Seeking info on a 467 Sqdn Crew, 1943, please help!
 

Hi, I'm trying to gather as much information as possible about a 467 Sqdn crew from 1943 to which my local butcher (yes, he still works!) belonged for part of his service as a tail gunner.
I'm trying to gather everything from individual aircraft histories, the crewmembers themselves (any others surviving?) the raids themselves, etc. I've done the various websearches (though failed miserably to find anything in the London Gazette as usual!) that I can think of and my next step is to hopefully go through his logbook, then to the NA for F540 and F541 plus appendices. If anybody can add any info at all I'd be most grateful. I have no experience with Bomber Command (I normally only research 609 Squadron) and no books on it so would really appreciate anyone who doesn't mind looking in ones they have helping me out!

The crew were:

412670 Pilot Officer Alan Fisher, RNZAF.Pilot
Sergeant Smith. L.S. Rhodesian.Engineer.
967562 Sergeant Percy Reginald Wynde. Killed in Action 24/25th February 1944 with 463 Squadron.
Flight Sergeant McGalloway. H. Bomb Aimer.
Flight Sergeant Martin Arthur Rooney. Navigator.
Flight Sergeant Ronaldson. T.H. Wireless Operator.
Flight Lieutenant Andrews. D.A. Wireless Operator.
Warrant Officer Rayns. J.H. Gunner MU.
Flight Sergeant Frank Beamish. Tail Gunner.

Aircraft flown were:

DV277 PO-W. On 18.8.44 F/O Carey and crew were hit by Flak and the aircraft was damaged.Repaired by A.V.Roe and transfered to No 5 LFS before being struck off charge in November 1946.
ED500 crashed in Cheshire?
ED530 lost on 2/3.10.43 Munich.
ED538 PO-O
ED539 PO-V lost on 21/22.01.44, Berlin (OR ED539 was lost 27/28.01.44???)
ED549 lost on 27-28/01/44 on a sortie to Berlin (ED549 lost March 1943???)
LM338 PO-K (later PO-U) lost on 07/08.7.44 on a sortie to St Leu D'Esserent, France.
R5868 PO-S. at the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon.

The Operations were:

11/12.6.43 Dusseldorf ED530
12/13.6.43 Bochum ED500
16/17.6.43 Cologne ED500
3/4.7.43 Cologne ED538.
8/9.7.43 Cologne ED539
24/25.7.43 Hamburg ED530
25/26.7.43 Essen ED549
29/30.7.43 Hamburg LM338
30/31.7.43 Remscheld LM338
2/3.8.43 Hamburg LM338
7/8.8.43 Genoa LM338
6/7.9.43 Munich LM338
3/4.10.43 Kassel LM338
4/5.10.43 Frankfurt LM338
7/8.10.43 Stuttgart LM338
10/11.11.43 Modane R5868
18/19.11.43 Berlin DV277
22/23.11.43 Berlin DV277
23/24.11.43 Berlin DV277
26/27.11.43 Berlin DV277
2/3.12.43 Berlin DV277


I know it's a lot to ask, but maybe you have one or two small snippets you can share. I thank you in advance for any help you can give, and if the pilot is still alive Frank would be very pleased to speak to him - he named his son after him!

many thanks, and regards,

Mark

Re: Seeking info on a 467 Sqdn Crew, 1943, please help!
 

Hi Mark,

firstly, being an Australian Squadron, the National Archives of Australia holds copies of squadron records. The good news is that many a viewable online for free, including the 467 Sqdn ORB (yes, the whole ORB).

The archive web address is:

http://www.naa.gov.au/

From this home page, select the 'RecordSearch' link and then 'Search Now as a Guest'. Next, under keyword type '467 squadron' and click ;Search'.

With the search results displayed, it will show 55 items - click the 'Display' button beside this entry and a list of files (1-20) will come up. You will have to click the button on the bottom of the page to get to page 2 (displays files 21-40) - just past half way down page 2 is a item titled 'Unit history of number 467 Squadron - December 1942 to October 1945'. Click the 'Display Digital Copy' icon and a new page will open showing the first page of the ORB in JPEG format. You can then go through the pages to check the information that you are after...

Cheers

Rod

Re: Seeking info on a 467 Sqdn Crew, 1943, please help!
 

Rod, THANK YOU. I never realised that and it is an absolutely great help. I am currently wading throught the ORB and am already finding specific and excellent info. Thanks ever so much. perhaps, with enough gathered it will prompt him to write down his story - or let me do it with him.

Frank was aircrew from 1940-46, including Defiant N/F's and Tiger Force, so I imagine his story is a thoroughly absorbing one.