Catalina - W8418 - lost 23 Dec 1941 - crew

[Leendert]

In the evening of 23 Dec 1941 Catalina W8418 of No. 240 Squadron sank at/near RAF Pembroke Dock due to a heavy landing (struck a float?).

There were 6 fatalities (Debonnaire, Havlicek, Lewis, Jones, Gray, Lockett), all named at the Runnymede Memorial. Can I therefore assume that these men could not be recovered anymore from the Catalina, having sunk either too deep in the sea or too far from the coast/station?
If info is available how four more crew (Patterson, Murphy, Westby, Missett) could be rescued, then happy to hear so.

Both ORB and Summary of events for Dec 1941 of No. 240 Squadron provide no details whatsoever.

Thanks & regards,
Leendert

[Alex Smart]

Hello Leendert,
For what it's worth, Ross McNeill's "RAF Coastal Command Losses " vol 1 just has the 10 crew name's followed by this comment.
Quote -
"Take off time: 02.40."
Followed by
"A float dug in during a heavy landing at 20.00 hrs on return from patrol and the Catalina sank at Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire. F/O.Havlicek,a Canadian, and his crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial ".

02.40 till 20.00 hrs quite a long flight, would this be a normal patrol flight time I wonder ?

[Chris Goss]

Deep water off Pembroke Dock so guess they went down with the aircraft which should be a War Grave

[Alex Smart]

Don't know if it is the same airman but there was a W/O. William Henry WESTBY - 524787 - DFM commemorated on the Singapore Memorial, date of death given as 1st February, 1944. He was with 205 Sqdn at date of death. .

I could not find MISSETT or K, B, MURPHY or PATTERSON in the CWGC.

National Archives AIR81 Description Search

AIR81/11141 - Pilot Officer A G W Debonnaire, Flying Officer V V Havilicek (RCAF), Flight Sergeant G E Jones, Sergeant J S Gray, Sergeant S Lockett, Flight Sergeant F R Lewis: missing believed killed;
Pilot Officer K A W Paterson, Sergeant W H Westby, Sergeant K B Murphy, Sergeant G Missett: injured;
aircraft crashed and sunk at RAF Pembroke Dock on return from operational flight, Catalina W8418, 240 Squadron, 23 December 1941. at C17058870.

[Leendert]

Thanks for (additional) info. Too bad the online No. 240 Squadron records tell only of the Catalina crash at Pembroke Dock, but nothing at all about the death of six and rescue of four men of the crew....
I take it that no further rescue and salvage attempts were or could be made after the Cat had sunk, so a war grave ever since like Chris has suggested above.

Regards,
Leendert

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

Westby DFM was lost on 1 February, 1944, aboard No.205 Sqn Catalina I AJ160. More details here:

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/arc...p/t-12783.html

Col

[dp_burke]

Looking at Havlicek service file on ancestry, a very sad letter from his father dated 1945 writing to, Czech Attache in Ottowa.

He had been working as manager of Toronto Agency of KOTVA Company in Zlin in 1938.
He was written to by his son early in the war to say he had joined the Canadian forces, having been a reserve Lt in Czech forces.

Heard from his brother, the Czech minister is Tokio that his son was 'mentioned' in London around May 1941 and he heard nothing else until a Czech in Sagan, Germany mention that V V Havlicek had died on the battlefield.

So only in July 1945 was he able to try to find out what became of his son.

Ah, theres only 14 sheets of service file scanned, I'm inclined to think theres more in the actual file, but they cherry picked what to scan (maybe??).

That's disappointing, I was sure it would turn up a F765 of F412 or something

[paulmcmillan]

Pilot Officer K A W Paterson is

Kenneth Alexander Wingate PATERSON 60112


Sergeant K B Murphy is I believe

Kevin Barry Murphy 630128

But... G Missett ?? - I believe maybe a typo in the name or nor RAF

Not George Missett Born Qtr 4 Dec 1912 Leeds who died same year

[Leendert]

Paul,
Don't know exactly about first name of Sgt. Missett, only that his surname appears several times as such in the ORBs of 240 Squadron, including as crew member of W8418 on 23 Dec 1941...

Regards,
Leendert

[paulmcmillan]

I wonder if G Missett is a badly written C

Clifford Missett
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