prisoners were later moved to Stalag 11b pow camp. I beleive the POW's were liberated sometime in July 1945.Charles Ziriax
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P.O. Eric Clarence Goffe. DSC. Royal Navy, HMS Anthony. My Grandfather, Eric Goffe, served on HMS Anthony for a time during WWII.
He was awarded his DSC whilst serving on this ship. The story goes something like this:
HMS Anthony and HMS Wishart were patrolling just off Gibralter, some spotter planes were helping them detect U-boats using a new device called MAD. On the 24th of February 1944 they came across U-761 commanded by OB Horst Geider.
U-761 was at a depth of about 50 meters, proceeding submerged at "Dead Slow", when four explosions were heard. Prisoners later stated that they assumed these explosions to have been caused by aircraft bombs or depth charges as they sounded milder than regular depth charges dropped by surface craft. No appreciable damage was done by these explosions which however served notice on officers and men that their boat had been discovered. Some prisoners spoke of two, some of three depth charge attacks which followed the aircraft bomb explosions. In the confusion no count of the charges dropped on them could be obtained, but the consensus of opinion seemed to be that the last series of depth charges was the most damaging.
After the first depth charge attack, several of the crew stated that U-761 must have broken surface. Shortly before, the boat, for unexplained reasons, was heavy by the bow. The order to trim by blowing was given, but apparently U-761 was closer to the surface than indicated and she surfaced. The mistake was promptly realized and she dived again.
According to prisoners either one or two more series were dropped on U-761. To the slighter damage of the first attacks were added the following which were the compelling reasons for giving up the boat: All electrical installations, including the batteries and the electric motors, were damaged and non-operative; the main switchboard was broken to pieces and thrown on the floor plates; the hydrophones and all radio apparatus were smashed, the former by one of the early depth charge attacks; compressors were wrenched loose from the straps; water entered the boat temporarily through a loose valve in the main drain pump; the clutch between the Diesels and the electric motors were jammed; high pressure air lines were ruptured. Photographs of the sinking show a large air bubble rising near the stern of the U-boat.
Quite apart from these damages, alone sufficient to make evasive action impossible, the air inside the boat had become quite foul, the lights except for the emergency lights were out and one prisoner even said that there was a slight smell of chlorine in the boat. Clearly, the situation was hopeless and after a quick consultation between Geider and Lendle, his engineer officer, the order to surface and to prepare for abandoning ship was given.
About 15 minutes after the first attack, U-761 broke surface and her crew began abandoning ship. None of her deck guns were fired. The engineer officer attached a scuttling charge to a torpedo in the stern compartment. He and the commanding officer were the last to leave the U-boat through the conning tower. Apparently confused, the engineer officer swam towards the submerged stern of U-761 although his commander shouted warnings. When the torpedo exploded, Lendle was injured by the underwater blast and dies in the arms of Geider who had come to his assistance. While the crew was abandoning ship, destroyers nearly opened fire and several planes dropped additional depth charges. Some men were killed and others suffered injuries. U-761 sank about 5 minutes after the crew had started to abandon her.
All I have is a dispatch sent to my grandfather saying "Good show Guns!!"
I think that being mentioned in a dispatch is one of the requirements for being awarded a DSC. In all my trawling through online documents I have never been able to find a mention of my Grandfather during this action or the exact details of his involvement. This seems a bit odd as he was awarded such a high honour.
Steve Goffe
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Sgt. John William Brown. Royal Air Force, 61 Squadron. (d.24th Feb 1944) I'm trying to find out any information on my great uncle Jack Brown. We know which squadron he was in and when he died. My mum's mum lives with us but is losing her mind and she goes on about her brother Jack so I would love to find out more about him for her and my mum. We hardly have any photos left as my nan's photos have been lost. Does anyone know of him, please help us, many thanks.Debbie Parr
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Sgt. Robert Ewen Hall. Royal Air Force, 75 Squadron. (d.24th Feb 1944) My great-grandfather, Sergeant Robert Ewen Hall, was in No. 75
Squadron. He was killed in action on the night of 24th Feb 1944 in a
Stirling, serial no: EH948, during a gardening operation in Kiel Bay.
Harry Rickards
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Pte. Peter Herbert Richardson. British Army, Middlesex Regiment. (d.24th Feb 1944) My uncle, Peter Richardson whom I was named after, was killed at Anzio, Italy, he served with the Middlesex Regiment along with his brother Dennis. They survived being in the rearguard at Dunkirk, and his brother Dennis survived the war, but always suffering the effects of being continuously shelled.I have visited his grave at the Beach Head War Cemetery in Anzio, and was very pleased to see the condition it is kept in. It's a very long time ago now, but if anyone has any information regarding my uncle, and is prepared to pass it on, I would be very grateful. Peter Richardson
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Spr. Thomas Irvine. British Army, 192nd Docks Operating Company Royal Engineers. (d.24th Feb 1944) Thomas Irvine died aged 28. He was born in South Shields in 1919 the son of Thomas and Ellen Irvine (nee Murray) of Jarrow.
Thomas is buried in Catania War Cemetery, Sicily and is commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance of Jarrow Town Hall. Vin Mullen
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Sgt. James Walter Gilbert. Royal Air Force, 156 Sgd. (d.24th Feb 1944) My father, Sgt James Walter Gilbe, was rear gunner in Lancaster JB479. Serial GT-K piloted by Sgd/Ldr Eric Porter.
On the evening of 24 Feb.1944 they'd left their base at R.A.F. Warboys. They were the lead Pathfinders on the raid at Schweinfurt. They marked the target but were shot down, believed by a night fighter. There were no survivors. Their collective grave was found in 1952 and they were re-buried at the Durnbach War Cementery.
My father's birthday was the day before he died and he had just found out that he was going to be a dad (that was me).
If anyone had any information of if there are any relatives or friends of the crew please let me know. Peter Gilbert
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F/O. John Dawson Blencowe. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 149 Squadron. (d.24th Feb 1944) John Blencowe is recorded at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
his Date of Death is 24/02/1944 he was aged 29
serving with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 149 Sqdn.
He is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial and was the son of Capt. Frederick John and Ethel Helen Blencowe.
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Cornelis Gijsbertus Dekker. Dutch Army, 21st Infantry Regiment. (d.24th Feb 1944) The story is that Cornelis Dekker broke his neck diving into the water basin. No further information is known.
Andy
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Sgt. William Henry Botterill. Royal Air Force, 420 (Snowy Owl) Squadron. (d.24th Feb 1944) Flight Engineer Billy Botterill was killed in action along with all the rest of the crew of Halifax 111 LW427 flying from RCAF Tholthorpe when it was shot down SW of Stuttgart whilst on a bombing mission to Schweinfurt, Germany on 24th of February 1944. Barbara Bradley
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P/O. Desmon Byrne Snape. Royal Australian Air Force, 141 Squadron. (d.24th February 1944) Pilot Officer Desmon Snape was the son of Claude Manning Snape and Doris Mary Snape.
He was aged 20 and he is buried in the Loppersum
General Cemetery, Groningen, Netherlands.
S Flynn
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