Re: 13 Sqn Lysander crash 15 May 1940

[paulmcmillan]

Does his
Logbox link any other 13 Lysander serials to Sqn Code ? Now we know he in B Flight with V

[Danny152]

Paul,

I will check and let you know. I am getting most of the details pilots log book entries for my next book Lysander Attack.

[paulmcmillan]

Ok great little by little some of these mysteries are solved - i don’t know how many 13 Sqn battle of France Lysanders are unidentified

[Martin Gleeson]

Danny,

Your Air Gunner ‘Stephens’ is a much tougher nut to crack than the others ! I cannot prove it for certain – hopefully others can – but there is one possible candidate. My reasoning is a bit tortuous, but bear with me.

Firstly the individual aircraft letter ‘V’ is important. I believe this was a ‘C’ Flight aircraft as 13 Squadron had ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ Flights up to mid-September 1940.
I cannot find any trace of him in the 13 Sqn. ORB or Appendices up to the end of March 1940 when the Daily Routine Orders , etc. cease. Virtually nothing for April or May due to lost records as you know all too well. So he probably joined the squadron during that April or very early May 1940.
Sgt. Stephens, as he was by then, appears in at least one of the 13 Sqn. Appendices from July 1940 and is shown as an Air Gunner but no more detail unfortunately. Then in mid-September 1940 the entire ‘C’ Flight of 13 Sqn. – including Sgt. Stephens – was transferred to 231 Squadron. Again I cannot find any detail on him in the 231 Sqn. ORB or Appendices.

However the 231 Sqn. Appendices (AIR 27/1427, page 263) throws up a possibility. In the Daily Routine Orders for 18-10-1940 no less than 16 airmen from Sergeants to AC2’s are listed under the heading ‘TRAINING AS AIR CREW’, and all are detailed to report to the squadron Orderly Room three days later. One of these is ‘774 Sgt. S. J. Stephens’. Perhaps he volunteered to train as a pilot or observer ?

Looking through the AIR 78 enlisted personnel name cards one finds a 905774 Stanley John Cecil Stephens.I can find no trace of this service number in either the London Gazette or the CWGC websites. So he survived, was not commissioned and received no award. As far as I can see he did not become a POW either. Although the 231 Sqn. Appendices only goes to the end of October 1940 there is no further mention of him after 18-10-1940, and unfortunately their ORB has no F.541 for 1940.

Hopefully someone can verify his connection to 13 Squadron – or not. Or maybe some details of his post-1940 service.

Regards,

Martin.

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

905774 P/O Stanley John Cecil STEPHENS (116051) RAFVR

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/...5476/page/1018

and ...

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/...upplement/6415

There is also this fellow skulking about in 1931:

Air Ministry 31st March, 1931
ROYAL AIR FORCE
GENERAL DUTIES BRANCH.

The undermentioned are granted short service commission as Pilot Officers on probation with effect and with authority of 13th March, 1931 (p.2140).

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/...3703/page/2141

Stanley John Cecil STEPHENS.

and ...

Air Ministry 23rd June, 1931
ROYAL AIR FORCE
GENERAL DUTIES BRANCH.

The short service commission of Pilot Officer on probation Stanley John Cecil STEPHENS is terminated on cessation of duty. 17th June, 1931.

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/...3728/page/4079

He would not have had time to unpack his bags!

Col.

[Martin Gleeson]

Hello Col,

Fantastic sleuthing ! For the second day in a row the LG gives me no returns when I enter his enlisted S/N. His officer number does produce a number of results however.
Very possibly the same chap in 1931. He probably had an interesting life story to tell !

Regards,

Martin.

[paulmcmillan]

Probably the same chap he was born 1911 in Malta so 20
In 1931 and died in Uk in 1980

[Pieter H]

Hi Danny,
since you seem to have his log book, can you see the times of this flight (take-off and possibly crash)?


Thanks, Pieter

[Danny152]

Thanks guys,

Pieter,

Will check today and let you know the details. Is it just times you need?

Thanks

Danny

[Pieter H]

Hi Danny, in principle yes, allows to find possible match with attackers.


Cheers, Pieter