The Wartime Memories Project - The Second War

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.     Site Home     WW2 Home     Add Stories     WW2 Search     Library     Help & FAQs  WW2 Features     Airfields     Allied Army     Allied Air Forces     Allied Navy     Axis Forces     Home Front     Battles     Prisoners of War     Allied Ships     Women at War     Those Who Served     Day-by-Day     Library     The Great War  Submissions     Add Stories     Time Capsule     TWMP on Facebook     Childrens Bookshop  FAQ's     Help & FAQs     Glossary     Volunteering     Contact us     News     Bookshop     About Advertisements World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

243050 Sqn Ldr. John Rawsthorn Rainford DFC & Bar. Royal Air Force B Flt. 83 Squadron from:Catforth Nr Preston Lancs (d.21st Feb 1942) In August 1939, John Rainford (my great uncle) was commissioned into the Royal Air Force and was graded as Pilot Officer on 18th February 1940. He then moved to Oakham, Rutland where he was based at 14 Operational Training Unit. In September or early October 1940, John joined 83 Squadron RAF and was based at Scampton, Lincolnshire. The Operations Record Book lists the flights made by John Rainford from October 1940. He flew Handley Page Hampden bombers with a crew of three. Operation Stavanger. 21st/22nd of February 1942 83 Squadron. Airborne 03:48 21 Feb 42 from Scampton as one of a five aircraft attack. Shot down by ME109 and crashed into the sea near Sola Airfield, Norway. Both pilots, along with P/O Smith, are buried in Sola Churchyard; the rest of the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. F/S Macgregor gained his DFM whilst serving with 44 Sqn. The award being Gazetted 22 Aug 41. This was the first Manchester lost by 83 Sqn since converting from Hampdens. Crew: Pilot: Sqn/Ldr 42436 John Rawsthorn Rainford 28 DFC & Bar ('B'Flt CO) RAF killed Pilot: P/O 115300 Eric Alfred Warren RAFVR killed Nav: P/O 106563 Trevor Hardy Smith 32 RAFVR killed Flt/Sgt 552535 John Chales Macgregor 20 DFM killed Sgt 979103 Thomas Rodie Riddell 32 RAFVR killed Sgt 999390 Robert Harold Taylor 20 RAFVR killed Sgt 1076959 Peter James Jordan 19 RAFVR killed Ian Rainford Add to this record.  Related Content: No. 83 Squadron, Royal Air Force No. 83 Squadron Royal Air Force No. 14 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force RAF Scampton Can you help us to add to our records? Add a record to our website. The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area? If so please let us know. Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice. Contact us. Celebrate your own Family History Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc. Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.

The free section of the Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers. We have been helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items. The website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions. If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running. Hosted by: The Wartime Memories Project Website is archived for preservation by the British Library Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV - All Rights Reserved We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.