E. H. (Ted) Dames, 45 Ra ndolf Road, NORWICH, Norfolk, NR12RU (01-603-660514)

F. W. (Bill) Cooper, 37 Oakdene, Lansdown Road, CHELTENHAM, Glos., GL51 6PX (01 242-255119)

Ted Daines)

'The Thurleigh Song' (AD LIB 8) was first performed at a unit concert in East Camp, Quetta. The 'V for Victory man ; with the let-in patch, was the then Engineer Officer, W/O Fletcher, who was referred to in another song to the tune of 'Marching along to Toy Town' which had the lines 'Marching along to Nowhere, The gallant 160 (One Six Oh)' (Hank Illingworth

INFORMATION REQUESTED

For some lime I have been building up a record of casualties of 160 Squadron members - both air and ground crew; Middle East and Far East. I have researched RAF, RNZAF and RAAF records; War Graves Registers; Southport National Office for Statistics records Alamein Memorial registers; Singapore Memorial registers, and have been helped by Air Historial Branch 5 of the M. O. D., and Air Force Headquarters of the Department of Defence, Canberra.

A total of 104 names has been achieved (War Graves total 91, so I must be somewhere near).

Notwithstanding what has been achieved to date I still have problems. These are listed below, each with a reference number, and I urge readers to put on their thinking caps an send answers, where known, direct to me at the address that follows. In due course, AD LIB will carry the full listing of casualties, which presently takes up two A4 pages of small print.

Let's go for it, so we can leave something of great value to future historians.

Q01 What was the cause of B Thompson's death in Egypt on 29th June 1942? What was his trade?

Q02 What was the cause of M C Fell's death on 15th July 1942? What was his trade? He is listed on the El Alamein memorial. The War Graves Commission have him (and his crew) as 159 Squadron but the RNZAF Musem list him as 160 Squadron. Which is correct?

Q03 What was the cause of the death of J.E.G.Allwood DFM on 26th September 1942 in Israel?

Q04 What was the cause of death of C.H.Curling in Egypt on 2nd December 1942?

Q05 Air Force Headquarters, Department of Defence, Canberra, record the presumed death of P M Gleeson, 160 Squadron, on 24th December 1942. When I so included this airman on a list sent to Camberra for checking they informed me that P M Gleeson was discharged in February 1945 to take up a civilian appointment. Can anyone throw any light on this curious state of affairs?

Q06 Was AL520 flying with 160,159 or 178 .squadrons when lost during a raid on Tripoli on 15/16 January 1943?

Q07 Were there casualties when AL 531 crashed at Karachi on 2nd June 1943?

Q08 Were there casualties when BZ828 ditched in the sea on 20th March 1943?

Q09 Was C. L Moody, whore death is recorded as 7th October 1943 in the Southport Office of National Statistics, with 160, or 354 as recorded in the War Graves Registers? Similarly with D.G.McCreech.

Q10 Was 'Dixie Dean' really Richard Holt Morgan, RAAF, captain of FL 911 lost on 6th May 1944? William Robert Wiseman, lost on the same day and listed as Morgan's Navigator was known as 'Dixie Dean's' Navigator. Can anybody throw any light on this?

Q11 What are the circumstances of the death of LAC Tom Haynes, shown as 'missing' on 23rd May 1944 in his commemoration on the Singapore War Memorial.

Q12 Were there casualties when FL 969 hit a sea target at Addu Atoll and was damaged beyond repair on 11 th September 1944?

Q13 (Les - word this to accommodate the fact that the aircraft that crashed and killed 19 (9 aircrew, 9 groundcrew and an Intelligence Offlcer) was 'H' for How. The date was definitely 19th/20th June 1945.1 know this for sure as our crew were scheduled to take this aircraft to the Cocos Islands, the crew only being switched the evening before. I briefed the Flight Engineer after the switch. The date of the air search, which my crew flew on the morning of 20th June, it in my log book. The date of 9th June, open given for the loss of this aircraft, is definitely incorrect, as I have informed many people. WE found the wreckage and I didn't fly between 1st and 15th June. FWC)

Q14 What is known of G. Boyle, known to have been shot down but not on any known memorial?

Publication ceased with Vol.1 No.5 in March 1946, By then the station was well reduced in numbers and both Squadrons, 160 and 203, were soon to be back in the U.K. Group Captain Collier's final message broke the latter news.

(Data supplied by Laurie Davies)

"In mid August of 1945, the RAAF tasked Catalinas to fly massive supplies of blood plasma, hurriedly donated via blood transfusions by the Australian Red Cross from the Australian forces, to POWS in the infamous Changi camp on Singapore Wand. The Allies had heavily damaged the nearby facilities at Tengah and flying boats were the only practical option.

The sorties flown by the Catalina crews were a harrowing experience, as Singapore Harbour had been mined (presumably by 160 Squadron. FWC) but 9,9201b (4,500kg) of blood and medical pharmaceuticals were airlifted into Singapore up to December 1945 with the 'Cats' flying shuttle runs on a continuous rotational procedure."

("FLYPAST, June 1999)

"Liberator FL 969 (Captain S/Ldr Stacey) was flown back from Addu Atoll on 21st September 1944. Three Libs had been sent down to the Maldives to apprehend U862, and this aircraft had been 'patched up' after striking an object, damaging its fuselage, on initial landing. We had a 'rattling' good flight back and on asking one of the maintenance crew what account he would give his mates back at 160 Squadron about this extremely remote island he replied,"I shall just tell them there was nothing to Addu Atoll". (This was strictly correct - there was nothing to do at all.) As Flight Engineer on this shaky return flight, I had to admit we had no shortage of wit on 160 Squadron. (Footnote -the aircraft was declared a write-off after close inspection at Ratmalana.) (Jack Burgess)

I recall spending many hours in the wings of an aircraft at Minneriya changing the fuel tanks during the heat of the day, She was, appropriately, called 'Leaky Lil' : The ground crew suitably clothed in just shorts, socks, shoes - with a length of rope attached to one leg, in case we were overcome by fumes. There were several hundred 0BA nuts and bolts to be removed from the flanges on the interconnecting tanks and it was a nightmare when working on the smaller wing tanks. I think we did this operation at least twice on this aircraft - so you could say that we were very experienced on 'Leaky Lil'. (Geoff Wyle)

As previously mentioned in AD LIB 6, I was posted to Sigirya as part of the advance party to receive aircraft from Ratmalana; refuel them; see to the requirements of the fight crew; lay out the gooseneck flare path and despatch them on their PR. flight to Sumatra. My job was not made any easier by the lack of transport. Our two Thorneycroft 3-ton lorries were fully occupied on runway and refueling duties and I had to use 'Shanks' pony' to liaise between aircraft, runway control; the crew's quarters and telephone.

I decided to take the bull by the horns - not as a means of transport, but to plead my case at 222 Group H.Q. in Colombo. l was granted an interview by the Air Commodore Senior Air Staff Officer, fully expecting to be told to go forth and multiply but, to my surprise, he was most sympathetic to my predicament and gave me authority, on the spot; to collect a vehicle from the RAF. Lanka garage. .

I omitted to mention at this stage that I couldn't drive. This became patently obvious as I crashed the gears and kangaroo 'd out of the garage watched by a disbelieving W.O. I gave him an apologetic smile as I left - it was not reciprocated.

Leaving Colombo on the way north, I came across two airmen who were thumbing a lift to Dambulla. l hesitated about putting their lives in jeopardy, but I just couldn't leave two fellow airmen stranded on the road so I gave them a lift. Crashing the gears as we proceeded north, I observed that they were giving each other furtive looks. I explained that this was a new truck and that the gears were a bit stiff! On reaching Dambulla, they seemed quite pleased to get off and I continued on to Sigirya. Here the Chevy proved to be very useful for doing my job - even more useful for taking me round northern Ceylon to visit the ancient sites!

Alas! After a few months the squadron moved up to Sigirya and had no further requirement for my Chevy and I reluctantly returned it to the W.O in charge of the Sigirya M.T. section. The conversation went something like this:

W.O. Is this your vehicle, Sir?

Me. Yes.

W.O. Where did you acquire this vehicle, Sir?

Me. At H.Q. 222 Group by the authority of the SA.S.O.

W.O. May I have the Log Book and Service Record, Sir?

Me. What Log Book? What Service Record?

W.O. You mean you don't have these documents, Sir?

Me. That's right.

W.O. (Sharp intake of breath) Has the vehicle been serviced, Sir?

Me. Yes, I have put petrol in it regularly.

W.O. (A sharper intake of breath) In spite of the deficiencies, I will accept the vehicle on my establishment.

Me. Thanks very much. You will look after it, won't you?

W.O. (Paling visibly under his tan) It will be regularly serviced from now on, Sir.

He strode away muttering to himself and I think I caught something about 'Bloody Officers'. I was sorry to lose my . Chevy - after all, it taught me to drive. (Dave Flett)

I, with 160 defence Flight, was ordered to parade at 159 Defence H.Q. with weapons. It transpired that two airmen had not returned from Midnapore after a night out in this out-of bounds town. my orders were to search the local hospital to see if they had been laid out in blankets, which was the procedure in these hospitals. When we arrived we could see that there were about a hundred bodies laid out on the grass; not a pleasant job to inspect them to see if the missing airmen were there. After this inspection we were to visit the village where they were last seen; this we searched without any luck.

At least we now knew it was a familiar story - services rendered, nothing paid. We also knew that any hope of finding them alive was very slender to say the least. In the centre of the courtyard was the well. We searched this without any luck. We were then joined by the Black Watch. We both searched the well again, as well as the village. Again without any luck. We clambered aboard our wagons and roared away. About a mile on, we stopped and followed the Army back in and sealed-off the village. This time they were down the well. Thanking the Black Watch for their assistance, we escorted the bodies back to base. When we arrived back we found feelings running high and the Station armoury under heavy guard. Feelings only subsided when the news came through that the army had taken care of the village. (Ted Daines)

An incident 1 have recently remember concerns three pilots and three navigators who went up for some bombing practice involving three runs apiece. The Flight Engineer and the crew were responsible for filling the light bomb racks for each run - three each side. As you will realise, to fill the outer rack, I as F/Eng, had to lean out from the cat-walk and then inform the pilot that the racks were ready for the run and that he could open the bomb-doors. I had just finished a loading arid was still on the cat-walk when the doors opened and down we went for a low level run-in!! I can't be sure but I think Dixie' Dean was the pilot on the run! You can guess what I said after going up to the flight-deck and expressing my deep unease at being left hanging on to a support when the aircraft was in the process of a bomb-run! Even 10lb practice bombs can have their moments!

(Tom Stevens)

I had a similar experience to Tom Stevens, one brilliant moonlight night over Chumphon Harbour, Siam. After the first run a mine remained on the racks. We made a second run, and it still wouldn't drop off: My press on regardless' skipper the late Leo Davidson, went round for a third attempt. This time, I stood on the catwalk with an arm around a stanchion and a foot on the mine. When I raw the release operate I put all the weight I could on the mine. Third time lucky and away it went. As all this was going on, we were all mindful that we were circling what was believed to be a seaplane fighter base!

(Bill Cooper)

Serving on the Duty Crew one day at Sigirya, I was called to the Control Tower and told to prepare to see in a visiting aircraft and to have ready the Petrol Bowser and any other equipment I considered might be required as it had requested a quick turn around. After a short while, a B-24 Liberator landed and I directed it to its parking area. It was not the usual type of Liberator we were accustomed to handling; this one did not have a glass nose, gun turrets or bomb doors and it was painted all over with dark-coloured camouflage. I learned later that it belonged to an American Ferry Command and was used to transport VIP's to anywhere in the world and that its next stop was Australia. The young American Flight Engineer supervised us very closely when refueling and checking the oil, etc. He made sure we filled the wing tanks right up to the filler-caps. Inside the fuselage was a metal overload tank with a capacity that I can't remember, The Flight Engineer then produced several two and four gallon cans for us to fill. I jokingly asked if we could fill a few empty beer bottles for him. He seriously responded, 'Yes, please - if you have any." I didn't have any bottles but I did find three or four petrol cans in the M.T. Section and, after he had said these were OK., I filled them and stowed them in the aircraft. l then had a look in the cockpit. Under the Captain's seat there was Tommy gun -the only armament on the aircraft. The half-dozen, or so, canvas seats didn't look very comfortable for a long journey. The interior of the fuselage was covered all over with people's names, rank and number. (I found an empty spot and added mine) The aircraft must have been in service a long time and covered a lot of the world. It was probably a Mk. I or II. (Being American Army Air Corps Ferrying Command, and having no windows and limited seating, it was more likely to have been a B -24A rather than the later C-87 transport with windows and 20 seats - FWC) The Flight Engineer did another complete check over all we had done for him, wire locked the filler caps, shook hands with in, and away they went. I often wonder if they made it to Australia. (Frank Green)

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