3 unaccounted FAA losses, May/June 1940

[Ex Shack]

Hi Bart
My wife has confirmed from her own nostalgic school records that the FAA Unit at Clayton Hall nr Newcastle-under-Lyme was named HMS Daedalus II which is as recorded against Beecroft's name in the Naval History Site. There is no record that she has that tells what purpose the Unit had and there is no sign of the cause of Beecroft's death
Regards
Dick

[Leendert]

A bit about HMS Daedalus II in Newcastle-under-Lyme and its importance for FAA here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/a..._feature.shtml

Regards,

Leendert

[B.F.M. Droog]

To show some of the difficulties with the FAA listings on the CWGC database:

Walrus P5647, 700 Sqdn
Lieutenant Ronald W. Benson-Dare, RN, H.M.S. Devonshire [700 Sqdn.], age 23, 18/05/1940, missing. Commemorated on the Lee-on-Solent Memorial.
Midshipman A D.Corkhill wounded, rescued
Leading Airman William H. Hill, RN FX/55056, H.M.S. Devonshire [700 Sqdn.], age 31, 18/05/1940, Tromso Cemeterty, Norway (died of wounds)

Fairey Swordfish Mk I, 825 Sqdn, lost 29/05/1940
Leading Airman Leonard P. Gardner, RN FX/76361, H.M.S. Kestrel [=Fleet Air Arm base at Worthy Down near Winchester][825 Sqdn.], age 26, 29/05/1940, Bollezeele Communal Cemetery, F
Lieutenant (A) Robin H.G. Grey, RN, H.M.S. "Glorious" [825 Sqdn]. He was taken prisoner of war and died, age 24, of cancer in German captivity, 29/08/1941. He is buried at Malbork Commonwealth War Cemetery, Poland.

Fairey Albacore, 826 Sqdn, lost 21/06/1940
Sub-Lieutenant Victor J. Dyke, RN, H.M.S. Peregrine [826 Sqdn.], age 22, 21/06/1940, Texel (Den Burg) Cemetery, NL

Fairey Swordfish Mk I, 823 Sqdn, lost 21/06/1940
Sub-Lieutenant (A) Maurice P. White, RN, H.M.S. Glorious, [823 Sqdn.], age 23, 21/06/1940, missing
Naval Airman 1st Class Charles H.A. Hull, RN FAA/FX. 77524, H.M.S. Sparrowhawk, [823 Sqdn.], age 20, 21/06/1940, missing

As you may notice in the last case S/Lt White is listed as belonging to HMS Glorious, which was sunk on 08/06/1940.

With other words: for some reason many FAA (and other Royal Navy Casualties) are listed as belonging to HMS Sparrowhawk, HMS Daedalus, HMS Peregrine etc etc, which were land stations and not the actual units they were in. Or they are listed as being crew of a ship the actual unit ws once assigned to.

All of this makes me think of publishing a list of all RN land stations with possible units assigned to them that are named in the CWGC headstones - if such a list is non-existent.

Regards,

Bart

[Henk Welting]

Bart,
Unfortunately having no book on the book-shelve re the FAA, your idea for a list of RN land stations would be of great help for me as well.

Henk.

[B.F.M. Droog]

Okay,

So I'll do. In the coming days I hope to launch such a page.

Regards,

Bart

[B.F.M. Droog]

This is it: http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/rnls.html

[Larry]

Guys,

There were several HMS Daedalus's during the war as out stations of the main base at Lee on Solent.

Even RAF Christchurch was HMS Daedalus II for a time until it became HMS Raven II (?) in May 1944 (as confirmed by my FAA contacts service records which they retained).

[B.F.M. Droog]

Thanks Larry,

The information on the page I made is only valid for May and June 1940 - in the future I hope to expand the time period.

It's a complicated matter - I've noticed FFA airmen who according to the CWGC belonged to ships long sunk; airecrews on one plane from different RN Air Stations, etcetera.

Regards,

Bart

[dhoward]

HMS Daedalus II was a training establishment for FAA artificers: my father was one.