A blog about a RAF Mosquito squadron
Dormant in the draft section since March 25, 2014.
No date, but I was able to find it in Eugene Gagnon’s 33 operations.
This is the information I had.
Operation No. 30
4/5 Apr
Mosquito PZ179
Take off 20h35
Landing 02h25
Intruder Patrol.
Target: Rechlin, Larz, Burg.
Bombs dropped on latter airfield and flash seen.
No activity seen at Rechlin/Larz.
This document gives us the call signs for each crew on an operation that took place on April 4/5, 1945.
Updated 10 May 2023
Nothing found yet…
This comment deserves to be shared. I am hoping someone might help this reader.
Hi Pierre
It’s been a while since I was last in touch with you (2014) regarding a sand coloured bag from a car boot sale and that it had written on the side of the bag is the name of F/L J R Tracey (John Robert Tracey)
23 Squadron
The reason I am asking is I was wondering if you ever got any feedback from anyone regarding this chap you did send me some info.
I am still very curious and any other info would be greatly appreciated.
You said that you have found out that he was a Flight Lieutenant (War Substantive) 1943 general duties branch that’s all I know so far.
| Date: | 11-APR-1945
| | Time:
| | | Type: | de Havilland Mosquito FB.Mk VI
| | Owner/operator: | 605 (County of Warwick) Sqn RAF
| | Registration: | PZ464
| | C/n / msn:
| | | Fatalities:
| Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
| | Airplane damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair)
| | Location: | Near Berlín – Germany
| | Phase: | En route
| | Nature: | Military
| | Departure airport: | B.71 Coxyde (B)
| | Destination airport:
| |Narrative: PZ464 FBVI 605 Missing from night intruder 11.4.45 Crew: F/Lt (62690) John Robert TRACEY (pilot) RAFVR – killed F/Lt (131.763) Frank BERESFORD (nav.) na PZ464.
Strange as it may seem, his family lived in Birmingham six or seven miles from where I live. I live on the West Bromwich/Dudley border in an area called the Black Country due to all the industry or the lack of it these days. I live on top of hill where we can see for miles around Birmingham, West Bromwich Dudley, Halesowen, Cradley Heath, etc. All heavy industrial areas. We had on the top of the hill where I live AAA barracks and anti-aircraft guns one of the large guns inherited the name Big Bertha on one sad occasion they fired a faulty round. It landed a couple of miles away on the boat pub were a wedding party were having there celebration so many killed and injured.
Intruder mission, I think. flying around German aerodromes waiting for night fighters coming in to refuel and rearm.
They were called Night Bandits. I wrote something on the blog.
He may have been a footballer before the war?
I have been trying to find out if he did play for Nott’s County FC. I have checked the date of birth and there were no other people born around the same time as he was with the same name so it is still possible he could have played I seem to be drawing a blank, what type of mission do you think he was on and how sad for him to have died less than 1 month from the end of the war in Europe.
I found this on an Aussie site. It says that PZ464 belonged to various squadrons at different stages in its life 605 sqn, 464 sqn, RAAF 605 sqn and then I presume 23 sqn where it didn’t return from its mission with both on board killed.
Where can I find out the date the aircraft was registered? I will have another look tomorrow to see if I can find out anything more about the aircrew. Please keep me informed if you come across info as I find it all very interesting.
You also said you could not find anywhere in your notes about 23 Squadron with those two airmen’s names during that time period.
Tracey must have been doing his second or third tour. This is what is most interesting. RAF airmen flew more than one tour of operations. His name is not honoured anywhere!
This is why I want to find more about him and the bag is just a pretext. You have history in your hands my friend! You said we have to write this and pay homage to this pilot and navigator.
I would love to find out what medals he would have been awarded and any other theatres of operations he may have flown in.
Kind Regards (Keep up the good work you do)
Steve Gilbert
What we know…
Source
23 Squadron
21/22-July-1943
HJ761
FB.VI
YP-E
Ju 88 Destroyed at Foggia, Italy
F/L J.R. Tracey and F/O F. Beresford
23 Squadron
21/22-July-1943
HJ761
FB.VI
YP-E
Ju 88 Probably destroyed at Foggia, Italy
F/L J.R. Tracey and F/O F. Beresford
This title is pun intended in a way.
I will show Hugh Boland’s new earth shattering artifacts after this original post about a navigator who flew with 23 Squadron.
Dean Cahill has found some artifacts that belonged to Hugh Boland.
Hugh Boland
We all know a little bit about Hugh.
Peter Smith is now in the process of processing all this information so we can post more stories about this navigator.
As you can imagine Peter has a lot of work before him. When he is done, I will share everything.
Meanwhile you can view these artifacts.
Peter Smith just sent me these new scans with this message.
It is nothing earth shattering I’m afraid, but it is all opened out, put flat, recorded so there is a record-he shall not disappear into history quite yet!!
In my next series of posts I will see if we can’t find anything earth shattering.
You can always contact me using this form like Dean Cahill once did on this blog.
Interesting artifact about Hugh’s school days.
Updated 1 September 2023
Comment
You already know much of this story but for any others who are still interested I offer the following:
Just picked up on this old thread. Hugh Boland was my late father’s navigator (W/C S P Russell) and he first appears in Dad’s log book at Little Snoring on 6 December 1944 as a Flight Sergeant.
They were involved with ASH training and operated GEE and UHF equipment as far as I can see. Hugh flew some 44 sorties with Dad, intruding, including bombing and dropping flares, and various training flights. I remember him telling me that Hugh was apparently quite fearless and when they were approaching enemy airspace and the ack ack would start up Hugh would grab his flute and start playing music to the beautiful light show the Germans were putting up! This really ticked Dad off as he thought Hugh should have been as frightened as every one else was! Perhaps it was his way of controlling his nerves.
The last references in the log book were on 24 August 1945 was with Hugh still as a navigator but now a Pilot Officer in a Mosquito and again on 28 August the last entry in Dad’s log book when they flew locally together in a Magister.
Post war Hugh worked for my father in S Russell & Sons Iron Foundry in Leicester for a while before opening a news agency in Leicester. I met him when he appeared at my sister’s 21st birthday and was the life and soul of the party. He enjoyed blowing things up and general pyromania!
I hope the person(s) who were seeking further information are still around.
I have produced a short booklet about my father’s flying experience entitled ‘One man’s love of flying’ in which the above stories of Hugh Boland appear. I still have one or two copies if they are interest to any of your blog readers
Kind regards and thank you again for the wonderful work you do.
Mike Russell
Adelaide, Australia
Just for now, I am posting these artifacts in bulk.
Updated 28 August 2023
Dean Cahill has found some artifacts that belonged to Hugh Boland.
Hugh Boland
We all know a little bit about Hugh.
Peter Smith is now in the process of processing all this information so we can post more stories about this navigator.
As you can imagine Peter has a lot of work before him. When he is done, I will be sharing everything. Meanwhile you can view these artifacts.
RAF 23 Squadron 