Memorial to a great RAF 'character'

Thank you

 

Have mailed you miss rogers-despam your post
best
Pete

 

Thank you Martin.
I'd love to read more about this man.

 

If Welter's claim was for a Mossie at 8,000 metres, I doubt very much it would have been the 23 Squadron aircraft. They flew low-level intruder sorties, attempting to pick off Luftwaffe aircraft as they landed or took off.

I think there is a reference in the book Martin's mentioned to a navigator named Rogers, though I don't know if it's the same man.

There is another story about Hoare's demise which is rather more distressing. It turned up in a book by another Mosquito pilot who does not mention Hoare's name, but the way the story is told it can only be him. I'm away from home so I can't give you a reference right now.

Edit - Sorry, should have mentioned, the crash of PZ177 is described in German report KE9687, though where this might be held I don't know, perhaps in the U.S. I can recommend a researcher for the National Archives at Kew, however it may be easier to try to track down a fellow named Juergen Haus, who I believe researches crashes in his area and *may* have some info.

 

Thank you

 

No worries.

If you can't find any reference in Confounding the Reich, post again here. I'm 100% sure I have seen reference to a Rogers in 23 Squadron, though again I stress I cannot remember first name or initials of the man referred to.

 

Thanks as ever for your contribution, Mark ! BTW, if you do come across some info regarding 'Sammy' Hoare's fate, I'd be interested to hear it....

 

Hi Martin:

PM'ed you - not sure it went though. Did it reach you/

Mark

 

No - it's not there, Mark. Can you try again ?

 

OK Martin, done.

 

Returning to this thread again.....

The 'scoreboards' for 23 and 55 Squadrons are preserved in St Andrews Church at Little Snoring. Browsing through my archive of digital snapshots, I came across the following one taken at Easter 2006 : -



...and there they are, at the bottom ( 'Sammy' Hoare at the top ). Quite a coincidence......

 

Amazing Martin!.....Someone helped in aiming that camera on that day!

 

Great shot Martin:

I don't know if you're aware, but the S/L Martin referred to is "Mickey" Martin, of Dambusters fame.

I believe his two claims on 9.9.44 were for UAEs in ground strafes - location I have is 47'N 13'E, which is down by Salzburg.

Rogers' and Eastwood's claim on the 12th was for a UEA damaged at Hanau / Langendiebach.

 

Thanks, Mark - yes, I remember now that that is why I took that shot - I was on the lookout for tangible evidence of Mickey Martin's sojourn at Little Snoring.

 

Thought I'd dredge up a very old thread as I'd come across some more info to add to this.

'Way back, someone reasonably commented on the age of the men in the photo. It turns out that, for this special occasion, many pre-war officers of 605 Squadron were invited. The four main people in the photo are (L-R) F/O Leo Williams DFC, W/Cdr Sammy Hoare DSO DFC, Group Captain J A C Wright ( who was the first-ever CO of 605 Sqn ) and lastly Air Commodore Sir Lindsay Everard MP.

And the model Mosquito ? Apparently it is held in safe-keeping among the collection of RAF silverware at Stratford-on-Avon Town Hall.

 

Wonderful, I thought there was nothing to see in Stratford but Skakespeare relics, now I have to go back there.

 

I am the posthumous daughter of Bertie Rex O'Bryen Hoare. He was known as Sammy because he had a cousin in parliament called Samuel. I buried my mother at Little Snoring and left the grave unmarked. I was young and foolish and not coping well. Fortunately some of my father's squadron found out about this and produced this wonderful headstone. There was also a reunion which my husband and small children attended with me. It was wonderful. I learnt so much about my father that day. Most of all I learnt how much he was loved. My oldest child, a daughter , is named Sammy after him. In her case, Samantha! I adored my father, and still do, even though I never met him. My mother never married again. She travelled to Australia from Singapore to look for him when he went missing on his final flight to New Zealand where they were going to begin civilian life as farmers. She was 2 months pregnant. She was looked after by Frank Packer and his wife. It was a terrible tragedy. She decided to have me born in England so travelled by troopship there hoping to stay with my father's family as her own relatives had died during the war years. My father's sister told her she was not welcome. I have to excuse her as she adored my father and it was one loss too many. But my wonderful grandmother was welcoming. I have heard stories about my father from her but failed to ask my mother very much. On an impulse my mother and I, now 3 yrs old, sailed to Kenya where we stayed and where I am now. I have photos and newspaper cuttings and letters from and about my father. I was always so proud of him. I look very like him and my daughters look like me! If there are any questions I may be able to answer some.
Rosy

 

Thank you very much indeed for contributing here Ms Hoare. To be truthful, I feel quite humbled....

By coincidence, I was in North Norfolk a few weeks ago and - as always - detoured to Little Snoring and visited the grave again.

Do you have the original edition of Martin Bowman's 'Confounding the Reich' ? It contains some photographs ( which I've seen nowhere else ) of Sammy Hoare and 'Sticky' Murphy taken in the Summer of 1944 - I find them very poignant.

 

Just thought I'd update this thread with a couple of views of the old airfield at Little Snoring, taken last month. They were all shot on the south side of the airfield and show a general view of the taxy track, the southern T2 hangar and the original Control Tower which sat alongside the main runway.