Target for Tonight
 

Hi,

Does anyone have the actual names of the crew and their fate who starred in the 1941 film, 'Target for Tonight'. I am aware of 'Pick' Pickard.

TIA

Steve

Re: Target for Tonight
 

According to IMDb, the crew was John Cobb, Richard Peirse, Percy Charles Pickard and Robert Saundby but there is a note “awaiting verification”.

Re: Target for Tonight
 

You may be a bit out with your crew list

Richard Pierse was AOC Bomber Command and Robert Saundby his SASO

They were in the film, but their days of daring-do were over by that point.

Martin

Re: Target for Tonight
 

An AI search turned up:

The primary crew members who flew the Wellington bomber in the film (call sign "F for Freddie") were:

Pilot / Captain (Squadron Leader Dickson): Played by Squadron Leader (later Group Captain) Percy Charles "Pick" Pickard.

Second Pilot / Co-pilot: Played by Pilot Officer (later Flight Lieutenant) Gordon Woollatt.

Front Gunner: Played by Flight-Sergeant Joseph Ronald Bird.

No idea how accurate this is.

The film is on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L8tXDt6Wr4

Re: Target for Tonight
 

Blame IMDb for that!

Re: Target for Tonight
 

The wounded radio operator in the 1941 Crown Film Unit docudrama "Target for Tonight" was played by active-duty Royal Air Force Flight Sergeant Harry Humphries. Because the film famously cast real service members rather than professional actors, his character (often just referred to as the wireless operator) was an actual RAF airman.

Re: Target for Tonight
 

Duplicate Post: Deleted

Re: Target for Tonight
 

From Wikipedia:

Several actors do appear including Gordon Jackson as the young rear gunner.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Jackson_(actor)

Sergeant Ronald (Ron) Burton played the bomb aimer in the 1941 World War II documentary film "Target for Tonight", serving as part of the real-life crew of the Wellington bomber "F for Freddie".

The navigator was portrayed by the shock-haired Scottish airman Flight Lieutenant J. A. "Bill" Broadley.

Re: Target for Tonight
 

OK...

Firstly, actor Gordon Jackson did not appear in the film, despite what Wikipedia says. He has no acting credit in the film in the British Film Institute database.

The crew in the movie:

Pilot: "S/L Dixon"

Percy Charles Pickard, of course

2nd Pilot: "P/O Willett"

Reputedly, P/O James Gordon Woollatt 82710 RAF, subject to confirmation. Woollatt served in 149 Sqn as a 2nd pilot, then pilot, and finished his tour shortly before filming began. I haven't confirmed this through a photographic match.

Observer: "Sgt MacPherson"

Unknown. The airman is a Scottish Sergeant Observer.

A post above says the "bomb aimer" was Ronald Burton, but that is originally based off a Facebook post. I can't find a Sgt Burton in the 149 Squadron ORB at the time of filming.

Another post above says the "navigator" was Flight Lieutenant J. A. "Bill" Broadley. Broadley was Pickard's regular navigator since 1940 but doesn't look like the "Sgt. MacPherson" in the film.

The early war RAF Observer aircrew trade was both navigator AND bomb aimer.

W/Op: "Sgt Lee"

Unknown. It was NOT "Harry Humphries".

Canadian friends and Wireless Operator/Air Gunners R58225 Sgt. John Balfour Gray RCAF and R54094 Sgt. Henry 'Harry' Frederick Charles Humphries RCAF both appeared as background extras in the movie, but not in the F-Freddy crew. Both had only just arrived in the UK and were not with operational units. Gray's letters home detailed their participation in filming.

Front Gunner: "Sgt Bell"

900012 Sgt. Joseph Ronald Bird RAF

He was posted missing on the night of 27/28 July 1942, after 218 Squadron Stirling R9160 ditched in the North Sea. Photographic evidence clearly matches Bird to the actor in the movie. He could also be the "Sgt. Bird" who served as an air gunner in 149 Squadron at the time of filming.

Rear Gunner: "Sgt Harrison"

[IGNORE] NZ401805 Sgt. Haydn Neil Guymer RNZAF

Guymer "starring" in the film is according to a December 1941 New Zealand newspaper.

Haydn and his elder brother Leslie served as air gunners in 149 Squadron at the time of filming. Guymer has a vague resemblance to Gordon Jackson (hence the confusion), but he played a New Zealander in the movie with a clear kiwi accent (something Scotsman Jackson couldn't pull off). Haydn Guymer became a PoW on the night of 25/26 July 1941, after 15 Squadron Stirling N6029 ditched in the North Sea. His brother NZ401225 Sgt. Leslie Raymond Guymer RNZAF, was injured in the crash of 149 Squadron Wellington R1229 on the night 31 March-1 April 1941. [IGNORE]

Correction: The 1941 NZ newspaper article was misleading. The correct identity of the NZ air gunner is:

NZ391353 Sgt. Jack Desmond Harris RNZAF

Photographic confirmation:

https://fotoweb.airforcemuseum.co.nz.../?q=MUS1001612

Air Gunner Sgt Harris was commissioned in October 1941 and was awarded the DFC in September 1944. Survived the war

PS - don't trust AI answers because they throw up the most inane crap with numerous hallucinations...

Re: Target for Tonight
 

Observer: "Sgt MacPherson"

755331 Sgt Alexander More RAFVR

There is a wartime (circa 1943/44) article and photo in Canadian aircraft manufacturer Fleet Aircraft's company magazine 'Plane Talk' that features More, and it mentions his appearance in the film and his Scottish accent. A photo in the article of F/L More resembles "Sgt MacPherson" from the film.

Sgt More was commissioned in August 1941 and awarded the DFC in December 1941. He transferred out of 149 Squadron in December 1941 and sailed to Canada. He had two stints in Canada on ferry and instructional duties, then resumed operational flying from the UK near the end of the war.

Re: Target for Tonight
 

POST 9 ,typo
900012 Sgt J R Bird RAF Missing 27-28 August 1942........

Re: Target for Tonight
 

Five of the six crew of F-Freddy are now confirmed.

Pilot: "S/L Dixon"

39392 S/L Percy Charles Pickard RAF, of course


2nd Pilot: "P/O Willett"

82710 P/O James Gordon Woollatt RAF

Woollatt trained at No. 15 OTU as 2nd pilot to F/O David Donaldson. They were posted as a crew to 149 Squadron in September 1940 and flew 14 ops together before Woollatt left to captain his own crew. Donaldson flew the last op of his tour on 1 March 1941. Woollatt flew the last op of his tour on 19 March 1941.

Critical for identification is a crew photo, where F/O Donaldson is 3rd from the right, and P/O Woollatts is 2nd from the right.

https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.a...document/16136

Woollatt is a visual match for "P/O Willett" in the movie.


Observer: "Sgt MacPherson"

755331 Sgt Alexander More RAFVR

Confirmed through photos, including a crew photo from Aug-Oct 1940. when he was P/O More in the crew of F/L Les James.

Dennis Burke over on the RAF Commands forum also just posted photos originating from the More family.


W/Op: "Sgt Lee"

Still unidentified, but the hunt continues...


Front Gunner: "Sgt Bell"

900012 Sgt. Joseph Ronald Bird RAF

Confirmed with a photographic match.

https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/c...onald-Bird.pdf


Rear Gunner: "Sgt Harrison"

NZ391353 Sgt. Jack Desmond Harris RNZAF

Confirmed through photographic matches:

https://fotoweb.airforcemuseum.co.nz.../?q=MUS1001612

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/ne...ate=01-01-1941




As an aside.

When P/O Woollatt ("P/O Willett") finished his tour, S/L James eventually took over his crew. Then Sgt More ("Sgt MacPherson") joined that crew. Sgt Bird ("Sgt Bell") flew a few missions with that crew as well.

The core Woollatt crew (ignoring rotating 2nd pilots) was:

P/O Morris (O), Sgt Brook (W/Op), Sgts Baxter & Jarvis (A/Gs)

S/L James took over the crew in August 1941, with Sgt More replacing P/O Morris as Observer. Sgt Bird replaced Sgt Baxter as AG on a couple of operations in August 1941.

As previously mentioned,

Sgt Bird ("Sgt Bell") was MIA on 27-28 August 1942. It was his first op of a new tour.

S/L James, P/O Baxter, and P/O Brooks were all later killed on their first op of a new tour with 9 Squadron on 20-21 June 1942.

(then) P/O Woollatt ("P/O Willett"), Sgt More ("Sgt MacPherson"), and Sgt Harris RNZAF ("Sgt Harrison") all survived the war.

Re: Target for Tonight
 

Next question: who was the pilot with the incredibly posh accent in Coastal Command (1942)?

Re: Target for Tonight
 

Ha, not my area of research and not within my comfort zone. I think a Coastal Command question is best aimed at Ross O'Neill over at RAF Commands. ;)

However, as a layman, I will say that I'm sure the posh pilot in the 'Coastal Command' movie evaded capture in France by hiding out in the house of Frenchman René Artois....

Re: Target for Tonight
 

And I didn't even mention his handlebar moustache!

Re: Target for Tonight
 

I had a look at the movie to hear exactly how posh the pilot sounded. Thus, I also saw his fine handlebar...

Re: Target for Tonight
 

W/C E. L. Hyde DFC KIA over Norway in Nov. 42; went to my local school in Bedford and on their Roll of Honour.
He's in a video flying a Sunderland in the Hebrides, Scotland in 1941.
Regards
Nick


The Sunderland in the main film is Mk.I L2160 DQ-T from 228 Sqn. There is a clip from the 342nd. Composite Group P-40Cs on Iceland. "Handlebar" (the sandy-coloured one) has an Air Gunner's Brevet.

Re: Target for Tonight
 

All six personnel starring as the crew of F-Freddy in 'Target for Tonight' are now identified (ranks are those held at the time of filming in Mar-May 1941):

"S/L Dickson" (Captain)

39392 Squadron Leader Percy Charles PICKARD DSO DFC RAF.


"P/O Willett" (Pilot)

82710 Pilot Officer James Gordon WOOLLATT RAF.
born Nottinghamshire, England, 17 November 1915.
died Honiton, Devon, England, 14 July 1991.
Awarded DFC, 2 June 1944, while with 12 Squadron.
Held rank of Squadron Leader at the end of the war.


"Sgt MacPherson" (Observer)

755331 Sergeant Alexander MORE RAFVR.
born Maryhill, Glasgow City, Scotland, 29 November 1917.
died Virginia Water, Surrey, England, 8 January 2001.
Awarded DFC, 23 December 1941, while with 149 Squadron.
Held rank of Flight Lieutenant at the end of the war.


"Sgt Lee" (W/T Operator)

618337 Sergeant William McCABE RAF.
born Motherwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland, 1920.
Killed in a flying accident, 30 April 1945, 51 OTU Mosquito HK245.
Awarded DFM, 18 July 1941, while with 149 Squadron.
Remustered as a pilot after his second operational tour and held rank of Flying Officer at time of death.


"Sgt Bell" a.k.a. "Sgt Jones" in the promotional booklet (Front Gunner)

900012 Sergeant Joseph Ronald BIRD RAFVR.
born Derby, Derbyshire, England, 15 March 1920.
Lost at sea, 27 August 1942, 218 Sqn Stirling R9160/G.
Held rank of Flight Sergeant at time of death.


"Sgt Harrison" (Rear Gunner)

NZ391353 Sergeant Jack Desmond HARRIS RNZAF
born Dunedin, Otago, NZ, 28 November 1917.
Date of death unknown.
Awarded DFC, 15 September 1944, while with 582 Squadron.
Held rank of Flight Lieutenant at the end of the war.