NZ air gunners with the No. 255 Sqn

[phasselgren]

I just received the ORB of No.255 Squadron from the National Archives in England. This unit had a large group of New Zealand Air Gunners during 1941. On the 1 April 1941 12 of 22 Air Gunners were RNZAF.

“A” Flight - 3 of 12 Air Gunners

Sgt R.J. Aitchison, - Credited with 1 destroyed E/A

Sgt J.B. Bayliss

Sgt Norman Henry Maul, NZ402114, later 353 and 159 Squadrons, Killed on air operations 23 Feb 1943 - Credited with 1 destroyed E/A


“B” Flight - 9 of 10 Air Gunners

Sgt H.V. Allen

Sgt Clifford Stanley Emeny, (bbc), NZ40204, later 409 Sqn remustered as Radio Observer and finally Pilot with 27 and 45 Sqns, POW 9 Nov 1944 - Credited with 1 destroyed and 1 damaged E/A

Sgt Francis William John Chunn, DFC, NZ40733, later 75 Sqn – Credited with 2 destroyed and 1 probably destroyed E/A

Sgt A.S. Cutfield, later Radio Observer 488 Sqn

Sgt Harold Douglas John Fitzsimons, NZ39097, later 231 and 115
Sqns, Killed on air operations 29 Jul 1942 – Credited with 1 probably destroyed and 1 damaged E/A

Sgt Jack Ralph Gavegan, NZ402128, later 125 and 75 Sqns, Killed on air operations 9 Jul 1942– Credited with 1 probably destroyed E/A

Sgt Francis Murray Haslett Henderson, DFM, NZ401808, later 160 and 178 Sqns - Credited with 1 destroyed (shared) E/A as Air Gunner on Liberator of 160 Sqn

Sgt Robert Ian McChesney, (bbc), NZ40194), earlier 264 and 236 Sqns, later Radio Observer 488 Sqn, Killed on air operations 6 Dec 1942 - Credited with 1 destroyed E/A

Sgt H.A. McKenzie


I have added some information, mostly from Errol Martyn’s For Your Tomorrow, Vol 3 and C. Hanson’s By Such Deeds also from my own research.

Peter

[Dave Homewood]

Peter, A.S. Cutfield was Arthur Stapley Cutfield, from Cambridge. I don't know his full service number but he joined in 1940 so it will be NZ40xxxx.

I did not know he was with No. 255 Squadron. Is there anything more you can add please, such as the types of aircraft and missions he was flying, and whether he had a regular captain, etc?

I have just updated his page to add in that he was with No. 255 Squadron.

www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/Arthur_Stapley_Cutfield.html

[errolmartyn]

Oct 8, 2011 10:00:48 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

Peter, A.S. Cutfield was Arthur Stapley Cutfield, from Cambridge. I don't know his full service number but he joined in 1940 so it will be NZ40xxxx.

I did not know he was with No. 255 Squadron. Is there anything more you can add please, such as the types of aircraft and missions he was flying, and whether he had a regular captain, etc?

I have just updated his page to add in that he was with No. 255 Squadron.

www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/Arthur_Stapley_Cutfield.html

Cutfield's number was NZ40719 (enlisted 12 Mar 40 at Levin as an AG u/t).

He died on 12 Dec 56 and is buried in Purewa Cemetery, Auckland.

Errol

[errolmartyn]

Peter,

Filling in some details for you:

“A” Flight - 3 of 12 Air Gunners

Sgt R.J. Aitchison, - Credited with 1 destroyed E/A
NZ 429286 Richard Justin Aitchison (KAO 1 Jan 45 - see For Your Tomorrow Vols 2/3)
Sgt J.B. Bayliss

NZ40600 John Barron Bayliss (not commissioned, survived war)

Sgt Norman Henry Maul, NZ402114, later 353 and 159 Squadrons, Killed on air operations 23 Feb 1943 - Credited with 1 destroyed E/A

“B” Flight - 9 of 10 Air Gunners

Sgt H.V. Allen
NZ402101 Harold Vincent Allen (not commissioned, survived the war)

Sgt Clifford Stanley Emeny, (bbc), NZ40204, later 409 Sqn remustered as Radio Observer and finally Pilot with 27 and 45 Sqns, POW 9 Nov 1944 - Credited with 1 destroyed and 1 damaged E/A

Sgt Francis William John Chunn, DFC, NZ40733, later 75 Sqn – Credited with 2 destroyed and 1 probably destroyed E/A

Sgt A.S. Cutfield, later Radio Observer 488 Sqn
See my earlier post

Sgt Harold Douglas John Fitzsimons, NZ39097, later 231 and 115
Sqns, Killed on air operations 29 Jul 1942 – Credited with 1 probably destroyed and 1 damaged E/A

Sgt Jack Ralph Gavegan, NZ402128, later 125 and 75 Sqns, Killed on air operations 9 Jul 1942– Credited with 1 probably destroyed E/A

Sgt Francis Murray Haslett Henderson, DFM, NZ401808, later 160 and 178 Sqns - Credited with 1 destroyed (shared) E/A as Air Gunner on Liberator of 160 Sqn

Sgt Robert Ian McChesney, (bbc), NZ40194), earlier 264 and 236 Sqns, later Radio Observer 488 Sqn, Killed on air operations 6 Dec 1942 - Credited with 1 destroyed E/A

Sgt H.A. McKenzie
NZ40943 Hector Arthur McKenzie (later commissioned, surivived the war)

Errol

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Errol, I am doing another update to his page on my site.

So was he an Air Gunner on Defiants with No. 255 Squadron then?

[phasselgren]

Errol,

Thank you for the information.

Regarding Richard Justin Aitchison. His servicenumber is NZ429286 but the ORB is dated 1 April 1941. I double-checked the ORB and the initials are R.J. but a Combat Report from 8 May 1941 has the initials R.T. In your book For Your Tomorrow, Vol 3 there is one R.T. Aitchison that left New Zealand on the 10 October 1940. Can this be the Aitchison who served with No.255 Sqn?

I saw in the ORB that Aitchison, Bayliss, Allen and McKenzie were transferred to No.125 Sqn when No.255 Sqn received Beaufighters. Do you know anything about in which combat units they served after leaving No.125 Sqn?


Dave,

Thank you for the information about Cutfield. I have started to look for more information about his time in No.255 Sqn. During 1941 almost all his operational flying were with P/O (later F/Lt) G.M. Hayton (New Zealander in the RAF). One sortie was with Sgt Kendall (in August when he had become an Observer (Radio)). I will come back with more information later.

Peter

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Peter.

[Dave Homewood]

The name G.M. Hayton rings a bell from somewhere. Does anyone know what his first names were?

[Dave Homewood]

Looking at No. 255 Squadron on the various internet sites it is interesting to see that they were operating Defiants, Hurricanes and Beaufighter II's all at the same time as night fighters.

[errolmartyn]

Oct 9, 2011 9:30:40 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

The name G.M. Hayton rings a bell from somewhere. Does anyone know what his first names were?

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 Three: Biographies & Appendices:

HAYTON, Flight Lieutenant Gilbert McLean, DFC.
42503; b Hawera 12 May 17; New Plymouth BHS, Wgtn TColl & Victoria Univ Coll; metal finisher - Ford Motor Co, Lower Hutt. NZ Army/TF (5Bty NZFA Dec 34-Nov 37, NZGA 15Bty Special Res 17 Mar 38-4 Apr 39); selected for RAF SSComm by 24 Apr 39, emb for UK 6 May 39, arr 8 Jun 39; RAF & to Yatesbury/10E&RFTS as Pilot u/t 12 Jun 39, SSComm [wef 12.6.39] & 1 Depôt 19 Aug 39, 2FTS [redesignated 2SFTS 3.9.39] 2 Sep 39, 10SFTS 5 Sep 39, 7SFTS 12 Dec 39, Pilots Badge, Cranfield 9 Mar 40, 12OTU (Battle) 19 Apr 40, 98 Sqn (Battle) 13 May 40, 12 Sqn (Battle) 24 May 40, 19 Sqn (Spitfire) 18 Aug 40, 266 Sqn (Spitfire) 22 Aug 40, 66 Sqn (Spitfire) 27 Oct 40, c/ldg after combat (uninj?) 14 Nov 40, 255 Sqn (Defiant, Beaufighter) 17 Dec 40 [att BAS (Oxford) 8-20 Sep 41], Coltishall 31 Dec 41, to ME c.6 Feb 42, 1435 Flt (Beaufighter) 8 Mar 42, 89 Sqn (Beaufighter) 22 Jun 42, 21PTC 31 Jul 42, emb Laconia at Cape Town for UK e.Sep 42, ship sunk by U-156 12 Sep 42, died in lifeboat on/before 20 Oct 42 [date of death for official purposes]. Alamein Memorial - Column 247. Son of Ernest Colin & Lilian May Hayton (née Dickson), New Plymouth. Note: credited with 5 [6?]. e/a dest, 1 [2?] prob & 1 [2?] dam. [OH Malta & OHT3].

Errol

[errolmartyn]

Peter,

Regarding Richard Justin Aitchison. His servicenumber is NZ429286 but the ORB is dated 1 April 1941. I double-checked the ORB and the initials are R.J. but a Combat Report from 8 May 1941 has the initials R.T. In your book For Your Tomorrow, Vol 3 there is one R.T. Aitchison that left New Zealand on the 10 October 1940. Can this be the Aitchison who served with No.255 Sqn?
Yes, NZ402100 Robert Thomas Aitchison. He gets a brief mention on p131 of Thompson's Vol I of NZers with the RAF.

I saw in the ORB that Aitchison, Bayliss, Allen and McKenzie were transferred to No.125 Sqn when No.255 Sqn received Beaufighters. Do you know anything about in which combat units they served after leaving No.125 Sqn?
Only that Allen was serving with 2 Sqn, RNZAF, in the Pacific in May 1944.

Errol

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks for the details regarding Hayton, Errol. I never thought to check your books.

Peter, NZ40600 John Barron Bayliss went on to serve with No. 3 (BR) Squadron, RNZAF, as a Warrant Officer in the Pacific.

I don't have any record of Aitchison or McKenzie showing up in my GR and BR Sqadron listings so they may have stayed in Europe.

[phasselgren]

Errol: Thanks for the additional information

Dave: Thanks for the information. I have sent you an email with some copies of some pages in the ORB.

Peter

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks for the ORB pages Peter.