Westminster Abbey
The Act of Commemoration at the Coastal Command Tribute in the South Cloister of Westminster Abbey was held at 1230 on Sunday 14th May.

Act of Commemoration

The next reunion is to be held in Chester, based on the Crowne Plaza Hotel, over the weekend 5 - 7 of May and NOT the 12th to 14th May 2017 as previously published. The reunion will be a  combination with the Air Sea Rescue and Marine Craft Section.

Derek’s early training was on the rather older Scapas and Singapores however he graduated from the Flying Boat Training Squadron at Calshot and set off for Oban to begin his operational acquaintance with the Sunderland.


Derek quickly got to grips with the task of protecting the vital Atlantic convoys. Although enemy air activity was light the weather and the difficult task of locating submarines provided sufficient challenge. Derek rapidly gained promotion to be a crew captain at the ripe old age of 20! The long hours and testing Scottish weather proved near fatal on 2 occasions. On the first, when still a co-pilot, he was involved in an accident where the aircraft over ran the landing area and beached at speed into Lismore Island. Derek’s injuries were slight and he was soon back in the air. In the next incident Derek was by now a captain, returning from a long sortie, one of two very close together, on recovering to Oban in marginal weather Derek impacted the sea and the aircraft was destroyed. Derek was very badly injured, on admission to the local hospital in Oban he was set aside as it was felt that he was beyond help. Derek wasn’t ready to go! His injuries were horrendous including an eye that had left it’s socket and his scalp being held in by an inch of skin. The staff at Oban did a wonderful job and as soon as he was strong enough he was transferred to the care of Dr Archibald McIndoe(later knighted for his work) at East Grinstead.

Derek recovered and with a “rebuilt” face returned to flying but not before becoming a founder member of the Guinea Pig Club, or as he insisted the only web footed member of the club. He was also the last surviving founder member of the club. Back to his beloved Sunderland and to begin a long connection with Pembroke Dock, the largest Flying Boat Base in the world. Derek flew with three units at PD and later commanded a Training Unit at PD.
In 1944 he was posted to the Far East as CoS to the largest joint-service operation in SE Asia charged with the task of occupying the Cocos Islands prior to the invasion of Singapore. The Japanese capitulated in 1945 and Derek was moved to Singapore as Staff Officer Maritime Operations.

After the war Derek converted on to jets and Commanded an Auxiliary unit flying Metors at RAF Wymeswold– Kipper fleet to fighter pilot, quite a jump! Eventually he had to hang up his flying boots and qualified as electronics specialist becoming a key member of staff at Signals Command during the cold war.

Following retirement Derek maintained his interest in the Guinea Pig Club travelling the world to meet surviving member. He was a stalwart supporter and President of the Sunderland Trust and became a co-founder of the RAF Gliding Club. In his twilight years he married Betty and together they travelled the world and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company.

Following a fall, Derek was admitted to hospital and on the 4th of April he quietly passed away. He will be greatly missed by an adoring family and a huge following of friends and colleagues. The CCMAA has lost an enthusiastic and greatly respected member who achieved so much within our Maritime Community.,
 

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Royal Air Force personnel records are held at RAF Cranwell. If service number and details are known, please quote it in correspondence. Cranwell will only divulge information to the person to whom it refers or, if he or she has died, to his or her immediate next of kin. Anyone else must obtain written permission from the person about whom they are enquiring, or from his or her next of kin, before any information will be given to them.

Cranwell make a charge of £30.00 for any information they provide; cheques made payable to 'MOD Funds'. The only people exempt from charge are the person to whom the records refer or their widow or widower."

For further details : www.raf.mod.uk/links/contacts.cfm

This book reveals the vital contribution that RAF Coastal Command made to the Allies war effort. Although often referred to as the 'Cinderella Service' because by its nature, it did not gain the recognition it deserved and was overshadowed by Fighter and Bomber Commands and considering that it was not given priority in terms of aircraft and equipment, its wartime record was second to none. The two main roles of Coastal Command were anti-submarine work in the Atlantic and anti-shipping operations against enemy warships and merchant vessels. This work looks at every aspect of the command's work, equipment and aircraft and draws upon many first-hand accounts. Lengthy and comprehensive appendices cover Orders of Battle, Commanders, U boats sunk, ships sunk aircraft losses and casualties.

Available from www.Pen-and-Sword.co.uk

Details 
ISBN  1844153460
Author Andrew W.A. Hendrie, BA, ARHistS, ARAes, PhD
Type    Hardback
Size     246 X 172

"Not Met"

Webmaster 

RMS Queen Mary "Met" in the post war era.

Escort of Independent Merchant Vessels was a procedure during WWII, where aircraft were sometimes called upon to escort independently routed merchant vessels including "Monster Liners."

This exercise continued into the Sunderland Era. It was not unknown for an exchange officer returning to the USA or similar to be "Intercepted" on his cruise home. Have you an amusing "Met" or "Not Met" Story?

Click on the image below for information on the CCMAA Newsletter.

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