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Old 17th March 2024, 14:40
Stig Jarlevik Stig Jarlevik is offline
Alter Hase
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,840
Stig Jarlevik will become famous soon enough
Re: Major Alexander James Wright RM 805/RNFS

Ha, ha Keith

I never checked the "unidentified" page since on page 510 it is identified with the aircraft in question!
Strange....

So, if it is the same guy after all, we then have
Claim 1: 17 March 1941 'mailplane' with 803Sq (Fulmar) shared with S/L Simpson, a probable only
Claim 2: 21 April 1941 Z.1007bis with 803Sq (Fulmar)
Claim 3: 14 July 1941 S.79 off Haifa with 804Sq (Hurricane)

I have now located claim 1 in Shores book Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete!
I am still puzzled by the claim 3!
Looking in another AB book, the Squadrons & Units of the FAA, 804 Sq was nowhere near Haifa
at the time. In mid 1941 they supplied aircraft and pilots for the CAM ships.
It is listed as having a detachment onboard HMS Pegasus but I believe this was a trainer carrier
used basically in the Atlantic.
I now wonder if the passage by Ray is a bit compromised in the index, that is Wright only flew the
specified Hurricane when he was rested with 760Sq in 1942.
That would actually make his claim three still with 803 Sq wouldn't it?
Checking 803 Sq it was taken off HMS Formidable, re-equipped with ex RAF Hurricanes and moved
to Palestine in June 1941. Sounds like a perfect match....

Can this claim be verified elsewhere by someone?
What do you think?

Cheers
Stig
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