Battle Of Britain 2 H-P.

“ NEVER IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN CONFLICT WAS SO MUCH OWED BY SO MANY TO SO FEW ”

THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN LONDON MONUMENT

KENNETH CHRISTOPHER HOLLAND 754503. SGT. AUSTRALLIAN.
Originally from Sydney, Holland came under the care of a guardian, who lived in Camelford in Cornwall. He was with 152 Sqn at Acklington in early july 1940. In September the 17th he shared in the destruction of a Ju 88 and on the 19th destroyed a Ju 88. On September the 25th he attacked a He 111 and set it on fire. Seeing a parachute he went in for a closer look but was shot down by a gunner, still in the Heinkel. His Spitfire N 3173, crashed near Church Farm, Wolverton and he was killed. The enermy aircraft also crashed at Church farm. Four of the crew were killed. The pilot baled out and was captured. Holland was cremated at Weymouth Crematorium. He was 20 years old.

FREDERICK HENRY HOLMES 76583. P/O. BRITISH.
Holmes of Lincolnshire, was instructing before he joined 152 Sqn at Acklington in June 1940. On the 25th July he shared in the destruction of a Do 17, In August the 18th he claimed a Ju 87 destoyed and on the 21st he shared a Ju 88.On December the 4th 1944 Holmes was killed, as a Flight Lieutentant with 487 Squadron, aged 31 years old. He is buried in the Reichswald Forset War cemetery, Cleves, Germanay.

P/O.24.12.39. F/O. 24.12.40. F/L 24.12.41.

PETER HARRY HUMPHREYS 84961. P/O. BRITISH.
Humphreys, of Lymington, he joined 152 sqn at warmwell on 29th September 1940. He remained with the Squadron until the spring of 1941. He was posted to 92 Squadron at Biggin hill. In November 1941 he flew to middle east in a Sunderland and joined 112 Squadron at Sidi Heneish, as a Flight Commander. On April the 24th 1942 he was posted to Fighter school at El Ballah, as an instructor. He returned to operations in early 43. when he rejoined 92 Squadron at Castel Benito, as a Flight Commander. He destroyed a Bf 109 on the 7th of March. He took command of the Squadron on the 6th of May and led it to Malta in June and then on to Sicily and Italy. He was credited with two enemy aircraft destroyed and awarded the D.F.C (1.10.43). He was posted away in November 43 and given command of 111 Squadron at Lago, Italy in April 44. He returned to the UK in November 44 and was station Commander at RAF Castle Bromwich in 46 and afterwards served on the staff of HQ 12 Group, Nottingham. On the 11th November 1947 he went as a passenger in a Lincoln during fighter affiliation exercises, to observe mock attacks. A Hornet , making a head-on attack, misjudged the breakaway and collided with the Lincoln. All in the bomber and the fighter were killed. He was cremated at Bournemouth Crematorium. He was 27 years old.

P/O.7.9.40. F/O.7.9.41. F/L.7.9.42 S/L.20.6.45

RICHARD FREDERICK INNESS 41292. F/O. BRITISH.
Educated at Eton, He joined the RAF on a short service commission in August 1938. He was with 152 Sqn at Warmwell in July 1940. He claimed a Ju 88 destroyed on the 26th of September and a Bf 109 on the 27th. In early 41 he was posted to 53 OTU, Heston as an instructor. He was given command of 130 Squadron from October 1943 to February 1944 and then onto 222 Squadron until 1944. He was released from the RAF in 1946, as a Squadron Leader.

APO.29.10.38. P/O.29.8.39. F/O. 3.9.40. F/L.3.9.41. S/L.1.7.44

JOHN SINCLAIR BUCKNALL JONES 33467. P/O. BRITISH.
Jones of Marlborough, Wiltshire entered RAF College, Cranwell in January 1938 as a Flight cadet. He graduated in October 1939 and joined 152 Sqn at Acklington in early july 1940. Shortly afterwards the Squadron moved south to Warmwell Dorset. On the 11th of August 1940 he was shot down in combat with a Bf 109’s in mid channel, in Spitfire R6614. He baled out but was killed he is buried in Sainte Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, France. He was 21 years old.

P/O. 1.10.39.

ALBERT WALLACE KEARSEY 60518. SGT. BRITISH.
He joined 152 Sqn at Warmwell in August 1940, prior to the Battle of Britain he was a staff pilot at 10 BGS, Warmwell. On the 30th September he claimed a Bf 110 destroyed and shared in the destruction of a Ju 88 west of Shaftesbury on the 14th November 40. He was commissioned in January 1941 and released from the RAF in 1946 as a Flight Lieutenant. He joined the RAFVR in April 1948.

P/O.22.1.41. F/O.22.1.42. F/L.22.1.43. F/O (RAFVR) 22.4.48.

ZYGMUNT KLEIN 780685. SGT. POLISH. 234 & 152 Sqn’s.
He was born on the 24th of August 1918. He joined 234 Squadron at St Eval on the 6th of August 1940. He claimed a Bf 109 destroyed on the 7th of August. He was posted to 152 Sqn at Warmwell on the 5th of October 40. On the 7th he damaged a Bf 110, on the 26th of November he crash landed near Torquay, having run out of petrol. He was reported missing two days later and belived to have been shot down while in combat with Bf 109’s in the Isle of Wight area in Spitfire P9427. He is remembered on the Polish Air Force Memorial at Northolt.

ERIC SIMCOX ( BOY) MARRS 33572. P/O. BRITISH.
“Boy” Marrs was born in Dover on the 9th of July 1921. He entered RAF College, Crnwell in April 1939 as a flight cadet. He was granted a permanent commission on the 7th of March 1940 and joined 152 Sqn at Acklington ten days later. On the 13th of August he claimed a Bf 110 destroyed, on the 16th a probable He 111, on the 18th a Ju 87, and on the 22nd shared a Do 17, on the 25th a Bf 110, on the 17th of September a shared Ju 88 and on the 28th a Bf 109. He destroyed a Do 17 north of Warmwell on the 4th of July 1941. He was awarded the D.F.C (7.1.41) and became a flight Commander in April 41. He shared a He 111 over Scilly Isles on the 18th of July. The Squadron now based at Porthreath provided close escort for Hampdens detailed to bomb the ‘ Scharnhorst’ and ‘Gneisenau’ at Brest. On the 24th of July 1941 the Squadron encountered heavy flak over the target and Marrs was shot down and killed. He is buried in Kerfautras Cemetery, Brest, France. Its mentioed in the Squadron ORB that he was admired and loved by everyone and his name in this Squadron will live for evermore. He was 20 years old.

P/O. 7.3.40. F/O. 7.3.41.

EDWARD HOWARD MARSH “JENY” 156314. SGT. BRITISH.
Jeny joined the RAFVR in July 1939 and flew a few times at 14 E&RFTS, Castle Bromwich before being called up to full time service on the 1st September 1939. In early October he was posted to ITW, St Leonards. He did a link trainer course at Derby in december then returned to ITW and moved on to 22 EFTS, cambridge on the 12th of April 1940. He completed his flying training at FTS, Sealand, then went on to 7 OTU, Hawarden on the 18th of September and converted to Spitfires and joined 152 Sqn at warmwell on the 28th. He flew many sorties during the latter stages of the Battle of Britain, damaging enemy aircraft in dog-fights over the channel. In March 1941 he destroyed a Ju 88 off Portland, on the 18th July shared a He 111, on the 28th of August damaged an Me 109 and on the 7th destroyed another. He was posted to CFS, Upavon on the 4th of October 1941 for an instructors course, after which he went to 10 FTS, Tern Hill. He later instructed at 2 FIS, Montrose and 3 FIS, Hullavington, Babdown Farm, Castle Combe and Lulsgate bottom. He was commissioned in July 1943, He was released from the RAF in 1945 as a Flight Lieutenant. He worked for Wolverhampton Aviation, obtained his private and commercial licenses and flew until 1953, when bad hearing forced him to give up.

P/O.22.7.43. F/O.22.1.44. F/L.22.7.45. F/O (RAFVR) 30.7.47

PETER GEOFFERY St GEORGE O’BRAIN 33329. F/L. CANADIAN.
He was born in Toronto on the 16th of September 1917. He entered RAF College, Cranwell in January 1936 as a flight cadet. He was awarded the sword of Honour when he graduated in December 1937. On the 18th of December he joined 26 (Army Co-operation) Squadron at Catterick. In August 1940 he volunteered for Fighter Command and joined 152 Sqn at warmwell. On the 27th he shared in the destruction of a He 111 and on the 17th September shared a Ju 88. He took command of the new reformed 247 Squadron at Roborough on the 24th of September 1940. He was awarded the D.F.C (2.12.410 and led the Squadron until May 1942. He was awarded a bar to the D.F.C (6.8.43). He stayed on after the war, he was made an OBE (1.1.54) and retired on the 18th of July 1959 as a Group Captain. He was ADC to the Queen in 1958.

P/O. 18.2.37. F/O. 18.6.39. F/L. 16.2.40. S/L.1.12.41. W/C. 1.7.44.G/C 1.7.56

FREDERICK HYAM POSENER 41735. P/O. SOUTH AFRICAN.

He joined the RAF ao a short service commission in December 1938. He was posted to 152 Sqn at Warmwell in early July 1940. On the 27th he was shot down By Oberleunant Homuth of 3/JG 27 over the channel off Swanage, in Spitfire K9880. He is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial panel 9. He was 23 years old.

APO. 4.3.39. P/O.23.9.39.

ROGER MONTAGU DICKENSON HALL 43009. P/O. BRITISH.
Hall was born on the 12th August 1917. He was at Haileybury Colleage fron 1931-1935. He entered the Royal Military Academy, at Sandhurst in 1936 as a Officer cadet. Hall was gazetted as a 2nd Lieutenant Royal Tank Regiment in 1938. Soon afterwards he became ill and did not rejoin his regiment until the end of the year. In march 1940 he applied to transfer to the RAF and after acceptance was posted to 7 EFTS, Desford for his ab initio course. He completed his training and in early August he went he wentto the school of Army Co-operation at Old Sarum. He volunteered for Fighter Command and was posted to 7 OTU at Hawarden and after converting to spitfires he joined 152 Sqn at Warmwell on the 1st September 1940. In early December 40 he went to 255 Squadron, then forming at Kirton-in-Lindsey with Defiants. He claimed the first Squadron victory on the 10th of February 1941 when he destroyed a He 111 over the Humber. In September he joined 72 Squadron at Gravesend, as a Flight Commander. He was again posted away in December. In April 1942 he went to 91 squadron at Hawkinge. He made his last operational flight on the 17th of September and left the Squadron in October and was awarded the D.F.C (24.11.42). He lost his flying category for medical reasons and transferred to the administrative Branch. He was released from the RAF in 1944, as a Flight Lieutenant. He joined the RAFVR in 1960.

P/O.8.3.40. F/O. 8.3.41. F/L. 8.3.42. F/O (RAFVR). 11.7.60

NORMAN EDWARD HANCOCK 832266. P/O. BRITISH.
65 & 152 Sqn’s. He joined the RAF at the outbreak of war. He was posted to ITW at Trinity Hall College, Cambridge. On the 5th of September 1939 he moved to 12 EFTS, Prestwick on March the 26th moved again to 5 FTS, then on to Sealand on May 26th 1940. With training completed He went to 7 OTU, Hawarden on the 11th August he coverted to spitfires and joined 65 Squadron at Hornchurch on the 3rd of September 40. He left them and joined 152 Sqn at Warmwell on the 10th of October 40 He remained with the Squadron until October 41. He was then posted to 56 OTU, Sutton Bridge on the 22nd of October 41 as an instructor, and went to 55 OTU, Usworth on February 1942. He went to Northern Ireland on July the 11th 42 to instruct at the 52nd Pursuit Group USAF. He returned to operations on the 18th of October 42 when he joined 128 squadron at Hastings, Sierra Leone, as a Flight Commander. Back in the UK He was posted to 198 squadron at Matlask in April on the 27th 1943 he remained with then until July. When he went to 56 Squadron at Martlesham Heath, as a Flight Commander. At the end of his tour on May the 31st 44 he was posted to 85 Group and awarded the D.F.C (23.6.44). In May 1945 he took command of 276 (ASR) Squadron at Knocke and his final appointment was as Squadron Leader Admin at RAF Cranfield. He was released from the RAF in March 1946.

P/O. 10.8.40. F/O. 10.8.41. F/L. 10.8.42

EDWARD SYDNEY HOGG 70312. F/L. BRITISH.
He joined the RAF on a short service commission in March 1937 and did his intermediate and advanced flying training at 8 FTS, Montrose. He joined 152 Sqn at Acklington at its reformation there on the 1st of October 1939. He shared in the destruction of a Ju 88 on the 23rd of August 40. He left 152 in October 1940. He was released from the RAF in 1945, as a Wing Commander.

APO. 9.5.37. P/O. 8.3.38. F/O. 8.9.39. F/L. 8.9.40. SQN/LDR. 1.12.41.

RICHARD MALZARD HOGG 33486. P/O. BRITISH.
Hogg of Jersey, entered RAF College, Cranwell in April 1938 as a flight cadet. The outbreak of war meant that the course had to be condensed and he left in September 1939. He was commissioned in October and went to the 11 Group at St Athan. He joined the newly formed 145 squadron at Croydon on October 30th . In Blenheim K7114 he collided with another Blenheim west of Gatwick on the 10th of Febuary 1940. Both aircraft returned safely to base. In early July he joined 152 Sqn at Acklington. On the 12th and 21st of August he shared in destroying two Ju 88’s. He was shot down by enemy flighters in combat over the channel on the 25th of August and reported missing. Richard Hogg was 21 years old and remembered on the Runnymede Memorial Panel 8.

P/O. 23.10.39.

MEN OF THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN BY KENNETH G. WYNN