Four RAF Mediterranean losses - info needed please

[wwrsimon]

Hello everyone

Can anyone give any details about the aircraft involved in the following four losses in the Med?

FENDER Edwin Stuart, Flight Sgt 939536, 272 Sqn, killed 23/12/41
GREAVES Arthur Seymour, Sgt 581440, 272 Sqn, killed 23/12/41
They were Navigators in two Beaufighters shot down by a Bf-109 flown by Oblt Gerhart Homuth near El Aghelia.
Pilots were P/O J H Baker and P/O N K Lee respectively.

DEWHURST Lawrence, Flying Officer 66012, 39 Sqn, killed 24/08/42
Pilot of a Beaufort, shot down while attacking the Italian tanker 'Giorgia' off the Greek coast.

GALLEY Denis, Sgt 1098272, 227 Sqn, killed 16/05/45
Navigator in a Beaufighter, piloted by Sgt E J Havnar from Rhodesia, FTR. Havnar became a PoW.

The information I have gleaned so far is from Nesbit's 'The Armed Rovers' but the book does not include any specific aircraft details.

Many thanks.

Regards

Simon

[Stig Jarlevik]

Simon

Sadly lacking in Beaufighter details, but the only Beaufort loss I can find for 39 Sq and 24.8.1942 is AW290 which was lost on a shipping strike off Corfu due to Flak.

B Rgds
Stig

[wwrsimon]

Thanks for the Beaufort serial Stig, much appreciated.

Regards

Simon

[Mark E Horan]

I know this was posted long ago but ... I somehow missed it back then ... but I have details for the Beaufort mission and the crew of the lost plane.

Strike by Malta based Torpedo Striking Force 39 Squadron (Technically a combined mixture of mixture of 39 and 86 Squadron machines and crews). Nine aircraft were dispatched at 1645. Eight returned by 2245. Aircraft involved were 1st Vic (W, H, K), 2nd Vic (U, X, P) and 3rd Vic (A, B, and S [AW290]) .

The Italian convoy consisted of Tanker Giorgia (4,887 GRT), escorted by the Torpedo Boats Partenope and Polluce and it was located in a position 270 degrees, 36 nautical miles off ANTEPATOS at 1922 hours. The attack was not successful.

Beaufort A290 [39 Sqn, code S] was shot down by flak and crashed uncontrolled into the sea - all four of the crew were classified MPK [Missing Presumed Killed]:

(P) FO Lawrence Dewhurst, RAFVR 66012 (25)
(N) PO A. A. Turner, RAF 103588
(WO) Sgt. J. E. Littlewood, RAF 1056814
(TG) Sgt. G. Leadbeater, RAF 944127

I hope this is of interest. I have done extensive research into the Mediterranean Beaufort operations and have details of all strike forces [RAF Records] and the actual convoys attacked Italian Records] although I likely have made more than a few translation errors with the Italian records

Mark

[wwrsimon]

Many thanks Mark for the reply, that's very useful info.

Regards

Simon