RAF HARROWBEER
YELVERTON
Requests for Information
On several occasions I have been asked for information about various aspects of RAF Harrowbeer. As mentioned elsewhere on this website, the RAF Harrowbeer Interest Group are not experts on the airfield and therefore are unable to answer direct questions. However, we are interested in life at Harrowbeer and take a keen interest in our local history and realise that if we don't know, someone else might. We have our 'Puzzles' page but this section is for anyone to ask a question that could/might be answered by someone out there........
If you have a question, or what to get in touch with others connected with Harrowbeer, then email it to the address on the 'Contacts' page and I'll add it here. Answers to the same address please and then I'll forward them on.
March 2018: Most of these remain unanswered.
Colin Foster has a little mystery he is trying to solve.....
"A friend of mine has a cottage in the village of St Vigor des Mezerets, in Normandy, France - just outside of the main “Bocage” country - with major actions (such as Villers Bocage, Mount Pinçon & the assault on Villers & Vire) all nearby.
In their back garden is a wooden shed (with patches over a series of bullet holes!); on the inside of this are 18 names of both British & American servicemen who were captured in the fighting in Normandy. One of the British Servicemen listed is as follows...
Number: nnnn19026 Name: Fl Lt J W Harder - Captured: 31/07/1944
I have agreed to do my best to investigate all of the names in the hope of finding out more about them, whether they made it to the end of the war (or are even still alive), etc,
I have had some success with tracing two out of the 4 American names listed, and from a chat that I have had with the one who was at the time still alive, it would appear that Flt Lt Harder was an American flying with the RAF.
Since then (until very recently) the trail went quite cold until I came across someone on a discussion group (www.ww2talk.com) that I am a member of who has been able to provide me with the following information...
Fighter Cmd Losses 1944-45 by Norman L. R. Franks: American pilot.
24th July 1944. N°64
Sqn; Fighter Cmd; Spitfire MkIX; Seriel N° MK258; Rhubarb ground
targets at Voutre. Hit by flak and baled out over Arou; POW.
Stationed at Harrowbeer, Devon.
Note: 18th April 1944. N°64 Sqn; Fighter Cmd; Spitfire MkVb; Seriel N° AD565; Shipping Recce, a.m.; Engine caught fire 50 miles East of Yarmouth, Norfolk; Ditched and rescued; Safe Stationed at Coltishall Norfolk.
As I replied to him... Thanks for this... It supports what I was told in that he was an American still serving with the RAF"
The loss of Fl Lt Harder is recorded in the Station ORB but we now know from his Son, that he survived the War. The mystery is that during Colin's search for information, the following turned up:
OKEHAMPTON CHURCHYARD
WAR MEMORIAL
1939-45, John W Harder
Colin would like to know more about both the above.
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Detailed
photos of the names
written on the wall of the shed in France. |
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March 2018 update:
Colin has created a website all about the 'Men In The Shed' as he calls them! Click here for all the information on Flt Lt Harder: http://menintheshed.com/
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From James Wolfe: "My father served at Harrowbeer while he was a pilot with 126 Sqdn. His war years are a mystery to all us! Has anyone got info on this squadron or know of anyone who does? His name was PO Malcolm Muncrief MacDonald, (known in the squadron as Mal). He would have been stationed at Harrowbeer from the 3/7/44 as part of fighter group 10. Any help you can give me no matter how small would be greatly appreciated" |
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Connor Doucette's Grandfather, Emerson Wallace flew Typhoons with 193 Sqn out of Harrowbeer and was shot down in 1944 a couple days after D-Day and taken prisoner. Although he has passed away, Connor would like to get in touch with any Pilots of 193 sqdn. Jan 2009 - Connor please get in touch again! Your email address seems to have changed - S Fryer |
Attack by 193 SquadronAs you are aware Rommel's
staff car was straffed in Normandy and he was wounded and during
his "recovery", Hitler took the opportunity to have the
SS force him to commit suicide for alleged participation in the
assassination attempt on Hitler. Initially, reports credited 193
RAF Typhoon squadron with the attack and pilots Bill Switzer and
Rod Davidge, (2 of my Candian fellow pilots on 193) received Mentions
In Dispatches, partially stating they may have been responsible.
I understand the RAF maintains this viewpoint. Controversy followed!
I recently emailed Percy Beake about this but he did not reply.
I wondered if anyone in your group or other contacts would care
to comment on this. |
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Westland Whilwinds of 263 Squadron at Harrowbeer Tony Myers, a local Aviation
Artist has asked if anyone has any pictures of 263 Squadron Whirlwinds
at Harrowbeer? If anyone has any, can they get in touch with us
via the email. |
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Information on the Fellowship of the Bellows of Brazil planes Randolfo (from Brazil) would like to hear from anyone who has information about the planes flown by the above Squadron. This was 193 (flying Typhoons) and 263 (flying Whirlwinds). We know about the Squadrons formation etc, but Randolfo would like to hear from Pilots, etc,. who flew missions. I have now added a separate page for the Bellows Of Brazil Squadrons ~ SCF |
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146th Wing Thierry (from Belgium) is seeking information about the 146th Wing as he is researching a book. He wants to hear from Pilots or co-researchers. The 146th Wing was made
up of the following squadrons: |
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193/263 Squadron mission On 11th Dec 1944, Typhoons
of 193 Squadron bombed Leiden /Holland railway station. Next Dec it
is 60 years ago. A local newspaper will pay attention to this event.
I am looking for any RAF participant. Can you help me??? 8 x a/c 263 sqdn Rob van den Nieuwendijk (and yes we have told Randolfo! - SCF) |
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Information about a relative "My uncle, a Flt. Lt.
in the RAF, was briefly stationed at Harrowbeer in mid/late? 1942,
before onward posting. I have inherited a 'marksmanship' medal,
inscribed 'Harrowbeer 1942'; alas I have no other data re. his stay
there - he was later moved to 166 Sqd., but I think his time at
Yelverton was limited from the late summer until Dec.of '42. |
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Information about a relative "I am trying to confirm the Flight Sergeant T A Vaux served with 276 Sqn at Harrowbeer in 1942. I think he was posted as missing when he failed to come back from a mission on 7.11.1942. I am a bit confused on this as the commonweath graves commission have him down as Thomas Arnold Vaux, but the family say his name was Timothy Arnold Vaux. So some confirmation would be nice." Tia |
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Information about crashed Typhoon "After the finding
of a Napier Sabre engine buried in a beach near Morlaix, I am looking
at informations concerning a Typhoon aircraft operating from HARROWBEER
AIRFIELD. Pascal MAZEAU |
Information about attack by Swordfish Aircraft of 838 Squadron ~ updatedOn the 30th April 1944, Swordfish aircraft of 838 Squadron flew from Harrowbeer at 22.25hrs. They attacked an 'Elbring' class destroyer in an unamed French harbour. My thanks to Jerry Brewer for the following:- Basically the info on
the attack as I heard it from an ex 838Sq member, from memory the
story went like :- |
