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This page provides samples of informative 6 Squadron footnotes that appear in 'For God England and Ethel', written by Steve Buster Johnson 6 Squadron WW1 Facts 3 - Footnotes taken from my book, 'For God, England & Ethel' Footnotes are inserted throughout For God, England & Ethel where I felt extra explanation would be of interest to some readers. They are printed 'en masse' as Endnotes after the Epilogue, but are not essential to the story. Though many relate to the operations of 6 Squadron over the western front during WW1, many refer to other interesting facts about the flying and the Western Front. Displayed below are four examples : 19 The Royal Aircraft Factory FE2 (Farman Experimental No 2), or 'Fee' as it was commonly referred to by its crews, was a two-seater 'pusher' engine fighter biplane. Though designed before the war, it was not introduced into service until the latter part of 1915 when five aircraft were delivered to 6 Squadron in Abeele. The FE2 proved more than a match for the Fokker Eindecker and was used to protect reconnaissance aircraft like the BE2 from being attacked by enemy scouts. It could carry three Lewis machine guns which were able to be fired in any direction except directly to the rear, where the engine and propeller were mounted. the FE2 was most successful when fighting with other FE2s in a circular formation, each one protecting the aircraft in front. 88 As at 8th July 1917, the date at which Major James addressed the men of his squadron, the most successful British pilot in the Great War was Captain Albert Ball who, at the date of his death on 6th May 1917 had already claimed 44 victories. Captains Fred Thayre (pilot) and Francis Cubbon (observer) had claimed 20 and 21 victories respectively, most scored whilst flying together, before both men were killed in action by an anti-aircraft shell whilst flying a FE2d for 20 Squadron on the 9th June 1917. Also by the 8th July, Canadian pilot Captain Willy Bishop had claimed 31 of his eventual 72 victories, his compatriot Lieutenant Raymond Collishaw 31 of his eventual 60 victories (6 enemy aircraft being downed by him on a single day) and Australian pilot Lieutenant Robert Little 27 of his eventual 47 victories. Other British pilots flying at the time who were to later become WW1 aces were Lieutenant Edward McMannock who had already claimed 2 of his eventual 61 victories and Captain James McCudden, who with 5 claimed victories flying as a flight sergeant had recently been promoted to flight commander and would eventually claim 57 victories. Of all these men, only Lieutenant Colonels 'Billy' Bishop and 'Collie' Collishaw and Major William John Charles Kennedy Cochran-Patrick would survive the Great War. 98 The most commonly used British Army trench maps in WW1 had a scale of 1 : 40000 and were used by both pilots and observers as they were small enough to fold and clip on to the cockpit dashboard while still providing sufficient detail for accurate spotting. The maps of Belgium and France were divided into rectangular Sheets, each Sheet being given a number (e.g. Sheet 28 for the area around Ypres) and representing a width of 36,000 yards. Every Sheet was then divided into 24 smaller rectangles or zones, 6,000 yards wide and either 5,000 or 6,000 yards deep (depending upon the particular Sheet) and identified by a letter of the alphabet (A to X). These rectangles were further divided into squares of 1,000 yards and numbered 1 to 30 or 1 to 36 depending upon the size of the larger rectangle. Each square was then divided into four quarters, labelled 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', which in turn could be further divided into 100 squares, the side of each square representing 50 yards. By estimating a position within one of the small squares (ie. number of tenths) it was possible to report a position to an accuracy of 5 yards (e.g. Sheet 28 J22c.54.67). For a graphical example of mapping coordinates refer to the diagram in this book - Grid System Used by Aircraft & Artillery. 105 The morse signal for J11AR2BBB represented ' J' for 6 Squadron, ' 11' for Thomas Rogers' personal identifier, ' AR2' for the battery call signal and ' BBB' for "Are you receiving signals? "

86 aerial photos (6 Sqn) taken before and after the Battle of Messines in June 1917, printed by No 2 Advanced Section Army Printing & Stationery Service (AP&SS) Battle of Messines - Aerial Reconnaissance Photos by 6 Squadron Royal Air Force This section of my website show the contents (43 pages, 2 photos per page) of an aerial dossier produced by 6 Squadron as part of its operations during WW1 over the Western Front. The photographic images (two to a page) show the effect of the allied bombardment before and after the Battle of Messines in June 1917 when the allies exploded 19 mines beneath the German lines on the ridge around Messines. Each of the 86 photographs is marked with a date and time stamp as well as mapping coordinates. If you know the name of the location you are looking for, select the appropriate images from the MESSINES sub menu, otherwise simply scroll through the images displayed in sequence immediately below the Aerial Photos Summary Chart . In late 2016, David Weekes kindly sent me part of his WW1 photographic collection from the UK so that I could use the photographs in my own personal research as well as help others gain knowledge regarding aerial warfare and photography on the western front during WW1. He also expressed the desire that the documents eventually be donated to the British National Archives. To date I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to have the 6 Squadron "The Battle of Messines" aerial photograph dossier, printed by the No 2 Advanced Section A P & S S - Army Printing and Stationery Services - included in the AIR 1 collection alongside other 6 Squadron documentation that has survived the test of time, the sole reason given to me being the fact that the document has never been processed by the Air Historical Branch. Rather than deny others access to these important historical photographs that provide a direct comparison of the landscape of the region around Messines before and after the British attack on the German positions on the morning of 7th June 1917. For anyone unfamiliar with the military gridding system used by the Allies during WW1, I have reproduced two images here, the first taken from my book, For God, England and Ethel (showing the coordinates of two artillery 'shoots' carried out by 6 Squadron aircraft) and the second a summary of the areas of the Western Front around Ypres and Messines that are covered by one or more of the 86 photographs. For anyone interested in seeing 'then' and 'now' photographs of the area around Palingbeek, I recommend you visit Hugh Shipman's website The Palingbeek Time Machine . Battle of Messines - 6 Sqn Aerial Photos Summary Chart 1/1

This page shows photographs of every headstone in Plot 3 of the Habbaniya Military Cemetery Plot 3 Headstones - Habbaniyah War Cemetery This page shows photographs of the thirty-nine (39) headstones in Plot 3 of the Habbaniyah War Cemetery. Note that the CWGC plan of Habbaniyah Cemetery indicates there are only 38 burials in total, with 10 burials in Row A, whereas in fact there are 11 (with James Peters, the son of E F Peters, buried next to his father in Grave 1A). The photographs appear below in Row and Grave sequence but can also be accessed directly by clicking on the name of the person of interest by via the cemetery diagram page. The background image for this page (visible on all devices except mobile 'phones) is a wide-angle photograph taken of Plot 3 at Habbaniyah. Click HERE to see a copy of this photo. Anchor 1 Anchor 2 Anchor 3 Anchor 4 Anchor 5 Anchor 6 Anchor 7 Anchor 8 Anchor 9 Anchor 10 PLOT 4 HEADSTONES Anchor 11 A

The Wireless Call Stations existing in the World in 1918, their wavelengths, call signs and transmission times Royal Air Force World Wireless Call Stations WW1 (1918) This page shows the wireless call stations existing in the world as at 1918 during WW1, with each call sign, wavelength and transmission times.

Aerial photos of destructive shoots on enemy batteries east of Hill 62, taken by a 6 Squadron RE8 prior to and during the Battle of Messines 6 Squadron Aerial Photos - Destructive Shoot East of Hill 62 The two photographs on Page 31 were taken by an RE8 of 6 Squadron, part of the squadron's aerial reconnaissance operations over the Western Front during WW1. The photographs were taken of a destructive shoot (before and after) on a hostile battery to the east of Hill 62 prior to and during the Battle of Messines, map coordinates 28. J. 19. a and 28. J. 25. b . The first photograph was taken on the 31st May 1917 and the date of the second was 14th June 1917, 7 days after the 19 mines were detonated along the Messines Ridge. As yet I have yet to determine the exact location of the battery as it appears from the overlap of the two photos that the mapping coordinates are not correct.

This page is for access to administrator only and should never be seen by visitors to this website Test Links 70 Squadron One Valve F RAF Front WW1 Schematic HT Trans Wind RAF Single 30 Sqn Con Wave Action Con Wave Nts 203 Sqn Cont Wv Tm RAF W TRN Long Wv Cr AC Depot H AC TRN 1918 RAF 1918 TR I Test From button Anchor 1 Anchor 2

Training notes from a Royal Flying Corps book on the Continous Wave Receiver Mk III - Summary Royal Air Force 1918 Mark III Continuous Wave Receiver This page is taken from a Royal Flying Corps book produced by my grandfather. His notes provide a summary of the Continuous Wave Receiver MK III, as used by the RFC / RAF in 1918 during WW1.

Aerial photos of Denys Wood, one taken by a 6 Squadron RE8 prior to the attack on Messines and the other 4 days after the 19 mines were detonated 6 Squadron Aerial Photos - Denys Wood The two photographs on Page 18 were taken by an RE8 of 6 Squadron, part of the squadron's aerial reconnaissance operations over the Western Front during WW1. The photographs were were taken over Denys Wood, part of the squadron's WW1 operations, the area defined by mapping coordinates 28. O. 9. C and 28. O. 9. D . The first photograph was taken on the 1st May 1917 and the second on the 11th June 1917, 4 days after 19 mines were detonated beneath the German lines along the Messines ridge at the start of the Battle of Messines

Leaning on a Lamp Post is an historical novel, set mainly in 1983 and 1951 but with flashback chapters in 1910 and 1944. The family saga flows on from the WW1 novel, 'For God, England and Ethel' Leaning On a Lamp-Post Leaning on a Lamp Post is the true family sage spanning almost eighty years, from 1910 to 1983, though concentrating on a period in my early childhood during the winter of 1952. In many ways this book flows on from For God, England & Ethel , the story of my grandfather's service with 6 Squadron when it was in action on the Western Front during WW1, as my grandparents also feature extensively in Leaning on a Lamp Post . Though most of the story is set in London, there are three large 'flashback' chapters, two set in the early nineteen hundreds in Basingstoke, UK, in which Fred and Ethel (the main characters in For God, England & Ethel ) tell the story of how they met and a third chapter set in Reading, UK, in 1944, four days after the D-Day landings. Leaning on a Lamp Post was published by Feed-a-Read and is currently available directly from the publisher in hardback format or through the Amazon books worldwide network in both paperback and eBook format. Postage can vary a lot so it pays to see which is the cheapest option in your country. If you are viewing this page in wide-screen, you will notice in the background a solitary man sitting in front of more than 130 seamstresses and male workers. That man is my great-grandfather, the father of Fred, whose job was to manage the suit-making department in the original Burberry's clothing company. For a time, back in 1910, my grandmother (Ethel, Fred's wife) worked for Thomas Burberry as a buyer in the ladies clothing department, also located in Basingstoke, UK. To see a map of old Basingstoke overlaid on a recent satellite image, click HERE .

This section of my website details the involvement in Operation 'Flounced' - an allied attack on the island of Brac in the Adriatic Sea during May and June 1944 6 Squadron and Operation ‘Flounced’ - May / June 1944 Operation ‘Flounced’ Background 6 Squadron recently received a letter from a man who, whilst on a visit to the Croatian island of Brac in the Adriatic Sea, came across a commemorative plaque at the summit of Mount Vidova Gora (see attached photo). The simple memorial mounted on a rock wall honoured the men of the British Forces (Army, Navy and Air Force) who died on the island during the months of May and June in 1944. As 6 Squadron was specifically named on the plaque, the enquirer wanted to find out more about the role 6 Squadron played in a daring raid that was called Operation ‘Flounced’. The allied attack was ostensibly an attempt to liberate the islands of Brac and Hvar from German control, thereby creating a bridgehead between the British-held island of Vis and the Dalmatian mainland for distributing supplies to the Partisan forces. However, its main purpose was to persuade Germany to maintain its forces along the Dalmatian coast and not divert them inland, especially with the imminence of the Normandy Invasion (aka ‘D-Day’). As to why the name of 6 Squadron appeared on the plaque and not the names of the other RAF squadrons operating in the region at that time was less apparent and warranted further investigation. What came out of my research was not what I expected but nevertheless yielded an accurate picture of the role 6 Squadron played in the Adriatic during the closing stages of WW2, when Britain and its Allies were at last gaining the upper hand. When Italy capitulated at the end of 1943, Germany increased its efforts to maintain control of Dalmatia and the Adriatic Sea by taking over a group of five islands close to the major sea port of Split, the largest city in Dalmatia (part of present day Croatia). After seizing the island of Hvar in January 1944, the German forces quickly extended their control to the nearby and larger island of Brac, where extensive and formidable fortifications were erected. The other islands in the group were Korcula, Mljet and Vis (see attached map). In the months before the ‘Flounced’ raid on Brac, the Allies amassed a fighting force on the nearby island of Vis, comprised of British, American and Partisan soldiers. They also constructed a single runway and infrastructure, capable of accommodating a flight of Spitfires and Hurricanes. By May 1944, ten thousand troops were in residence on Viz, awaiting the order to attack. 6 Squadron’s Activities in Italy (prior to Operation ‘Flounced’) On the 5th January 1944, the AOC-in-Chief ruled that all Hurricane IV aircraft operating with 6 Squadron be updated with RP capability, with the 40mm Vickers Type S guns returned to the No 109 Maintenance Unit (MU), based at Abu Suweir. Within two days, every pilot had practiced RP firing on the range at low level from 200 yards. The 9th January 1944 was also an important date for the squadron, with the publication of the very first edition of 6 Squadron’s weekly newspaper, “The Tinopener”, a fresh edition to be made available in the Airmen’s Mess every Sunday. In February 1944, as part of the build-up of allied forces in the Adriatic, 6 Squadron and its Hurricanes began the difficult move from its base at Fayid, Egypt to Grottaglie, a coastal town on the southern tip of Italy within the Allied zone of occupation. The squadron had converted from 40mm Vickers Type S Cannons to 3-inch 60 lb rocket projectiles (type RP-3) only a month earlier, at that time being the only RAF squadron able to be armed with RPs. After that region of Italy was liberated in September 1943, the US Air Force carried out extensive works on the airfield to make it a base large enough for its heavy bombers as well as being able to accommodate fighter squadrons from other allied countries. Due to the logistics of the move and continued rain that made the airfield unserviceable, it wasn’t until the 3rd March 1944 that the twenty Hurricane IVs and a single Hurricane IIC that made up 6 Squadron’s fighting strength were together on the ground at Grottaglie. Despite having a full complement of aircraft, the airfield at Grottaglie remained unserviceable until the 29th March when 6 Squadron was able to carry out its first mission since arriving in Italy. It had already been agreed by the AOC HQ 242 Group that the Squadron would have a free hand in selecting targets on the Dalmatian mainland, so the first target selected was a suspected German Headquarters located near Durazzo (now called Durrës). In the afternoon of the 29th March, a flight of six Hurricane IVs, each equipped with a single rail of rockets and a 45 gallon long-range tank in place of the second set of rocket rails, flew 200 kms north-east from Grottaglie across the Adriatic Sea to Durazzo, where a German Headquarters was reported to be located. The flight was led by the squadron’s Commanding Officer, Wg Cdr Anthony Eustace Morrison-Bell DFC. Though the target was hit, one of the 6 Squadron Hurricanes was shot down in flames with the pilot killed and another three Hurricanes damaged, including that of the wing commander. With the death of Flt Lt A C N Stewart and only two Hurricanes unscathed after 6 Squadron’s very first sortie since arriving in Italy, a SASO (Senior Air Staff Officer) from 242 Group ordered 6 Squadron to postpone strikes against land-based targets until further notice. In the first week of April 1944, 6 Squadron flew offensive reconnaissance missions against enemy shipping up and down the eastern Adriatic coast as far south as Corfu. Normally four of 6 Squadron Hurricanes took part in each sortie, accompanied by Spitfire VCs from 249 Squadron, at that time also based at Grottaglie. On occasion, Spitfires were armed with two 250 lb bombs in addition to their normal armament and carried out dive-bombing in conjunction with the Hurricanes launching RPs. The aim of the combined flight was to disrupt and sink enemy shipping on the Adriatic Sea, with the Hurricanes in the close attack role and the Spitfires providing escort cover. It wasn’t unusual for the Hurricane pilots to get within 50 yards of a target before firing their RPs. 6 Squadron was uniquely suited for this dangerous role, having gained a fearsome reputation for its “tank-buster” skills when the squadron was stationed in Africa and equipped with the Hurricane IId armed with the 40mm Vickers Type S Cannon. By the end of the week, with no enemy ships sighted, the decision was made to attack enemy barges in Corfu Harbour. The first mission of this kind was such a success that for the next week, Corfu Harbour was the regular target, with up to seven Hurricanes and twelve Spitfires taking part in each sortie. At the end of the second week in April, having suffered no further loss of aircraft or pilot since the death of Flt Lt Stewart, 6 Squadron received orders to search for enemy submarines 60 km north-east of Brindisi. For his first operational flight since arriving in Italy, Flt Lt Arnold Edgar “Blondie” Walker (later DFC and Bar) took his turn with the other pilots in the mounting of continuous single aircraft searches throughout the daylight hours, with a Hurricane taking off every 30 minutes. For the rest of April 1944, 6 squadron, accompanied by Spitfires of 249 Squadron, continued with daily attacks on Corfu Harbour as well as nearby land-based targets, except when ordered to search for enemy submarines at pre-arranged co-ordinates. On the 15th April, “Blondie” Walker had a lucky escape. Landing back at Grottaglie after taking part in a rocket attack on Corfu during which an enemy vessel was sunk, his Hurricane was found to have been hit by Flak shrapnel, with fragments embedded in the propeller boss as well as in the tail. “Blondie” had flown 240 kms on the return flight to Grottaglie blissfully unaware of the damage to his aircraft. In the first week of May 1944, with the main strength of 6 Squadron still operating out of Grottaglie, a detachment was established 200 kms further up the eastern coast of Italy at Foggia. At the same time, the whole of ‘A’ Flight was sent to Borgo on the north-eastern tip of Corsica, where the US had added four large runways to the small single runway used by the Germans before the island of Corsica was liberated by the Allies in October 1943. Borgo was a busy complex of airfields, accommodating military aircraft from the US, Great Britain and France. The 6 Squadron detachment became operational on the 11th May. An advance base was also set up on the small island of Vis, 60 kms SSW of Split and only 30 kms SW of the Dalmatian mainland and the occupied islands of Hvar and Brac. Though Vis was used by many aircraft for repairs and refueling on an ad hoc basis, the single runway and limited facilities meant that only six aircraft could be accommodated at any one time. The 6 Squadron Hurricanes at Foggia straight away began to seek out enemy shipping in the northern part of the Adriatic Sea near the island of Cres, accompanied by Spitfires from 32 and 73 Squadrons. On the morning of the 3rd May, whilst attacking four armed schooners and a powerhouse at the port of Ploče, on the Dalmatian mainland east of the island of Hvar, the formation leader of the four Hurricanes and two Spitfires, Captain C G Leisegang, reported that he had been hit in the leg by Flak. With his Hurricane leaking Glycol, he had no alternative other than bale out over the sea. Another 6 Squadron pilot was flying nearby and reported the coordinates but he was forced to leave the area and make an emergency landing at Vis due to damage to his own aircraft and also being low on fuel. Though a search was mounted for Captain Leisgegang, nothing was found of him or his Hurricane, though his body was later recovered and eventually reinterred at the Belgrade War Cemetery. Adding to the many changes happening to 6 Squadron over the past two months, there was a change in the commanding officer, with Squadron Leader James Hardie Brown DFC taking over from Wg Cdr Morrison-Bell as the current CO had reached “tour expired” status. Wg Cdr Morrison first joined 6 Squadron in June 1941 and was one of the original “tank-buster” pilots and the last to leave the squadron. He was also one of the first two “tank-buster” pilots who were shot down on the same day in June 1942. Sadly, Sqn Ldr Brown DSO DFC would be killed in action just three months after taking over command of 6 Squadron, when on the 27th August 1944 he was shot down by Flak whilst attacking the Siebel ferry just east of the island of Cres in Zavratnica Bay. In addition, all of the five Australian pilots at 6 Squadron were given notice of new postings, though a request was eventually granted for three to be kept at the squadron due to a lack of replacement pilots. For the next two weeks 6 Squadron flew missions from Borgo, Foggia and Grottaglie, with Hurricanes from Borgo and Foggia targeting shipping in the Adriatic. From Grottaglie, various radar stations were targeted on the mainland, from Zadar in the north to Corfu in the south. Aircraft from various Spitfire squadrons accompanied 6 Squadron during that time, including Nos: 73, 249, 328 and 1435. On the 22nd May 1944, 6 Squadron sent four Hurricanes to the island of Vis, from where it was planned for them to launch attacks on shipping around the five islands, accompanied by Spitfires from 253 Squadron which already had two aircraft based on Vis. By the end of the first day the Vis flight had attacked several enemy ships operating in the Adriatic in the region of Brac and the Podgorski Channel (now called Cherso Harbour) as well as striking strategic targets on the Dalmatian mainland. Sustaining no losses, it was hoped that the next day would prove to be just as successful, in the aim to restrict supplies reaching the islands of Brac and Hvar. Sadly, this was not to be the case. On the following day, the Vis flight searched for enemy vessels in the vicinity of Brac. During an engagement with an armed schooner, P/O William Tye fired RPs from a range of 50 to 100 yards, striking the schooner amidships and “blowing away the superstructure and mast”. With the engine of his Hurricane hit by Flak and running roughly, he was told to return to Vis. The other three Hurricanes continued the attack, eventually sinking the schooner with RPs. In the process, F/O John Grey’s Hurricane was also damaged and he was forced to bale out after his engine failed, his parachute seen to open just before he hit the water. The two remaining Hurricanes returned to Vis where they were re-armed and re-fueled. By that time, P/O Tyre’s Hurricane was still missing from the morning’s mission, so they, along with two Spitfires from 253 Squadron, carried out an armed reconnaissance after first searching for the two missing airmen without success. The bodies of P/O William Tye and F/O John Grey were never found but their names are honoured on the Malta Memorial. Four days later, on the 27th May, 6 Squadron lost another man when the commander of ‘A’ Flight in Borgo, Flt / Lt William Michael Brooke-Taylor, led four Hurricanes on a pre-dawn reconnaissance near Leghorn (Now called Livorno), 140 km NE of Borgo. After scoring hits on a tug towing a barge, Flt / Lt Brooke-Taylor’s Hurricane was seen to be losing speed by his wingman F/O R C Hooper, who lost sight of him when forced out to sea due to heavy mainland Flak. F/O Hooper continued with the search until obliged to return to Borgo for fuel. He resumed the search for his flight commander with two Spitfires from 327 Squadron but was unsuccessful and Flt / Lt Brooke-Taylor was officially declared ‘Missing In Action’. Immediately, Flt / Lt “Blondie” Walker assumed command of “A” Flight in Borgo. Note: A few weeks later, 6 Squadron found out that Flt / Lt William Michael Brooke-Taylor had been rescued from the water by the Germans near Leghorn (Livorno) and seized as Prisoner of War. He was taken to the Dulag Luft (Oberursel) near Frankfurt, 1,000 km north of Livorno where he was held for interrogation for almost three weeks before being transferred to Stalag Luft III at Zagan in Poland, 700 km north-east of Oberursel. He arrived at Stalag Luft III on the 20th June 1944, three months after the mass escape of 76 POWs, a breakout immortalised in the movie ‘The Great Escape’. Brooke-Taylor remained at Stalag Luft III until the 28th January 1945 when the Russian Army had advanced to within 20 km of the camp. However, instead of being liberated by the Russians, all 10,000 POWs were immediately evacuated on the orders of Adolf Hitler, with the men being force-marched and taken by train deeper into Germany. After six days, Brooke-Taylor arrived at Stalag IIIA, located at Luckenwalde, 50 km south of Berlin and 200 km from Stalag Luft III. The camp was liberated by the Russian Army 11 weeks later on the 22nd April 1945 but the prisoners-of-war remained in the camp until the 20th May 1945 when they were repatriated to England. William Brooke-Taylor returned to his home in Bakewell, Derbyshire. It is not known if he returned to his studies as a law student but he married, remaining in Derbyshire until his death on the 10th October 1982. From the 28th May to the 30th May, the Vis flight comprising four Hurricanes from 6 Squadron and two Spitfires from either 32 Squadron or 249 Squadron carried out several attacks along the northern coast of the Adriatic Sea on schooners (twelve in one attack alone) and Siebel ferries, the latter used as general landing craft by the German Wehrmacht during WW2. Note: In reading the entries in the 6 Squadron Operations Record Book from the 29th March 1944 (the date of 6 Squadron’s first operation in Italy) and the 30th May 1944 inclusive, the night before the raid on Brac, there were in excess of 120 sorties flown by 6 Squadron’s Hurricanes from its bases at Grottaglie, Foggia, Borgo and Vis. Surprisingly, not one of those sorties involved engaging with enemy aircraft, though on occasion German warplanes had been sighted high above by observers on the ground. As it was the custom for the ground-attack Hurricanes of 6 Squadron to be escorted by the more maneuverable Spitfire, the lack of enemy fighters to contend with may have accounted for the fact that on several occasions the Spitfires accompanying the Hurricanes were armed with bombs. Operation ‘Flounced’ in Brief At 02.00 on the 1st June 1944, just three days before Rome was liberated by the American 5th Army, a Company of the Highland Light Infantry was landed at Brac, the mission being to knock out an observation post on Vidora Gora, the highest point on the island. Achieving this would enable the main attacking force to land on the south coast of the island without being detected. After getting into position, the ‘Jocks’ waited for the rest of the day until midnight when they made their attack. Though they succeeded in cutting the telephone lines, heavy losses made them retreat. In spite of this, the main force landed unobserved at 00.30 on the 2nd June after a short sea voyage from Vis on more than twenty warships and landing craft. The force landed in several locations and fierce fighting took place over the course of the day, with supporting air strikes carried out by the Hurricanes stationed on Vis. More forces were landed overnight and fierce fighting continued into the next day, the 3rd June, until at 06.00 when a complete evacuation of the island was carried out by the allied forces back to Vis. The bloody and costly attempt to seize control of Brac was over. Though the allied forces had failed to destroy the German Command Post, they had achieved the goal in convincing the Germans to maintain the strength of its military presence along the Dalmation coast. 6 Squadron’s Involvement in Operation ‘Flounced’ At 05.40 in the morning on the 2nd June 1944, four Hurricanes from 6 Squadron left Vis to attack gun positions on the island of Brac, in support of an allied raid underway by British commandos and Partisans. They fired rockets in a 40 degree dive but could see no guns through the smoke of the explosions. It was later reported that the target was in fact the German HQ. At 15.00 the same aircraft returned to attack the harbour at Supetar on the northern side of Brac. With no ships in sight, RPs were fired at the dockside buildings and warehouses. At 12.45 on the 3rd June 1944, two Hurricanes from 6 Squadron at Vis were tasked with attacking two schooners that were unloading supplies at Sumartin on the eastern coast of Brac. When they arrived, no ships were seen, so they strafed the harbour and buildings. The two Hurricanes then flew to Supetar but saw no movement of shipping. The ground station on Brac then redirected them to three enemy gun positions on high ground in the middle of the island and they made twelve passes at 500 ft, firing RPs into woodland, all the while exposed to small arms fire from the ground. At 15.50 on the 3rd June 1944, two Hurricanes from Grottaglie, 6 Squadron’s main base, were tasked with attacking a gun position on Brac. When they arrived they were unable to spot the guns but fired at the coordinates anyway. Later they were informed by commandos on the ground that the shots fell 15 yards from the guns. Though the Hurricanes of 6 Squadron were extremely busy in the first week of June 1944, the above incidents are the only recorded actions that specifically involved 6 Squadron and the island of Brac. Summary 6 Squadron Hurricanes were involved in the build-up to Operation ‘Flounced’ and the raid itself, both in attacking ground targets on the island of Brac in the Adriatic Sea as well as carrying out sorties against shipping from the squadron’s bases in Italy. However, no casualties were suffered by 6 Squadron during the two days of the actual raid, not on the island nor in the air. As can be seen in the main story on my website, four 6 Squadron pilots lost their lives during the months of May and June in 1944, so they are possible candidates for the memorial to 6 Squadron on Brac. With two of the men who died in known graves, it is more likely that the memorial atop of the highest point on the island is honouring the two 6 Squadron pilots who left Vis on the 23rd May 1944 for a reconnaissance patrol and lost their lives while taking part in the sinking of an enemy ship 160 km NW of Brac but whose bodies were never recovered . Their names were Flying Officer William Tye and Flying Officer John Neville Grey. Though outside the scope of this document, there is a fascinating entry in 6 Squadron’s Operations Record Book for the 6th July 1944 stating that Flt / Lt A E Walker (aka “Blondie” Walker) led his flight of six Hurricanes from the aerodrome at Pescara and after joining up with four Spitfires from 32 Squadron “. . . . attacked and sank the Italian liner ITALIA which was moored alongside a quay in the ARSA Channel. ” The Italia was the 45,000 ton flagship of the Italian Line, formerly the prestigious and luxurious ‘REX’ which held the westbound Blue Riband between 1933 and 1935. In examining the many Internet stories and videos regarding the sinking of the once famous ITALIA, there is no mention of 6 Squadron or 32 Squadron, though there is a general consensus that the ship was sunk by a combination of rockets and 20 mm canon fire, precisely the modus operandi of the 6 Squadron Hurricanes and the many Spitfire squadrons it worked with during the latter part of WW2. It is a shame that “Blondie” Walker is no longer with us to add weight to this claim.

RAF Instructor notes on airborne wireless used in 1918 by my grandfather, who served with 6 Squadron for most of WW1 Royal Air Force 1918 Wireless Training Notebook This page contains links to every page of the hand-written notebook my grandfather kept when he was instructing pilots and observers in wireless at the No: 1 (T) Wireless School, Flowerdown, Winchester, from January 1918 (shortly after he left 6 Squadron during WW1 due to ill health) until he was demobbed in January 1919. For more information on the Flowerdown facility and its operations during WW1, click HERE . RAF 1918 Wireless Notebook Cover RAF 1918 Wireless Notebook Index Formula for inductance of single layer coils Aircraft Transmitter Type W - Schematic and Description Aircraft Transmitter Type W - Action (Part 1) Aircraft Transmitter Type W - Action (Part 2) Continuous Wave Receiver MKIII Continuous Wave Receiver MKIII - Action and Reception Continuous Wave Receiver MKIII - Changing Telephone Note Continuous Wave Receiver MKIII - Beat Reception of Spark Signals Continuous Wave Receiver MKIII - Timing and Screw Threads RAF Wireless - Greek Alphabet Symbols Wireless Call Stations and Transmitting Hours - 1918 WW1 RAF Wireless Schematic Diagram (unknown type) - 1918 One Valve Flewelling Super Wireless Schematic

A brief history of the RAF Armoured Car Companies from 1915 to 1932, during which time they (Nos 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6) supported the Royal Air Force bases in Mesopotamia. Control of the No 2 Armoured Car Company remained with the Royal Tank Corps when it moved its operations to India, joining seven other Royal Tank Corps Armoured Car Companies. No 1 Armoured Car Company (from the Tank Corps to the RAF) Page 9 of "An Introduction to Iraq" provides a brief history of the Armoured Car Companies, from 1915 when Amoured Car Companies 1 and 2 were part of the Tank Corps employed in fighting against the Turks in Mesopotamia in the Battle of Ctesiphon to 1935 when four new Armoured Car Companies, part of the Royal Air Force, were supporting the RAF in defending its landing grounds and bases as well as long distance reconnaissance. At the time of this publication (August 1935) the commanding officer of the No 1 Armoured Car Company RAF (re-formed in April 1930 as an amalgamation of RAF Armoured Car Companies 3, 4, 5 and 6) was Squadron Leader (later Group Captain) Ronald S Sugden, CBE, AFC. For more details on the formation of Nos 3, 4, 5 and 6 RAF Armoured Car Companies, please click HERE and if you would like a comprehensive account of the 'RAF ARMOURED CAR COMPANIES IN IRAQ 1921 - 1947' written by Dr Christopher Morris, I recommend that you read his article in the Royal Air Force Historical Society Journal No 48 .