Place

Date

Time

Summary of events

Sigiriya

September 1.

8.45 to 11.05

A/c "M" FL939 Capt. F/Sgt. Rowley. Air to air Firing. Drogue towed by Vengeance a/c.

15.10 to 17.20

"M" P/O Boyle & crew. Exercise as above.

2.

8.00

"A" BZ711 S/Ldr. F. G. Paisey: F/O Burns & crew took off for Cuttack, on detachment. Two more aircraft to follow.

10.35 to 13.00

"M" FL939 P/O Ross & crew. Air firing and low level practice bombing.

15.00 to 18.00

"M" P/O Hall & crew. Exercise as above.

3.

15.00 to 17.30

"K" FL911 P/O Ross & crew. Air firing and low level bombing.

4.

08.20

"D" FL969 P/O Hill: F/O Pinnell & crew. Took off for Cuttack, on detachment. Took 10 500 lbs. S.A.P. bombs.

09.00

Seven ground crew, with Liberator spares, left for Cuttack in Dakota a/c.

09.45 to 12.15

"K" FL911 P/O Davie & crew. Air firing and low level bombing.

5.

08.00

"F?" FL991 F/O Moody; F/O Flett 7 crew took off for Cuttack on detachment. Took 10 500 lbs. S.A.P. bombs. P/O Pinegood (R.D.F. Officer) passenger in a/c on posting to 354 Squadron (at Cuttack; new Liberator Sqdn.)

09.30

Vengeance a/c; attached for drogue towing. Returned to Ratmalana for inspection.

10.00

Consolidated C.87 arrived from Calcutta, with U.S.A. Senators on board, and two U.S.A. Army Air Corps Brigadiers. Pilot; Major Myers.

13.30

Took off for Australia. All up load: approx. 64,000 lbs. Took off in approx. 1600 yards; good wind.

7.

10.10 to 11.50

"K" S/Ldr. Brady: dual instruction for F/O Mullins. Circuits and landings.

8.

06.45 to 18?.30

"F?" W/O Cohen & crew. Sgt. Somerville Navigator Met. Flight, also combined P.R. Nichobars (Nathan Is.)

10.

03.40 to 14.10

"F?" FL940 Capt. W/Cdr. C. Butler and crew of F/O Ross P.R. of Nicobars; Unsuccessful due to bad weather.

12.00

Lysander a/c arrived for Squadron Communication a/c.

Cuttack Attachment. A/c "A' P/O Burns & crew: Navig. F/O Baleon??? T.O. 05.55 Landed 17.46. Convoy Patrol.
S/Ldr F. Paisey reported sick. B.O.H. Calcutta.
F/O C. Moody i/c Detachment.

11.

10.20 to 12.30

"N" BZ752 F/Sgt. Rowley & crew. Practice D.T.O.

15.20 to 16.50?

"P?" FL940 S/Ldr Brady & crew. Air firing out to sea.

14.30

"W" FL929 W/O Williams & crew - ferry crew took off, delivering "W" to 320 M.U. for repairs. Arrived Karachi 12-9-43.

15.25 to 16.45

"N" BZ752 W/Cdr. Butler with P/O Boyle's crew. Local Flying.

13.

03.30 to 16.50

"P?" FL940 Capt. F/Sgt. Rowley & crew. Navigs. F/O Segar; P/O Strutton. Met Flight & P.R. of sea area.

Cuttack Detatchment.

05.25 to 17.40

"D" Capt. P/O Hill; Navig. F/S Woodcock Convoy Patrol.

17.

14.30

"M" FL939 Capt. W/Cdr. C. Butler Navig. P/O Perera took off for Cuttack via Yellahanks.
Visit to 160 Sqdn. Detachment. G/C. Cumming (222 Group) and G/C Bowles (225 Group S.A.S.O.) accompanied the C. O.

20.

13.00

"N" Landed at Ratmalana, on return from Cuttack.

09.00 to 11.35

"J" FL926. Dual instruction for F/O Mullins, given by S/L Brady.

21.

08.00

"M" landed at Sigiriya from Ratmalana.

21.

02.45

"P" FL940 Capt. F/Sgt. Rowley. Navig. P/O Strutton. P.R. Nancowrie and S. Islands off Nicobars.

10.00

"J" Dual instruction, to F/O Mullins, by S/L Brady. F/O Mullins flew solo.

18.35

F/O Ross flew Lysander; transit of P.R. film to Colombo

22.

02.40

"M" FL939 W/O Cohen & crew. Took off for P.R. Car Nicobars and N. Islands Nicobars. Aircraft failed to return. Information received from Group Intelligence 'The Japanese announced that on Wednesday, september 22nd, one american B.24 (Liberator) was shot down over Car Nicobar Island by Naval Air Units (Navy 0). They lost one aircraft in the engagement.'
Crew of "M" - W/O J. Cohen (Aus) 1st Pilot; F/O T. R. P?allet 2nd Pilot; F/Sgt. F. somerville - Navig; Sgt. F. Bless?? Wop/AG; Sgt. A. J. N. Owen Wop/AG; Sgt. H. Isey?? Wop/AG; W/O L. A. Munson? (Can) Wop/AG; Sgt. F. E. Naylor Wom/AG.

23.

W/Cdr. Butler had conference at 222 Group, with A.O.C. and Staff Officers. Discussed tactics of present operations.

14.20 to 17.20

BZ752 "N" 1st Pilots F/O Wallace; F/O Brodigan; F/O Mullins, to Vavuniya for Circuits and landings. Pilots getting accustomed to Vavuniya in preparation for landing there, in possible night diversions.

25.

13.20 to 16.20

"N" P/O Ross; F/O Mullins. Navig. F/Lt. Pavitt. Navigation Exercise; Low level bombings; Photographic fire points; W/T Training.

26.

09.40 to 10.55

"P" FL940. P/O Davie & crew. Navig. P/O Perera. Fighter affiliation with 17 Sqdn. China Bay.

27.

P/O Ross in Lysander; collected and delivered Photographic equipment in Colombo.

28.

07.00 to 09.00

"V" FL935 F/O Mullins and crew. Mosaic of aerodrome at 8000 ft.

13.45 to 14.45

"N" BZ752 P/O Hall & crew. Photographic Simulated Bombing of aerodrome 5000 feet.

29.

"H" FL945 P/O Hall & crew. - Instrument Flying.

"N" BZ752 P/O Boyle & crew - Local Circuits and landings.

29.

06.00 to 17.30

"P" FL940 Captain Sgt. Landick; Navig. Sgt. Pratt. P.R. Sabang.

07.00 to 16.10

"V" FL936. Captain S/L. Brady; Navig. F/Sgt. Reilly P.R. Car Nicobar. Unsuccessful. Target obscured by cloud.

30.

09.10 to 10.50

"H" FL945 P/O Boyle & crew. Fighter Affiliation.

"N" BZ752 R/O Wallace & crew Photographic simulated bombing of aerodrome.

08.05 to 20.15

"P" FL940 Capt. F/O Brodigan; Navig. F/Sgt. Follis. P.R. Car Nicobars.

First night landing at Sigiriya.