This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.
If you enjoy this siteplease 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
254771Sqn Ldr. Lionel Hubert "Waker" Wakeford DFC MiD.
Royal Air Force 139 Squadron
from:Wyton
My father, Lionel Wakeford, was born in Weymouth in 1915 and joined the RAF, at age 15, as an apprentice at RAF Halton. By the outbreak of WW2 he was a Sergeant Pilot in Egypt (Heliopolis), flying Bristol Bombay aircraft with 216 Squadron throughout Egypt, North Africa and Greece. Later returning to the U.K. flying Wellington Bombers. He was an early member of the Pathfinders with 139 Squadron flying Mosquito aircraft.By the end of the war he had flown over 2,400 hours at which time he had the rank of Squadron Leader. He was twice Mentioned in Dispatches and received the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Post war followed service with 29 Squadron. Moving to RAF Pembrey to form 233 Squadron a conversion unit in 1952 where he ran the tactical wing. On September 22nd 1953 he was training Pilot W.H. Williams in flying the Vampire Jet, and the aeroplane took off from Pembrey Airfield. However shortly after take-off he requested permission to return to base. The aircraft was seen to weave for 2 miles approaching the airfield which was a method of losing speed. Unfortunately, the Vampire crashed at the edge of the runway. The inquest found that the aircraft had suffered a severe fire probably starting immediately after take-off (possibly a re-ignite after a flame out) which had led to the crash. Both my father and PO Williams were killed on impact, Sqn Ldr Wakeford is buried at Pembrey (St. Illtyd) Churchyard. At his death he had completed 3,281 Flying Hours.
Related Content:
Can you help us to add to our records?
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.
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:
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.