KEN'S CREWS

(Last updated: 22.03.08)

Faces of the 206

This photograph is one of the earliest photographs I have after Ken joined the 206 Squadron. It only came to my attention after visiting my great uncle, Ken's brother, in 2004. Howard Bass kindly let me take a copy, you can see various faces from Ken's history: Ken, Clark, Robins, 'Dusty' Miller and Bill Morgan with a Hudson behind them.

The 206 Squadron - Aldergrove Aug/Sept 1941

Top Row - 'Dusty' Miller - 2 from left, Bill Morgan - 3 from left, Eric Crowe - 4 from right

2nd row down - Ken - 6 from right

3rd row down - Clark - 9 from right, Robins - 5 from right

Bottom row - John Owen 6 from right, Lawrence Nelson - 4 from right

Ken had several photographs of Crew Members, the following details are those I have on crews linked to Ken. Clark and Robins both went into the 206 Squadron with Ken after Prince Edward Island and Silloth. Clark was know as 'Nobby' Clark, whilst in the 206 Ken flew with Clark on 64 occasions and Robins on 6 occasions. Sadly Robins died when on Detatchment to another airbase around the time Ken moved to Benbecula (July - Sept 1942), the last time Ken is recorded flying with Robins was on the 27th of August 1942.

Bass      -      Clark      -      Robins 

'Brylcream would pay pounds for this'

(written on the back of this photograph)

The photograph below is of Ken, Clark, Miller and an unknown, we know that Miller was with Ken and Clark coming over from Silloth and it's a Hudson behind them, therefore I assume it was taken around July 1942 in Aldergrove.

Unknown      -      Clark      -      Miller      -      Bass

It is on the 19th August 1942 that Ken, Miller and Morgan are mentioned together, this was the beginning of a new Crew.

Kenneth Bass                          Hunt                 Ranald Anderson        Kenneth Roberts

(Pilot)           (Wirelesss Op & Air Gunner)            (Co-Pilot)            (Navigator)

'Dusty' Miller                          Bill Morgan

(Wireless Op & Air Gunner)          (Wirelesss Op)

On the 9th September 1942 Ken, Miller, Morgan and Clark are mentioned together completing night flying. Ken and Clark appeared to change over the first pilot role quite a lot when flying together.

On the 12th of September Roberts and Hunt are first mentioned and so there were 5 of them, Ken, Miller, Morgan, Roberts and Hunt.

On the 11th of October Anderson is first mentioned and so we have it...

Flying Fortress Crew - 1943

Miller      -      Bass      -      Anderson      -      Hunt      -      Roberts      -      Morgan

On the 1st February 1943 all six men are mentioned together doing a sweep, I believe this photograph was taken on this day. The main reason for this is that the aircraft recorded in the Log-book is 'L FK195' and if you look at the photograph above you can clearly see the large 'L' above 'Dusty' Millers head. They only flew a Flying Fortress with that marking on 4 occasions and the other 3 times there were only 4 of the crew above not all 6.

Sgt J.Hunt, Sgt D.S.Coutts, F/O J.Delarue, F/S J.Taplin

As mentioned above Ken had flown with Hunt as a crew member and in August 2006 Chris Ransted contacted me as he was investigating a crash of Flying Fortress IIA FL454 and it's crew on the 6th October 1942. On investigation I found that Ken had piloted this Fortress once on 12th September 1942 just 24 days before the crash. It also transpired that 2 of the 7 crew survived the crash which were Sergeants J.Hunt and D.S.Coutts.

On checking Ken's logbook I found that he flew with Hunt on 42 occasions, of which 41 took place after the crash, so it looks like Hunt became part of Ken's crew after the majority of Jack Delarue's crew were lost. Ken flew with Sgt D.S.Coutts on 5 occasions of which all took place after the crash.

Sadly the other 5 crew members didn't make it, they were...

 Jack Delarue - Pilot Officer
James C.H. Jaegar - Sgt (Co-Pilot)
John F. Guppy - Sgt
John B. Taplin - F/S
Frederick A. Robinson - F/S

Ken flew with Jack Delarue on 6 occasions, 4 where Ken was pilot and 2 where Jack was pilot. Of these 6 flights 4 of them had John Taplin as a crew member. The other 3 crew members are not mentioned in Ken's logbook so assume they never flew together. The photograph of Jack Delarue below was taken from Chris Ransted's finished article on the crash in Issue 4 of the 'Britain At War Magazine' and courtesy of Robert Stitt.

Sgt J.Hunt                                     F/O J.Delarue

          

 

RAF Ranks

For the next section it’s useful to illustrate the different ranks that existed in the RAF during World War II

Non Commissioned Ranks

Commissioned Ranks

Ken made it to the rank of Flight Lieutenant on the 3^rd September 1944

206 Superiors

Flight Officer William Roxburgh

 Ken had several superiors through his time in the 206 Squadron, one of these was William Roxburgh. He was Ken's Flight Officer in August and September in 1942 and he signed off the summaries in Ken's Log-book for those months.  William Roxburgh also took part in the same 1,000 Bomber Raid as Ken in June 1942, I have a newspaper article that details the fact that his Hudson suffered severe damage during the raid but he managed to nurse it back home. I've since been contacted by Richard Thomas who was on that very raid with F/O W.Roxburgh and F/O J.Owen. I've also been contacted by Simon Nelson with the following photographs of F/O W.Roxburgh

Courtesy of Robert Stitt I've found out that William Roxburgh and his crew sank a U-Boat (U-469) on the 25th March 1943. The aircraft used was Flying Fortress FK195 'L', this exact aircraft was piloted by Ken on 4 separate occasions (November 1942 to February 1943) before the U-Boat sinking. Just 2 days later F/O Ian Samuel and crew went on to sink another U-Boat (U-169) using the same aircraft. On cross referencing Ken's Logbook, he's also recorded as flying with F/O Samuel on 7 separate occasions; 3 times in 1942 and 4 times in February 1943 - the month before the U-Boat sinkings. 

Squadron Leader Richard D Patrick

 Ken's Squadron Leader was a man called Richard D Patrick. On the 9th of September 1942 he piloted the crew night flying in the new Flying Fortress. On the 11th of September 1942 Ken piloted him and the crew. They flew again twice on January 7th 1943 to and from Silloth. The photograph below, along with that of Wing Commander Thomson further down are courtesy of Simon Nelson.

 

 

S/L Patrick signed off the summaries in Ken's Log-book each month from October 1942 to February 1943 and again in April 1943. Ken signed off his own summary in May 1943 as he was a Flight Officer, from  July 1943 he signed off his own summaries.

Wing Commander Ronald B Thomson

 Wing Commanders were above Squadron Leaders and Ken's was a man called Ronald B Thomson. Ken actually flew with W/Cmdr Thomson as his pilot on the 1st July 1943 to Aldergrove from Chivenor. He signed off Ken's summaries from May 1943 to July 1943 at which point Ken had been posted to Group 15 of the 206 Squadron. Prior to Ken moving, Wing Commander Thomson signed a summary of Flying and Assessments for the period commencing the 20th August 1941 to the 3rd of August 1943 stating:

• Above Average as a General Reconnaisance Pilot
• Above Average as a Pilot-Navigator
• Average in Bombing