PEOPLE I'VE MET ON THE WAY
(Last updated: 14.11.07)
The fourth person to include within this section is Jim Steel
PERSON No. 4: David Cotterill on Jim Steel (Wireless Op/Air Gunner)
I first came into contact with David when he e-mailed me after reading the site. He was in the process of researching his Uncle Jim Steel. Jim had served in 206 Squadron from May to 15th October 1940, when he was killed whilst on patrol in a Hudson. Dave subitted the following words and pictures on Jim...
"A picture of my uncle Jim had always hung on the living room wall, it was known that he had been a gunner in a bomber and it was believed that he had been shot down over Holland. As a result of coming across the CWGC website in 2005 I decided to try and find out more about him. After obtaining his service record, making numerous trips to the National Archives and investigating many other sources I built up a pretty comprehensive picture of his service in the RAF during 1940, what follows is a brief summary.
Jim Steel joined the RAF in 1939 at the age of 18; after training at Cardington, Evanton and Silloth he was posted to 206 Squadron on 13th May 1940 as a wireless operator/air gunner (WOp/AG). At the time 206 Squadron was based at Bircham Newton in Norfolk and was equipped with Hudson aircraft, this was a twin engine commercial aircraft built by Lockheed which was modified to enable it to fulfil a reconnaissance and bombing role. The Squadron’s main task was monitoring the enemy’s invasion preparations by flying so-called ‘SA patrols’ over the North Sea, it also carried out attacks on enemy-held ports and shipping. The summer of 1940 was a busy period for 206 Squadron; the evacuation of the allied armies form Dunkirk would take place 2 weeks after Jim arrived on the Squadron whilst the Battle of Britain would commence on 10 July.
20 Jul – bombing raid on oil storage tanks at Gand, Belgium
27 Jul – bombing raid on oil storage tanks at Amsterdam, unable to find the target so bombed canal and railway intersection at Zijkanaal
14 Aug – SA4A patrol, Jim was in Hudson N7401 which crashed and burned out shortly after takeoff and all other crew members killed. Incredibly, Jim sustained minor injuries and whilst recovering from them ‘Flight’ magazine visited Bircham Newton on 3 Sep and published an article about the Squadron on 17 Oct. The article featured Hudson V-VX, the aircraft in which Jim would lose his life. After 2 weeks sick leave Jim was back in the air
21 Sep – patrol close to Dutch coast (SA4C). Attacked 7 enemy minesweepers with two 250lb general purpose bombs and one 250lb anti-submarine bomb and claimed one near miss
25 Sep – patrol off Dutch coast, attacked and sank large German supply ship
15 Oct 1940 was Jim’s final operation. The pilot was rugby international Derek Teden, the second pilot was John De Keyser whilst the other WOp/AG was William Kent. They were tasked to carry out the SA5 patrol, this was a figure of eight pattern patrol over the North Sea intended to detect a sea-borne invasion. The plan was for the aircraft to arrive in the area at 2300 hrs, carry out 2 circuits and return to base, Jim’s aircraft failed to return. Searches were carried out by 6 aircraft at first light and then by a further 6 aircraft later in the day, however nothing conclusive was found.
It is not known what caused the loss of the aircraft although Jim’s OC, Wing Commander Constable Roberts, thought it most likely that they had encountered a German fighter patrol.
The scale of losses during the Second World War stagger the imagination; Coastal Command lost 11,000 men and 2000 aircraft over the course of the war, 206 Squadron in 1940 alone lost 56 men and 28 aircraft. Jim is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial alongside 20,000 others who were lost on operations from the UK and Europe and who have no known grave."
