The 49 Squadron Association

This is not the official web site, but one which was started as a second step to finding out what had happened to those I flew with and enjoyed their company in my National Service days, September 1951 to September 1953. The first step had been to link up with the Association, which in those days was only concerned with WW2 matters and membership. Not so, now of course, but due to the enormous debt that we owe those who failed to return, is still a key part of our activities. Consequently, the major part of the Squadron history has now been published via a new 49 Squadron Association web site. It has reached the stage where you can now read the full Roll of Honour with many photographs of individual graves and where available, a picture of the WWI, WWII and post 1945 airman concerned. It also includes memories of former serving members, a squadron history and details of the Association. Just started in a new section entitled 'Documents' are stories from some of our members.
So go to it NOW and see what a first class job it is.

This page has been provided for some years now as an on-going source of current information on the web about people and events related to 49 Squadron. While there are a few members who have e-mail addresses, most of the effort made to keep in touch is done through our magazine. And for the majority of members, this is the preferred way. Note that for those members with broadband, you can download the electronic version of the magazine at your leisure. Please ask the Secretary Alan Parr for details.
For others who find this site - read on. You can get some idea of the extent to which the Association has grown in the last few years and to the great lengths that members have gone to ensure that......... WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

I am still extracting items of interest from the current magazine and publish them here. Now that the new web site is growing, I wonder if members or those who come across this site want this to continue?

The latest issue of the magazine (No.11 July 2008) has a colour photograph of the memorial to the crew of Hampden P1206 at Berkhout, Holland on the front cover. With 26 more colour photos inside, it really is a colourful issue!

Now a few extracts just to get you interested:-

1. A welcome to our new member, Lionel Ayling, an Engineer on Lincolns at Waddington, Wittering and Upwood. A new Honorary Member for services rendered, Malcolm Brooke, our Webmaster. Eight new associate members, Mike Ling, Vivienne Mengham, John Scott, Rosemary Howard, Dominic Howard, Greg Burton, Ray Wilde and Graham Inns.
   
2. The funerals, with full Military Honours, of the two gunners, Sgts. Kehoe and Mullinger, who were recovered from the wreakage of Hampden P1206 last September took place on May 7th in Holland. A full illustrated report of this and the dedication of the new memorial at the crash site appears in this issue. The remains of the aircraft are now to be returned to Scampton in November.
   
3. Another reunion has come and gone, but the memories linger on. The write-up runs to three pages and there are seven colour photographs.
   
4. Ted and Alan were invited to RAF Wittering to see the presentation organised by 'Friend' Tony Stannage to raise money for the school and children of Christmas Island. The visit coincided with the 90th Anniversary celebrations of the RAF and they were able to watch a display put on by the Red Arrows and four Typhoons and to get a close-up look at the inside of a Harrier. Lucky lads.
   
5. Having mentioned one flypast, Alan goes on to mention Trooping the Colour on TV and the flypast of the 52 aircraft being led by the Lanc, two Hurricanes and the two Spitfires of the BBMF. Still out in front!
   
6. Once again our Reader's Letters (11 in this issue if you include the emails!) have come up with more comments, observations - and plaudits. Very interesting to read about the Australian Lincoln that the former corporate jet and bush medical services pilot Bob Barnes had a trip in while an ATC cadet in January 1958. He's not the only one to have been scared by the antics of a Sergeant Pilot! Eric Clarke has again posed a very interesting question concerning the second navigation light switch on the early? Lancasters that could accidentally be knocked on by the parachute harness of passing aircrew. Does anyone remember it being permanently wired in the 'off' position? Jack Shearing wrote to say that he and John Ward have made progress on naming the personnel on the Squadron photographs taken at Syerston in May 1945 and Mepal in April 1946. But they do need help from anyone who was there then were you?
   
7. Our 'Can You Help' pages have some more interesting requests. Perhaps the most interesting was from a French Primary Schoolteacher who is setting a project for his pupils to investigate aircrew who crashed in the Oise District of northern France. A 49 Squadron Lancaster PB195 EA-P was one of these. Does anyone remember F/O H.F.Dod, Sgt. V.A.Keen, F/S N.Gordon, Sgt. L.Horner, Sgt. B.R.Scott, F/S H.Cox and P/O L.R.Truscott RCAF? If so, however remote, please get in touch.
   
8. We do get answers to some of our queries as the following will demonstrate:-
   
   1. Ted Cachart has researched the Hinds and concluded that none served with 49 Squadron and neither did the Mosquito.
      
   2. The yellow circle painted on the armour plate on the pilot's seat has been confirmed as a gas detector.
      

One of the greatest problems for the Secretary is being asked by relatives and old friends of squadron members for information on past events. Obviously most enquiries relate to aircrew who were killed in action, but an increasing number seek information on post-war members. This has now resulted in yours truly helping in this, by acting as the post-war members archivist/correspondent. Bearing in mind that the total number of post-war members could run to over a thousand, even though the Squadron was disbanded on the 1st May 1965, it has been possible to use email and the Internet to link up old friends. Yes, there are other sites that do this, but they cover a much bigger group and so it's less likely you will find them there.

So this was started some nine years ago now as a first attempt at spreading the word that the Association does have a presence on the WWW.  It has resulted in many new members, relatives and friends getting in touch with people who they never thought they would ever speak to or see again. Although our new website is now attracting many more enquiries, it seems worthwhile to continue with these pages.

I have put some of the previous newsletters on a separate archive page if you wish to look back at them here.

There are always requests in the magazine in the "Do you know? or Can you help?" category - in many cases these are friends or relatives of past members seeking news or information. If you are ex-49 Squadron and have not yet joined your Association, why not get in touch? You may just be the person they are looking for! As a first step, I have now added a "Can you help" page help where I have listed some of the enquiries from emails I have received and also those mentioned in the magazine. Please email me if you have any information to add or can suggest some answers.
It does get results!

If you would like to find out more, e-mail me. But please put 49 Sqdn in the subject line so that I do not throw it out with the spam.

David Boughton

49 Squadron, 1952-1953

Latest update: 3rd August 2008