No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, Royal Air Force

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Those known to have served with
No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.

Boisvert. Wilfred L. Sous Lieut.
Cleaver Reginald.
Giff. George E. W/O.
Hardes A R W. Sgt
Hivon. Guy H. Sgt
Holland Ron.
Kimball. Richard G. Sgt
Lavallee. Joseph Pierre. P/O
MacDonnell. Angus J. Sgt (d.15th Jan 1945)
McCrea. James A. F/O
McGregor. Duncan P. F/O (d.15th Jan 1945)
Mooney. Frank W.. F/O
OSullivan Michael R. Sgt
Packer Roystyn Joseph. P/O.
Phillips. Walter. F/O
Reinelt R C. P/O
Robson Albert R. Sgt
Savy. Joseph A. Sgt
Smedley Ivan Edward. Flt.Sgt. (d.31st Jan 1944)
Stavenow. Leonard C. Sgt (d.15th Jan 1945)
Walton. Geoffrey. F/Sgt
Williams D H. Sgt (d.15th Dec 1940)

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Want to know more about No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, Royal Air Force ?

There are:-1 items tagged No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, 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.

Reginald Cleaver flight eng. 419 Sqd.

When the war began in 1939, I was an apprentice toolmaker at Armstrong Siddeley Motors in Coventry. My name is Reg Cleaver and I was 17 years old. I joined the Air Raid Precautions system and became an ambulance driver attached to No 3 First Aid Post in Livingstone Rd. The building had been the swimming baths. One pool was still open for swimming the other pool had been boarded over and became a reception centre for people injured in the air raids. After work at ASM, I spent most of my time waiting for the call to pick up the next load of dead and injured people from where the bombs had landed. This became very difficult at times as whole buildings were spread all over the roads, enormous bomb craters blocked roads with destroyed buses and trams everywhere. We could be driving along with whole rows of burning buildings each side. The ambulances had canvas sides and at times got badly scorched.
In November 1940, a large bomb exploded in the swimming pool next door destroying the whole building and drenching all of us and the seriously injured people in what had been our First Aid Post. Outside, several of our ambulances had been badly damaged. My own vehicle had been flattened by a huge steel roof truss that had landed on it.
Next morning being very concerned what may have happened to my home and parents, I arrived home: 159 Churchill Ave, Foleshill. My mother kept a small general store opposite to the Riley Motor Works. Fortunately, my parents escaped injury being in the air raid shelter. The house roof had gone and the shop destroyed. A very sad sight - all the stock and provisions, etc all over the pavement and road and mother very shocked.
This became a turning point in my life. A burning hatred of Germans and a determination to hit back. As an apprentice we were considered to be in a reserved occupation and could not be called up into the Forces. The only way into the R.A.F. was to volunteer for air crew. I joined the R.A.F. in early 1941 as a pilot. Strange as it may seem the R.A.F. told me they didn’t need pilots. As I had been an apprentice engineer, I should train as a flight mechanic and engine fitter and transfer to a pilots’ course which I did. The rest of 1941, I was on a Spitfire squadron servicing Merlin engines, etc. I was still awaiting a pilots’ course but was overtaken by events. In 1942, four engine bombers began to arrive in the R.A.F. These needed flight engineers in the crew desperately. Notices on squadron notice boards appeared, asking for skilled ground engineers to volunteer for flight engineer aircrew. After a very short course of a week or two at St Athan in Wales and four or five weeks at English Electric Speke crawling all over Halifax bombers learning all the systems etc. I then found myself as a Sergeant Flight engineer with a crew flying Halifax on an Operational Training Unit, 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit at Topcliffe Yorkshire, becoming second pilot.
From there I was posted to the Royal Canadian Air Force, 419 Squadron at Middleton St George, Durham. From there with an all Canadian crew, I flew a number of bombing operations against German cities during this time, we had some desperate times. On the night of 24-25th June 1943, during an attack on Wuppertal in the Ruhr Valley, nemesis caught up with us. We were attacked by 3 Focke Wulf 190 night fighters and shot down in flames and the aircraft falling to pieces around us in a dive. With the aircraft still in flames, the pilot recovered some control near the ground and we crashed through some trees. This removed the wings and fuel tanks and the fire. The fuselage hit the ground and miraculously we fell out.
This part of my life is a long story which I cannot include now. The rest of the war until April 1945, I suffered as a prisoner of war in various prison and concentration camps.
After liberation and hospital treatment I was flown back to England. After such an upheaval in my life I found it very difficult to settle down to a more normal type of life. In 1948, I found my soulmate and married Betty. I went back to Armstrong Siddeley Motors and helped found the rocket research department in a very interesting and rewarding job. We are still married after 57 years. I consider myself extremely lucky to survive the war as 50% of the Bomber Command aircrew were killed. I think people today would find it difficult to understand what a strange life we aircrew led in those days. In the afternoon we could be at a dance or cinema with girlfriends. That night we could be over Germany with everyone trying to kill us. If we got back the same cycle could be repeated weeks on end. It now seems very unreal.

Reg Cleaver

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P/O. Roystyn Joseph Packer No. 419 Squadron

Roystyn Packer and Dougie Cook crew, 419 Squadron RCAF

My father, Roy Packer, joined the RAFVR in 1941 whilst working in a reserved occupation in Birkenhead.
Following basic signals and Morse code training, he completed signals aircrew training in November 1942. Initially qualifying as a Wireless Operator, he was re-mustered as a W/Op-Air Gunner following completion of the air gunnery course at No. 1 A.G.S., RAF Pembrey in February 1943.
From March to April 1943, he attended operational aircrew training at No. 2 O.A.F.U., RAF Millom, and from May to June at No. 23 O.T.U, RAF Pershore. He was posted to 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Topcliffe in July 1943 to qualify on the Halifax and, effective 1st of August 1943, to No. 419 Squadron, RCAF at RAF Middleton St. George, where he was a member of the Dougie Cook crew.
His first operational sortie was on 8th of August 1943, and he went on to complete 29 missions (all with P/O Cook as pilot) before being screened from ops on 25th of March 1944 and transferred to Instructor duties. He was commissioned as Pilot Officer on 15 December 1943 and remained in the RAF after the war, serving overseas and across the UK and retiring as a Squadron Leader in September 1972.
He never spoke voluntarily about his war service and even when asked, was of few words. The importance and significance of some of the targets he attacked would only be fully known after the war. He died in 1979 at age 64 following a long illness.

Adrian Packer

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Ron "Dutch" Holland 434 Squadron

I crewed up at 1659 HCU Topcliffe as a RAF flight engineer of an all-Canadian crew. I then went on to do a tour with 434 Sqdn RCAF at Croft with 6 Group.

Ron Holland

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Flt.Sgt. Ivan Edward Smedley 405 Squadron (d.31st Jan 1944)

My brother, Ted Smedley, joined the RAF in February 1943 aged 19. After training at 14 Training Wing, then Rootes Securities and 1659 Conversion Unit in Yorkshire. He joined 405 RCAF Pathfinder Squadron at Gransden Lodge, Bedfordshire England on 29th November as a Flight Engineer.
On the 30th of January 1944, 13 Lancaster aircraft were detailed for bombing raid on Berlin.a 25 minute air test was all that was carried out on the flying programme for the day, as preparations for operations prevented further progress on the ground. Ten aircraft successfully returned but 3 were missing, including Lancaster ND 462.
My brother was the Flight Engineer on ND 462 which took off in fairly fine weather from Gransden Lodge on the night of 30th/31st January 1944. Lancaster bomber ND 462 was part of a force of 534 aircraft consisting of 440 Lancasters, 82 Halifaxes and 12 Mosquitoes which caused widespread damage to the City of Berlin. Although the raid was a success, 33 bombers, including ND 462 failed to return. Many aircraft of which were lost to enemy night fighters.
ND 462 crashed in the District of Magdeburg as a result of enemy fire. The full crew of seven who were killed are buried in the Berlin War Cemetery, Brandenburg, Germany.

Peter G Smedley

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Sgt A R W Hardes 1659 HCU

Sgt Hardes trained as a Navigator with 1659 HCU and was posted to 429 Sqd. He flew with Geordie Wade.

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No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, Royal Air Force

Logbooks

Those known to have served with
No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.

The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

Announcements

Want to know more about No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, Royal Air Force ?

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project - No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, Royal Air Force during the Second World War -

No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, Royal Air Force

Logbooks

Those known to have served with No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, Royal Air Force during the Second World War 1939-1945.

The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

Announcements

Want to know more about No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, Royal Air Force ?

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, Royal Air Force during the Second World War -

Those known to have served with
No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.