Looking for crew pictures EE915 (75sqdn)

[john0108]

Hi from England
Im looking for pictures of the crew of Stirling EE915 (75sqdn) shot down on 31/7/43.
My grandad (Raymond Holden) was the flight engineer with this crew and had to go into hospital a couple of days before it was lost. Grandad died in 94 but my gran who was a WAAF with 75 is still with us, she can remember loads of stories and tells me that grandad and the pilot Jack Darney were good friends.
She remembers faces very well hence Im looking for crew pics.

F/S JN Darney NZ42376
F/S RJ Stone NZ415383
Sgt RCG Evans 139044
Sgt GC Davis
F/O PSA St Ledger
Sgt TJ Vercoe NZ415566
F/L LC Dive-Robinson

The last one is a bit of a mystery, he was missing presumed dead but it appears he was a POW and survived the war.
Also if there is any other info on the fatal raid or crew I would be very interested
Any help would be greatly appreciated, if I can find pics Im sure the memories will come flooding back.
Thanks for looking
John

[errolmartyn]

John,

From my trilogy 'For Your Tomorrow - A record of New Zealanders who have died while serving with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services since 1915 (Volume Two: Fates 1943-1998)':

Fri 30/Sat 31 Jul 1943
BOMBER COMMAND

Raid on Remscheid, Germany (by 273 aircraft - 17 lost)
75 (NZ) Squadron, RAF (Mepal, Cambridgeshire - 3 Group)
Stirling III EE915/X - took off at 2234 and lost without trace, the seven crew being commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Captain: NZ42376 Flt Sgt Jack Neville DARNEY, RNZAF - Age 22. 421hrs. 6th op.
Navigator: NZ415383 Flt Sgt Robert James STONE, RNZAF - Age 20. 250hrs. 4th op.
Rear Gunner: NZ415566 Flt Sgt Terrance James VERCOE, RNZAF - Age 27. 176hrs. 4th op.
Stone’s brother, Ronald Francis Stone, died a year earlier while flying with 102 Sqn, RAF, on 30 July 1942.

And from Vol Three (Biographies & Appendices):

DARNEY, Flight Sergeant Jack Neville.
NZ42376; b New Plymouth 27 Nov 20; New Plymouth BHS (1st XI); clerical cadet - NZR, Wgtn. RNZAF Levin/ITW as Airman Pilot u/t 10 Jan 42, 2EFTS 6 Mar 42, emb for Canada 10 May 42, att RCAF 1 Jun 42, 3 M Depôt 6 Jun 42, 37SFTS RAF 7 Jun 42, Pilots Badge & Sgt 25 Sep 42, 34OTU RAF (Ventura) 11 Oct 42 [cancelled?], 1 Y Depôt 13 Oct 42, att RAF & emb for UK 28 Oct 42, 3PRC 5 Nov 42, 15(P)AFU (Oxford) 28 Dec 42, 11OTU (Wellington) 2 Mar 43, 1657HCU (Stirling - 1 op) 27 May 43, 75(NZ)Sqn (Stirling - 5 ops) 2 Jul 43, kao 31 Jul 43. Runnymede Memorial - Panel 198. Son of John Edmond & Olga Elenore Darney (née Berntsen), New Plymouth. [phot. TWN 29.9.43].

STONE, Flight Sergeant Robert James.
NZ415383; b Te Aroha 24 Jun 23; Te Aroha DHS (Capt 1st XI/XV); farm hand - at? RNZAF Levin/ITW as Airman Pilot u/t 28 Sep 41, 2EFTS 8 Nov 41 [sick leave 4-18 Dec], pilot trg terminated, Rongotai 7 Jan 42, remust as Air Observer u/t & ITW 25 Feb 42, emb for Canada 5 Apr 42, att RCAF 30 Apr 42, 5 M Depôt 1 May 42, 1AOS 10 May 42, remust as Air Navigator u/t 7 Jun 42, Air Observers Badge [in lieu Air Navigators Badge] & Sgt 11 Sep 42, 1 Y Depôt 21 Sep 42, att RAF & emb for UK 25 Sep 42, 3PRC 9 Oct 42, 11OTU (Wellington) 28 Oct 42, 1657HCU (Stirling) 27 May 43, 75(NZ)Sqn (Stirling - 4 ops) 2 Jul 43, kao 31 Jul 43. Runnymede Memorial - Panel 199. Son of Leslie & Alice Louise Stone (née Price), Hamilton. Note: brother of Ronald Francis Stone.

VERCOE, Flight Sergeant Terrance James.
NZ415566; b Tauranga 28 Dec 15; Paengaroa Sch; farmer - father's farm at Paengaroa. NZ Army/TF (Waikato MR) 3 yrs; RNZAF Levin/ITW as Air Gunner u/t 5 Oct 41, emb for Canada 17 Nov 41, att RCAF 1 Dec 41, 2WS 4 Dec 41 [hosp/sick leave 6 Jan-13 Feb 42], 3BGS 26 Sep 42, Air Gunners Badge by & Sgt 18 Dec 42, 1 Y Depôt 30 Dec 42, att RAF & train to New York for emb for UK 5 Jan 43, 11PD&RC 13 Jan 43, 11OTU (Wellington) 2 Mar 43, 1657HCU (Stirling) 27 May 43 [att 1483(B)GF (Wellington) for c.1 wk cse in e.Jun], 75(NZ)Sqn (Stirling - 4 ops) 2 Jul 43, kao 31 Jul 43. Runnymede Memorial - Panel 199. Son of James Martyn Innes & Muriel Patricia Cramer Vercoe (née Roberts), Paengaroa. [phot. TWN 29.9.43].

The 'Phot. TWN' references for Darney and Vercoe refer to small portrait type photos that were published in the illustrated pages of New Zealand's 'The Weekly News'. You can obtain scans of these for a modest fee through the Air Force Museum of New Zealand - [e-mail]

Errol

[john0108]

Thanks Errol, great info there. I have found and printed those pics and my gran recognised them right away.

[rex]

hi John , Jack Darney was my grandfathers nephew .It is such a tragedy many of these young men never got to have families ,they gave so much. There are still Darneys in New Plymouth N.Z (Jack's family) , I have been researching the Darney family since I discovered my Grand dad was a Darney 2 yrs ago and have found that there is not a lot photo graphic or written history of the family . i have also been looking for information on Jacks crew and not had much luck .Thank you for your's and Errol's posts
cheers Rex

[Dave Homewood]

The RNZAF's Pacific bomber and Catalina squadrons took official group photos of all crews, as a crew of five or seven or whatever, in their unit. Did No. 75 (NZ) Squadron do this?

[oggie2620]

Will draw Glen Turners attention to this question... Have seen whole squadron ones but not official crew ones. It would be awesome if there were some because there are some crews I would love a copy of!

[Dave Homewood]

Would No. 75 (NZ) Squadron official photos have all been transferred from the UK to NZ when the squadron was transferred to the RNZAF? Perhaps these photos are all at CPE. Ohakea?

I know our bomber squadrons here took crew photos before they did each tour, and No. 3 (BR) Squadron has all there's for at least one tour, maybe two, pasted into their official Squadron Scrapbook which is at the archive at Wigram. If that squadron and the Catalina squadrons (which definately did crew photos as I have a couple scanned from both No's 5 and 6 Squadrons I think) I would imagine it must have been a standard practice across all the squadrons. They would have been kept by the Admin Section durig the tour I guess, with their names under them for ID purposes.

[rex]

I have found this dutch report on the the raid EE915 was on when it went missing , it is in Dutch and using google translater isn't much help does someone have a way of translating it so I can understand it . It seems to be interesting
thanks Rex
www.wingstovictory.nl/database/pdf/307-story.pdf

[Tony]

Was EE915 coded AA or JN?

When was C Flight formed?

[rex]

I have posted this on behalf of Pam sister inlaw of the late Jack .

I am married to Barry Darney who is the late Jack Neville Darney's brother, there are still alive his two sisters Joan 87 and Doreen nearly 89 I have a photo of Neville but not of his crew so I would be very interested if anyone had such a photo , this is very amazing after all this time we are learning so much more.

Thanks,

Pamela Darney

[john0108]

Nice one Rex.
Spoke to gran earlier, she sent most of our photos to a small museam near Ely years ago as she thought no one was interested.
I have just spoken to the curators wife and she will have a look to see what she can find tomorrow. If anything turns up I will get copies sent over to you.
Tell Pam and the rest of the Darneys that Neville gets talked about (remembered) most times I see my gran...

When she talks about him I think Granddad may have been second choice (lol)

[bailey]

Hi

I am the Great Nephew of F/S RJ Stone of the Stirling EE915 crew.
I also fly and have just taken an interest in the history of these guys. I have a great coloured in black and white of him in his navigators uniform but would like one of the crew.

john0108 did any thing come of the enquiry with the small museum in Ely?
Have you obtained any photographs I could get copies of?

I fly for these guys

www.airliners.net/photo/Air-Freight-NZ/Convair-5800/2104268/&sid=3b4901cc185c092bde6cd936dd04af73

and often on a really stormy night where we are getting knocked around up there I think of Uncle Bob's crew getting shot at as well and think I don't have it too bad.

Any info would be great, this tread has been great so far, thank you.

F/O Brad Bailey

[Dave Homewood]

Welcome Brad.

[pjw4118]

Dave, all the RAFBC aircrew veterans I have met have a crew photo. Most are informal or box brownie type. With 75 Sq all of the official shots seem to be of squadron officers or flight commanders with their crews.There is a set or two preparing for ops and near VE day but thats it.There are a lot of photos where the whole squadron is posed on an aircraft. The trouble now is to identify who is in the picture .

[oggie2620]

Glen got a shed load of photos from the RAF and IW Museums but I dont think any were crew pics.. I tend to agree with pjw that most would have been informal self taken ones. Trouble is that families have not up till recently tended to think much of those sort of pics and they end up in the bin... Oh what a shame that is (and its not just the RAF ones the same happened with army and navy ones boohoo ;( )

[Dave Homewood]

How about would they have taken official crew photos at the Bomber Operational Training Units? Training units usually take crew or group photos and I'd imagine crew shots would be essential for instructors to keep track of who is in which crew?

[john0108]

Hi Brad.
I didnt get there as I have had a cancer battle going on since last August, im on the right side now but wont be going to Ely until this August. I am visiting gran tonight and will have a look through those old pics she has left.

[rex]

Found this information , John hope you are well its been a while

75nzsquadron.wordpress.com/darney-crew-31-7-43-empty/