
Group Photo from our In the Company of Heroes event on January 16.
Looking at the photo, standing from L to R.
Ted Dunford, Wally Harris, David Ince, Peter Beresford, Benny Goodman.
sitting: L to R: Mark Mead, Ron Holmes, Rusty Waughman, Ron Clark.
Lt. Cdr. Peter Beresfod D.S.C. RN (Swordfish pilot) joined the navy in February 1942 at Lee on Solent. He had been in the navy for only three days when 825 Squadron who were also at Lee on Solent went for the Channel Dash and were all shot down. After training Peter was posted to 816 Squadron and later drafted to HMS Tracker for work on Atlantic Convoys under Escort Group
2 commanded by Johnny Walker, the outstandingly best U-boat hunter.
A year later Peter was transferred to HMS Chaser for Russian convoys - very different to the Atlantic ones. He damaged a u-boat with Rocket Projectiles(RPs) and it was finished off by HMS Onslaught. In May 1944 his ship was anchored to a buoy in Scappa Flow, waiting for another convoy to assemble, when a storm caught them and caused the cable holding the buoy to the seabed to break loose. In about two minutes the ship was grounded and badly damaged, subsequently to be sent to Cornwall to help the RAF on the D-Day landings. Peter was flying on the west flank of the armada, looking at 2000 ships at sunrise on D-Day - an unforgettable sight. His next posting was to 836 Mac Ship Squadron, still flying Stringbags - four to a ship. Each Mac Ship was a Merchant ship with a flight deck fixed on top! After five trips Peter was re-assigned to be a batsman on Mac Ships, supposedly a rest from operations. On VE day his Mac Ship escorted six surfaced U-boats to surrender off Londonderry. Peter's final posting was to Seafires on HMS Magnificent. Prior to setting sail for the Pacific the A-bomb was dropped and the war ended.
Flt. Lt. David Ince DFC. After flying Hurricanes he converted to Typhoons and flew with 193 and 257 Squadrons, from Normandy until the end of hostilities in Europe. He completed almost 150 sorties!
Flt Lt Russell (Rusty) Waughman DFC AFC Special Duties Lancaster pilot volunteered for the RAF in 1941. After training in Canada, he qualified as a heavy bomber pilot. In November 1943 he was posted to No 101(Special Duties) Squadron at Ludford Magna. He completed a tour of operations, which began during the 'Battle of Berlin', where they did several operations. Surviving a mid-air collision, only to write the aircraft off on landing, 'Rusty' and his crew on a subsequent flight had a miraculous escape when their aircraft was blown upside down, over the target, at Mailly-le-Camp; they also survived the Nuremberg raid on 30th March 1944, when 97 aircraft were lost - including about one quarter of 101 sqn strength that night.
Flt. Lt. Ronald Homes DFC Special Duties Lancaster pilot joined the RAF in March 1942 and after initial training, went to Terrell, Texas, USA for his flying training, where he gained his wings in May 1943. He returned to the UK and joined No. 101 Sqn. in May 1944, going on to complete 32 Ops. over Europe. After his bombing tour he converted onto Dakotas, joined No. 238 Sqdn. and flew out to India and Burma, then on to Australia and the South Pacific. After the Japanese surrender he joined 1315 Flight and flew up to Japan with the occupation forces.
Flt. Lt. Ron Clark DFC 100 Sqn. Lancaster ("Phantom of the Ruhr") pilot volunteered for flying duties in 1941 and after interviews completed initial training in Paignton. Several courses preceded his arrival at Lindholme heavy conversion unit before joining the "Battle of the Ruhr" with No 100 Squadron based at Waltham near Grimsby. He and his crew were assigned a brand new Lancaster III EE139 which they almost did for on their twenty-fourth trip with her to Manheim, but she went on to complete 120 operations before being unceremoniously scrapped. After a period of instructing Ron was then posted to No 7 Sqn for deployment to the Far East, which was stymied by the dropping of the atomic bomb, I did a lot more instructing before applying for a secondment to BOAC.
Sqn. Ldr. Lawrence "Benny" Goodman (Pilot) volunteered for aircrew at 18 years of age and was called up in 1940. After basic training he went to RAF Abingdon - a Whitley O.T.U - for what he was told would be 'straight through' training. This did not materialise and he found himself in the role of a Ground Gunner. In 1941, a posting eventually came through to the Initial Training Wing followed by Elementary Flying School at Peterborough and an instructor's course at Woodley, Reading; then to Clyffe Pyparde, a holding unit. A sea journey to Canada followed and Service Flying Training School on Ansons. On completion he was posted to Kingston, Ontario, to instruct Acting Leading Naval Airmen on the Royal Navy tactics of the time. e.g. jinking after take-off, dive bombing etc. "However, I had to learn everything first, so I was just about one step ahead of the students! said Benny.
W/O Mark Mead (Pilot) joined the RAF in 1941. After training Mark was posted to No. 12 Squadron flying Whitleys on which he completed three operations.
Then posted to No. 103 Squadron flying Halifaxes. Completed seven operations. Shot down on his eighth trip over Belgium. P.O.W. in Stalag 8B.
As the Russians advanced the P.O.W's were marched 600 miles in to Germany. Mark stayed there until January 1945.
Flt. Lt. Ted Dunford DFC, (Pilot) joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in January 1939 at the age of 19. He was mobilised September 1, 1939. Ted spent the next year training in the UK culminating in receiving his wings in September 1940. he was sent to Southern Rhodesia as a flying instructor, then returned to the UK to join the Mosquitoes of 608 Sqdn. in the Light Night Striking Force (based at Downham Market, Norfolk) , flying fast high level raids, navigated by Flt/Sgt. Bill Read (RCAF) and carrying 4 500lb bombs, and later re-equipped to deliver the 4000lb "cookie".
On one raid, flak over Berlin caused serious damage, including total loss of aileron control. The subsequent return flight and successful landing (at the third attempt) was recognised by the award of a DFC. On completion of the tour of 55 raids (including 27 to Berlin), navigator Flt/Sgt. Bill Read was awarded the DFM. After the war Ted flew for another 28 years as an airline captain.
Wally Harris; Holder of the Military Medal, Light Aid Detachment, whose first contact with the enemy was when he caught a downed Me109 pilot in Kent. He went on to become one of the first ashore on D-Day.

Philip West with his superb "Attack on the Tirpitz" original oil painting
at the same show.
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