Those who Served
John McGee McKay Fagan . British Army Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders from Edinburgh) My Father, John Fagan, fought for the Argylls during the Second World War. He was in the Cameron Highlanders until WW2 broke out but his big brother was a Sgt in the Argylls and got him transferred. He is in a book in George 4th Bridge Edinburgh called the First Argylls 1939-1945 by F.C.C Graham. I saw the picture of him in a guard of honour for General Matt Clarke it was taken in Florence in 1944. |
Sergeant J Fage . RAF VR 59 Squadron |
2nd Pantryman. J. Fairclough . Naval Auxiliary Personnel HMS Forfar Fairclough was one of the crew of the Montrose who had transferred with the ship under the T124X agreement. He was counted amongst the survivors brought ashore when the ship went down. |
Ships Cook. S. Fairclough . Naval Auxiliary Personnel HMS Forfar S. Fairclough was the ships cook on board HMS Forfar, he was amongst those who survived. |
Sergeant J Falconer . RAF 59 Squadron |
Sgt. John Falkingham . British Army Royal Corps of Signals Does anyone have any information on John Falkingham who was born in 1915? He may have been a journalist and served in the TA before WW2. He was a Sergeant in 1944 when he was a patient at Addenbrooke Hospital 1943/44. He recovered and went to France in April/May 1944 and "never came back." Whether that means he was killed in action or never contacted the reporter again, I do not know. Thanks for any help anyone can provide.
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Sergeant G Fallon . RAF 582 Squadron 582 Squadron lost 5 aircraft on 23/12/44 whilst on operations to Cologne.
Lancaster PB523, took off from Little Stoughton at 10.29hrs. Crew were
F/Lt Peter Alfred Thomas, DFC, RAF 172593, killed, age 22.
F/Sgt Vivian George Hobbs, RAF 1816098, killed age 20
F/O W.E. Vaughan, RCAF, POW
F/Lt A.R. Whittaker, POW
W/O H. Fuller, POW
Sgt G. Fallon, POW
W/O2 Frederick William Campbell, RCAF J/94493, killed, age 29
The Lancaster is believed to have crashed at Oppiter (Limburg), 4km SE of Bree in Belgium, though it is likely some of the crew baled out over Germany.
F/O Hobbs lies in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, his death being attributed to a collapsed parachute canopy. F/L Thomas was originally buried at Oppiter but his grave is now at Heverlee War Cemetery, while WO2 Campbell RCAF, who was laid to rest alongside his skipper, has been taken to Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, Holland.
—From Bomber Command War Diaries - Martin Middlebrook & Chris Everitt
Lancaster PB523 was one of 27 Lancasters and 3 Mosquitoes of 8 Group to attack the Gremberg railway yards.
The raid went very badly. The force was split into 3 formations, each led by an Oboe-equipped Lancaster with an Oboe Mosquito as reserve leader. During the outward flight, 2 Lancasters of 35 Squadron collided over the French coast and their crews were all killed. On approaching the target, it was found that the cloud which had been forecast had cleared and it was decided to allow the bombers to break formation and bomb visually; this move was made because the formations would have been very vulnerable to Cologne's flak defences during the long, straight Oboe approach. Unfortunately the order to abandon the Oboe run did not reach the leading Lancaster, a 582 Squadron aircraft piloted by Squadron Leader R A M Palmer DFC (on loan from 109 Squadron), who continued on with his designated role, even though his aircraft was already damaged by flak. German fighters, who were being directed to intercept an American bomber force, also appeared and attacked. The bombs from Squadron Leader Palmer's aircraft were eventually released and hit the target but his plane went down out of control and only the tail gunner escaped, by parachute. Squadron Leader Palmer, on his 110th operation, was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross, the only Oboe VC of the war; his body is buried in the Rheinberg War Cemetery with the other men who died in the Lancaster.
The formation suffered further losses when another Lancaster and a Mosquito were shot down by Flak ANF fighters and a further Lancaster was abandoned by its crew over Belgium. The losses were thus 6 aircraft out of the 30 dispatched.
I am desperately searching for any information about Pilot Officer Frederick William Campbell, known as Teddy, of 582 Sqd RCAF, age 29, of Pembrooke, Nova Scotia who died in action December 23, 1944. He is my half-brother's father and we know nothing at all about him. My 70 year-old brother was adopted and never met or knew his Dad. Very sad circumstances. I am determined to search until I have answers. He died while serving his country and deserves to be recognized by his son for his bravery.
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Sheila Farrel . Women's Land Army from Luddenden Foot, near Halifax, West Yorkshire) My mother-in-law was in the Land Army in Suffolk. Her name was Sheila Farrel, originally from Luddenden Foot near Halifax West Yorkshire.
She has just had her 84th birthday and it would be nice to collate some info together for her. Can anyone help? |
Able Seaman William Joseph Farrel . Royal Navy HMS Forfar (d.9th Dec 1940) |
Able Sea. William Joseph Farrell . Royal Navy HMS Forfar from Harbour Grace, Nfld.) (d.9th Dec 1940) My Uncle William Farrell was born in May 1920 in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, Canada.
He sailed for Britain with the fourth contingent Royal Navy in
Feb 1940 onboard RMS Nova Scotia. He trained at HMS Pembroke at Chatham in Kent and was assigned to HMS Forfar. The ship was torpedoed on 2nd of Dec 1940. it was believed by family he was lost at sea, however we have since learned he died Dec 9th. He is buried to our knowledge at the Commonwealth war graves in Chatham.
My brother and I would like
to find details of his rescue, which ship was he on, which hospital was he sent to, and place of death etc. We would be grateful if survivors families or any person with any knowledge of William's life in service, could email me.
Editors Note: The Naval Memorial at Chatham is a memorial to those whose home port was at Chatham and were buried at sea. As the Forfar was lost on the 2nd and William's death is recorded as being on the 9th it is likely that he was taken aboard another ship, where he subsequently passed away and was then buried at sea as is the Naval custom. |
Seaman J. A. Farrow . Royal Naval Reserve HMS Forfar J.A.Farrow was one of the survivors when HMS Forfar was lost in the Atlantic. |
Sylvia Farrow . Land Army |
Seaman J. Faulkner . Royal Naval Reserve HMS Forfar J. Faulkner is listed as one of the survivors from HMS Forfar. |
Sgt. Reginald Favager . Royal Air Force w/op 115 Sqd. |
Lucien Xavier Favreaux . from Reims, France) My grandfather was French and captured by the German's sometime during WWII. He was held at Stalag 6A for a number of years. He was a skilled mechanic and had worked in a foundary in France. He lied when asked what his occupation was and told the Germans he was a gardener. He did not want to be put to work at a job that would aid their war effort. He came home at the end of the war and was reunited with his family but they all said he was very thin. |
Corporal Luigi Joseph Fede . US Army Military Police During part of 1943/1944 I was stationed in Carinaro, Italy at what was a POW Camp. It was next to a railroad but cannot recall what street it was on. I emailed the city of Carinaro to see if they could tell me where the camp was located so that I may find it on Google Maps but never received a reply. What I can find on the internet is that the Carinaro camp (No. 63) was near Arezzo but the only Arezzo is in the Tuscany region of Italy.
Carinaro has developed into quite a modern city that I don't recognize any of the places. We went to an old church there that was so poor that the members of the parish would bring their own chairs to Mass if they wanted to sit down. I also vividly remember one morning while at my desk a German plane flew low over the railroad tracks and strafed our building !! Whew !!! |
Doris Feltham . Land Army My mum was in the WLA in Hertfordshire on Watkins farm at Watton at Stone and also worked in Pooley's market garden Crawley Sussex. Her name then was Doris Feltham she is now Doris Evans and lives with my Dad in Horsham. It would be good if her efforts could be recognised.
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Richard John Lillico Feltham . New Zealand Army Army Medical Corps |
Catherine Elizabeth Felton . Land Army Wales My Grandmother Catherine Felton, served in the Land Army in Wales, I would love to know where she served and hear from anyone who knew her. |
Mary Forsyth Fenner . Women's Land Army from Glasgow, Scotland) My Mom, Mary Forsyth Fenner, served in the WLA during WWII and was stationed in Ayrshire, Scotland at Trachraigue and Calzean Castle. She worked hard in the fields and with the animals. She made many friends during her time in the WLA and took some of them to my Grandmother's home in Girvan during their off time. They would bicycle through the fields and arrive there in no time. The girls would allow my cousins to ride their bicycles, a rare treat during wartime, and then stay for tea. I am hoping that someone may still remember her and fill in the gaps in her wartime service.
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Private A E Fennon . Army Durham Light Infantry (d.2nd November 1942) I am over 70 years and I don't know a lot about my dad, Private A E Fennon. I know he was killed on the 2nd of November 1942 and is buried in a grave in Libya, if anyone can tell me more about him it would make my day. |
Douglas Charles Fentiman . RAF 97 Squadron (d.30th July 1943) My uncle, Douglas Charles Fentiman, was in the RAF during WW2. I believe he flew for the 97 Squadron.
He was possibly in a Pathfinder role but I am not sure. He could have flown out of Bourn but again I don't know this. Would anyone have any information on him or remember him? He had only been married one year when he was killed on the 30th of July 1943. |
Pte. Henry Fenton . British Army Kings Own Scottish Borderers from Salford, Lancashire) My father, Henry Fenton, would never talk abut the war. He has sadly passed on now. I would love to know where he served in the war but I don't know where to start. I have two pictures that look like they were taken in Asia. |
Able Seaman Albert Ferguson . Royal Navy HMS Forfar from Bermondsea, London) (d.2nd Dec 1940) |
Lt J. Ferguson . Home Guard C Coy. Workington Btn. |
Lt. J. S. Ferguson . Home Guard B Coy. Workington Btn. |
Sub Lt. John Ferrier . Royal Navy HMS Dasher After HMS Dasher sank, the survivors were billetted with local families. One was my maternal grandparents, and I am told that two sailors stayed with them. My mother had Mr Ferrier sign her autograph book. My mother only told the story of HMS Dasher after she was given a copy of John Steele's book. Her father had told her NEVER to talk about it again, and she didn't. She had told us of the existence of the autograph book, but it was only after her death that it turned up.
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Able Seaman Charles Richard Fiddaman . Royal Navy HMS Forfar from Enfield, Middlesex) (d.2nd Dec 1940) |
Harry Bernard Fidling . Royal Navy HMS Birmingham from Ashby, Lincolnshire) (d.15th Oct 1942) I am searching for any records of an Uncle I never knew, he was my Father's brother, Harry Bernard Fidling. We know he served on the Birmingham but have very little knowledge about his movements, life or death. In fact my Father, now aged 77 has always maintained that his eldest brother Harry was killed when H.M.S. Birmingham was sunk. I now discover that it wasn’t sunk and Uncle Harry may have transferred to another ship?
Update: Harry lost his life on 15th Oct 1942 on board H.M.S. President III and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. |
Desmond Field . Royal Navy class 48 HMS Royal Arthur Was sent to HMS Royal Arthur on 4 September 1941 and joined Class 48.
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