F/O W.G. Brooks, 541.Sqdn

[Heuser]

Gentlemen,

while checking the records of the Berlin War Cemetery, I came across F/O William Gwynfryn Brooks, 541.Sqdn. His date of death was 3rd of March 1945.

Was he killed on a Recce mission on this day or did he die in captivity?

Regards,

Heuser

[Alain57]

Hello

F/O WG Brooks was that day flying a recce mission in Spitfire PL-966.T/O was at 0820 hrs.

Regards
Alain57

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

3 March 1945 - 541 Squadron.

Flying Officer W. G. Brooks in Spitfire XI PM148 took off at 0820 hours on sortie No.G4624 to Bohlen, Lutzendorf and Rositz for Damage Assessment, but failed to return.

See:
RAF Benson:A Diary of Wartime Losses.
Ottaway,Reginald H.
Andover:Speedman Press,2010.
p.130

Col.

[Alex Smart]

Happy New Year,

Henk had in his lists PR.XIX, RM627. Benson/Oxfordshire 09.56u.
Fotoverkenning omgeving Bielefeld, Fotovcrashed Diutsland.

Alex
PS
Spitfire .ukf.net has the folllowing for
PL966 - M70 -9MU 9/10/44, 1PP Benson 14/1/45, 541S 21/1/45 26S 29/1/46 Sold scrap bou 3/9/47.
And
PM148 - M70-1PP Benson 17/1/45 541S, 23/1/45, missing (Bohlen) 8/3/45.
And
RM627 - G65 - Benson 30/4/44, 541S 4/6/44, Missing (Bielefeld) 4/3/45.

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

4 March 1945 - 541 Squadron.

Flight Lieutenant L. H. Scargill* in Spitfire XIX RM627 took-off at 1042 hours on a Damage Assessment sortie, No.G4647 to Bielefeld, but failed to return.

Since there appears to be no record of the death or imprisonment of Flight Lieutenant Scargill it is likely that he survived, escaped capture and returned to the United Kingdom.

See: RAF Benson:A Diary of Wartime Losses/Ottaway. p.130

* 101093 F/L Lionel Hamilton SCARGILL DFC RAFVR - survived the war, served in post-war RAF:

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/...upplement/6162

DFC details: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/...upplement/1166

HNY.

Col.

[Andy Fletcher]

The 541 Sqn ORB F.541 lists Brooks' aircraft as PL966 for sortie 106G/4624, however it also lists sortie 106G/4628 (F/L B.K.L. Fuge) as being flown in PL966 and airborne only 100 minutes after Brooks took off. The F.540 for the period doesn't list aircraft serials.

Best Regards

Andy Fletcher

[Alex Smart]

Hello All,
As Col and Andy have given confirmation of the fate of both PL966 and RM627, it would seem that PM148 is the only one left ? except it is said to have been lost on the 8/3/45.
Andy, what details are there about 106G/4625 and 106G/4626 if anything ?

Have a great New Year
Alex

[Andy Fletcher]

Hi Alex,

106G/4625 and 4626 were flown by 542 Sqn on 03 Mar 45

106G/4625; F/L R.K. Raby in Spitfire PR.XI PL910; Objectives east of Arnhem.
106G/4626; F/L F.G. Fray in Spitfire PR.XI PL825; Objectives in Ruhr area.

Happy New Year

Andy Fletcher

[Alex Smart]

Happy New Year to you all,

This may be of use to someone one day.
541 Squadron
CWGC
1943
13/01/1943 - PAYNE, William John - W/O - 754956 - 541 Sqdn - RAFVR - Runnymede Memorial, Surrey - R7044.
07/02/1943 - TAFFS, John Clifford - F/O - 123031 - 541 Sqdn - RAFVR - Runnymede Memorial, Surrey - EN385.
08/02/1943 - Van Der HEIJDEN, Pieter Robert Marie - Sqdn/Ldr(Pilot) - 40190 - 541 Sqdn - RAF - Runnymede Memorial, Surrey - BP881.
16/02/1943 - POWER, James Patrick - Sergeant (Pilot) - 1340974 - RAFVR - Peebles Cemetery, Peeblesshire - R7042.
28/05/1943 - GOULDEN, Thomas - Flt/Sgt - 1044413 - 541 Sqdn - RAFVR - Runnymede Memorial, Surrey - EN411.
12/06/1943 - PHYPERS, John - AC1c - 1611663 - 541 Sqdn - RAFVR - Benson (St. Helen ) Churchyard Extension, Oxfordshire - ?
16/12/1943 - JOHNSON, Roy Percival - Flt/Lt (Pilot) - 67059 - 541 Sqdn - RAFVr - Addington (St. Mary ) Churchyard, Surrey - BS491.
1944
21/01/1944 - AITKEN, James McGinn - Flt/Sgt - 1552265 - 541 Sqdn - RAFVR - Runnymede Memorial, Surrey ?
01/06/1944 - CAMPBELL, James Russell - Flg/Off (Pilot) - 155796 - 541 Sqdn - RAFVR - Llandudno (Great Orme's Head ) Cemetery, Caernarvonshire- MB902 .
28/09/1944 - McCUAIG, Duncan Kennedy - Flt/Lt (Pilot) - 67629 - D.F.C - 541 Sqdn (PRU) - RAFVR - Sage War Cemetery, Niedersachsen, Germany - PL904.
29/11/1944 - ROWBOTHAM, John Neville - Flg/Off (Pilot) - 160133 - 541 Sqdn - RAFVR - Combe Martin (St. Peter) Churchyard, Devon - PL887.
05/12/1944 - GRIFFITHS, William Stanwell - Flg/Off - 1700418 - 541 Sqdn - RAFVR - Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Gelderland, Netherlands - PL882.
1945
01/01/1945 - POLLARD, Douglas - Flt/Lt (Pilot) - 150050 - D.F.C - 541 Sqdn - RAFVR - Hamburg Cemetery, Hamburg, Germany - PL899.
09/01/1945 - DE PUYSSELEYR, Joseph (BELGIAN) - Flt/Lt - 100652 - 541 Sqdn - D.F.C - RAFVR - Dorchester (St. Birinus) Roman Catholic Churchyard, Oxfordshire - PL900.
03/03/1945 - BROOKS, William Gwynfryn - Flg/Off (Pilot) - 176857 - 541 Sqdn - RAFVR - Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Berlin, Germany -PM148.
09/03/1945 - PLATTS, George - Flt/Lt - 137655 - D.F.C - 541 Sqdn - RAFVR - Runnymede Memorial, Surrey - RM631.
19/03/1945 - FUGE, Brian Kenneth Levinge - Flt/Lt - 41394 - 541 Sqdn - RAF - Runnymede Memorial, Surrey - PL856.
Corrections welcome.

Alex

[Heuser]

Dear all,

thank you very much for your efforts! Brooks was killed near the village of Eulau, NW of Naumburg - this matches with the objectives of sortie No.G4624.

Regards,

Heuser