Who was Pancho, of "Pancho's Circus"?

[Dave Homewood]

I spotted this article in the New Zealand Herald dated the 14th of January 1942. Does anyone know who the Kiwi pilot was that was nicknamed Pancho?

WRECKED TRAIN

NEW ZEALAND PILOT

BRILLIANT DAY'S WORK

(Recd. 12.20 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 13

A young New Zealander, flying a Buffalo fighter, yesterday wrecked a Japanese troop-train in Thailand, reports the Daily Express Rangoon correspondent. The pilot leads a flight known as "Pancho's Circus," because of his blue chin and good looking Mexican type of face. He flew so low over the train that the aeroplane passed through smoke from the funnel. The train bristled with machineguns, which blazed away, but the pilot put a couple of hundred bullets into the boiler and the engine blew up, wrecking the train. It was "Pancho's" lucky day, because he also destroyed two Japanese aeroplanes on an airfield and shot up a railway station.

[tbf2504]

The Kiwi pilots were flying with 67 Squadron RAF which moved to Burma in October 1941. In the book "Ketchil" the story of Vic Bargh he names the pilots in photo at RAF Station Mingaladon shortly after arriving in Burma
as:
R.P. McNab, E.H. Beable G.A. Williams, E.L. Sadler, J.A. Warner, E.E. Pedersen, K.A. Rutherford, W.J. Christiansen, P.T. Cutfield, E.B. Hewitt, J.G. Fin C.M. Simpson, and himself V. Bargh. Simpson was a Pilot Officer, the rest Sergeant Pilots. Also there were E.B.Smith, Jeff Norton P. Bingham-Wallis, C. Pinckney, Geoff Sharp (father of Frank Sharp of the RNZAF post-war), T. Cooper.

so who was nicknamed Pancho?

[McFly]

These photos may help (or not) narrow down who 'Pancho' was...

"Image from the W. Christiansen personal album collection. Group. "67 Squadron. Alipore, Calcutta. "B" Flight, May 1942. Pancho, "I", Coop, Hank, Drake, Pedro, Oliver, Twine". Circa May 1942."


(ALB902763A158)


"Image from the W. Christiansen personal album collection. "67 Squadron. Alipore, Calcutta. "B" Flight, May 1942. Pancho". Circa May 1942."

(ALB902763A157)

67 Sqn RAF History - World War II

"The true origins of No. 67 Squadron RAF date from its so-called "re-formation" during World War II at Kallang Airport in Malaya on 12 March 1941. It was equipped with the Brewster Buffalo, an aeroplane that was outclassed in Europe, but considered adequate to build up the defences in Asia. In October, it handed on its aircraft to No. 488 Squadron RNZAF and moved to Burma, taking on instead the Buffaloes of No. 60 Squadron RAF. The inadequacy of the Buffaloes led to their replacement with Hawker Hurricanes in February 1942, but the Japanese offensive could not be halted and by March 1942 the squadron "ceased to be effective". The squadron re-assembled at Alipore and formed part of the defence of Calcutta, converting to Spitfires in February 1944. The squadron disbanded officially on 23 August 1945 at Akyab, but kept its aircraft till the end of the month."

[Dave Homewood]

Awesome to see these photos and see who Pancho was. Now we just need to work out who he was.

[Brett]

Squadron Leader Jack ‘Pancho’ Brandt, M.B.E., D.F.C.. RAF (39849).

Commander "B" Flight, 67 Squadron, Mingladon, Rangoon, Burma. 1942.



So, not a Kiwi. Surprised that the media got their facts wrong.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Brett. Mystery solved.

[McFly]

A little bit more here on Jack Brandt and 67 Sqn RAF (Here), (Here) and (Here)...