RAF 524 Squadron

Erich
Could you divulge where you got this information from,as it certainly adds context to the unfolding story.

Regards
Papillon

 

from my private files on both the two S-Boot Flottilles

also from the bible on the Schnellboot. Gerhard Hümmelchens "Die Deutschen Schnellboote im Zweiten Weltkrieg". the text and would have to find it again in his work mentions a Wellington, but does not say whom returned fire as i would suppose this would be a grp effort on the part of the German Kriegsmarine and the Wellington would receive both fire from 2cm as well as 3.7cm cannons. It also does not mention any Kriegsmarine casualties of any sort. What happened here is that either the two S-Boot Flottilles were searching for a convoy run or more promising for them would be ride it out to the channel and lay a mining operation for the evening which is what I think has happened though again I would have to go in and dig much deeper into research.

 

Papillon

to give some more depth here are the 2.Schnellboot Flottille Boots out this evening :

S-174, 176, 177, 180, 209 and 210. now the commanding Offizier of the Flottille would also be out on this mission and because of senior rank could pick the Boot of his choosing to regulate the evenings activities.

 

This is all incredible information. I would like to thank each and everyone of you for opening a book and revealing more about my Great Uncle Josep's life and RAF career.

I just need to find a picture now...

 

Dave this is a pic of course in Tarpins but of S-210 to give you some flavor of the S-Boot, other Boots of the 2nd Flottille were similar in dress.

a forward 2cm mount and twin 2cm mount behind the bridge-canopy and a rearward facing single 3.7cm cannon, so when you add a minimum of 6 S-Boots firing at a single British A/c there is quite a bit of lead flying in the air.

 

Erich
Are the details contained on this site relevant? Seekrieg 1945, Februar
I am having difficulty translating the text but it would appear to mention a Wellington belonging to 524 Squadron..
Thanks
Papillon

 

yes they are Pap, great site..............

am not sure at the moment that all 5th S-Flottille Boots were involved in this nights mission. It is very apparent by reading through S-Boot journals in 45 in the area out of Holland that if a Wellington was spotted let alone heard in the distance that it would be radio'ing help from coastal Beaufighters or Mosquitos

 

Hi Ynis,

I can not help you directly (yet) but you probably don't know that there is somebody also searching for Sgt S.W. ARGENT - 187491. He's the nephew of this 524 Squadron airman trying to find information relating to his uncle. Perhaps you can combine your actions? Shall I be the mediator just for once?

Kees

 

425000 , 524 Squadron , Flight Sergeant Stanley Clifford SHUTT , aged 32 years,Royal New Zealand Air Force , serving with the Royal Air Force.
Evening Post newspaper ( Wellington , New Zealand ) 11 November 1944:
MISSING ON AIR OPERATIONS
SHUTT , Stanley C., F/Sgt.- Next of kin : Mrs. C. F. Shutt , 183 Opawa Road , Christchurch , New Zealand.

Evening Post newspaper ( Wellington , New Zealand ) 5 October 1945
ROLL OF HONOUR
PRESUMED DEAD - PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING
SHUTT , Stanley C., Flight Sergeant , Christchurch , New Zealand.

The CWGC site ( Runnymede Memorial ) , records him as Warrant Officer Stanley Clifford Shutt

At his death , Stanley left behind a wife , Clare Frances Shutt , and four children , and a fifth yet to be born
Stanley's widow , Clare Frances Shutt , died 17 January 2011 , aged 96 years.
Clare died in Christchurch , New Zealand.
The funeral service was held yesterday , Friday 21 January 2011.

New Zealander Flight Sergeant S.C. SHUTT went missing 2nd October 1944 , somewhere over Holland.........
I have no details of the mission but would like to

 

Just found this discourse - because my son was googling his grandfather, Flt Lt Elwyn Francis Davis, who passed away 4 years ago. My name is Christopher (Kit) Davis

My recollections are somewhat sketchy, as Dad was not a great talker about his and Brook's experiences, but what I do know is that they caught the e-boats in (I think from memory in the Wash) laying mines, 8 boats, and they chased them out into the North Sea. I believe that I recall him saying that it was 6 vs 8, and they got all eight boats, with father's target being the last. I will have to check with my brother (Brooke, named afte Dad's dickie, Brook Taylor, also now deceased, some years back in Auckland NZ where I believe he was a university lecturer in Christchurch), and my mother, both of whom live in the UK

what I can tell you is that many years later, I think in the late 70s/early 80s when my father was involved in opening charity homes for the mentally challenged, he hosted as principal, the opening of Westoning near Bedford, part of the McIntyre Trust. Opened by Princess Anne, with an invited delegation from Germany.

My mother tells a remarkable story that in the subsequent cocktail party, the room went silent as father was seen talking with the leader of the German delegation, because the (inevitable? - non John Cleese) question of "what did you do in the war" came up

Believe it or not it was the skipper of the u-boat that Dad nailed, one Hans Meular. They got on like a house on fire, apparently

Kitdav

 

A big thank you for everyone for all of the information above which is wonderful. Th U Boat info is especially interesting. Anthony have you got any more information from the diaries of the squadron you can share here or personally, especially any photographs.

Take care all,
Dave

 

Dave I have a scan of an interview that my father gave in 2003 that adds a bit more information that you might find interesting, but I am damned if this system will let me upload it. It's a pdf of just under 3mb, so maybe if i had your email address I could send it to you.

regards Kit Davis (elder son)

 

Hi Kit, I cant PM you with my email address...

Can you allow me to PM you please...

 

Hello Christopher (Kitdav) and Dave (Yniswitrin)
Firstly sorry for not replying earlier, but I don’t seem to be receiving automatic notifications that new posts have been added to this thread………probably some setting that I have changed in error.
However back to this fascinating unfolding piece of history, who would have thought that there are now at least three families intimately involved in researching the events up to and proceeding the night of 24 /25 February 1945.

I showed my Mother the new post from you (Kit) last night and she said that she would dearly love to see a photo of your father Flight Lieutenant Elwyn Francis DAVIS and possibly one of Flying Officer Brook Abbott TAYLOR, and read the transcript of the interview your father gave.

In return you might be interested in the letter that your father wrote to my Grandmother following the loss of her son Sergeant SIDNEY WILLIAM ARGENT and other references Sidney made to both your mother and father in letters sent home to his Mother.

I understand that my mother has unearthed a couple of other photos containing her brother Sidney and other unidentified flight crew, could they be members of your father’s crew?

I don’t appear to have the facility to send private messages, so what is the best way to exchange emails so I can forward to you both copies of letters and photos?

Please, for the sake of my mother, help me put some faces to the men that her brother spent his last hours with.

Best regards
Martin Barrett (Papillon)

 

Hi Erich
Are the boats featured in the video clip below from the 2.Schnellboot Flottille? They appear to have the same playing card markings.
If they are.....could they be the same boats that shot down the Wellington?

Schnellboot - german S boat in action - YouTube

Regards
Papillon

 

Hello
My father was Elwyn ("Spider") Davis and Brook Taylor was my Godfather - both now dead, I'm afraid. I have my father's logbook but the only information on the crash is the single word "Pranged"!
My mother is still alive at 91 and I can ask her if she can throw any extra light on what happened, though I know that when my father came home on leave, covered in cuts and bruises, he merely told her that he had fallen off his motorcycle.
Brooke Davis

 

Hi Brooke Davis
It's really really wonderful to here from you,I've got so much information and unanswered questions to share I scarcely know where to begin.Could I begin by asking are you the brother of Christopher (Kit Davis) and secondly would you be interested in the contents of the letters that your father wrote to my grandmother following the crash.I also have extracts from the 524 Squadron: Operations Record Book that are very interesting.

Kind Regards
Martin Barrett ([FONT=&amp]nephew of S.W.Argent)[/FONT]

If you would prefer to contact me via email or personal message please let me know.

 

Yniswitrin - sorry, have not been back in a while. my email address is kit.davis@kdint.net. Please send me yours and I will forward the scan of the article/interview. Martin (Papillon) please also email me and I can forward the article in pdf form to you both, and anyone else who might be interested (Eric?)

 

Hi Kit
I’ll definitely be in touch, thank you for getting back to us.

Yniswitrin – Shortly before Christmas I received information from Kew that absolutely confirms that
Sergeant JOSEPH ARTHUR ROBINSON 1589436 was part of Flight Lieutenant Elwyn Francis DAVIS (122465) crew of seven on that night………mystery solved.
Any luck with finding a photo of Joseph?
It’s a real long shot but I have photo containing Sidney Argent and other unidentified flight crew………could Joseph be one of them?......would you, or any of your family be able to recognise him?
Email me if you would like me to send you a copy
Papillon

 

Now I am thoroughly confused. My father's letter to Mrs Argent definitely implies that there were only 5 crew aboard, of which he and Brook Taylor survived - 3 lost. But the list of crew, and the ASR record, seems to show 7 crew. Not sure if I can definitively identify his "Bill", "Taffy" and "Andy" - I guess Bill = William Argent, Andy = W Andrews and Taffy = ???.
Can anybody throw any light on this?