R to S

T to Z

The Americans, New Zealanders, The Polish Pilots

Sgt  John McIver Sherman MacAuley   (Canadian), 77152, RCAF

Note the plugs in the exhaust ports to keep the sand out of GA G possibly ET902 not confirmed

LAC Arthur Master was a rigger with RAF 112 Sqdn serving in Africa , Sicily and Italy. His grandson Peter has little information to go on and would appreciate any help that could be given. Please e-mail if you can help out.

Contributed by Peter Izzard

Squadron Leader Ernest M Mason, 40734, RAF DFC, 261, 92, 112, 274, 94 Sqns. KIA 1942

courage and initiative and probable.

Flying Officer Douglas Gordon Haig MacDonald, RAF No. 76160,  RAF 112 Sqdn service 20/9/40 to 7/11/41

From the photo of him on the 1940 Photo page and the photos below it is hard to determine which MacDonald is which McDonald

MacDonald  Douglas Gordon Haig  (Plt Off, Acting Wing Commander, 1944, London Gazette, 36239, Commission resigned 17 July 1946, London Gazette, 37668 Flt Lt retaining the rank of Sqdn Ldr)

Sergeant Edward Mc Cormack, Service Number, 404181, RAAF, ?/9/41  to 16/9/41. KIA 

Date of Birth: 10 January 1919

Son of John and Emily Constance McCormack, of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Tomahawk Mk IIB, AM 403. 

Sgt Edward McCormack  during a ferry flight from 108MU,  heading for LG102 which the Sqdn 

had moved to near Sidi Haneish, the engine cut out on take off at 150 to 200 

feet altitude he tried to turn to regain the runway lost control and spun in...... pilot KIFA

Photo sent in by John McCormack

Pilot Officer Robert Haldane "Mac"McDonald, RAF 42316, RAF 112 Sqdn service 30/7/40 to 9/3/41

Photo of what is now thought to be McDonald taken in Greece ( Joe Fraser's daughter confirms it is not her Dad.)

The under mentioned Acting Pilot Officers

on probation are graded as Pilot Officers on

probation on the dates stated: —

20th Feb. 1940.

Percy Drinkwater STRONG (42277) as yet to be confirmed

Lenard Lawrence BARTLEY (42182).

Jack Lawson GROVES (42305).

Robert Haldane McDonald (42316) All thought to have (some confirmed) to have RAF 112 Sqdn connections

Pilots of 112 Squadron at Yanina, Greece. Photo courtesy of Colleen Bowker and family
(Left to right) Pilot Officer Robert Haldane "Mac" McDonald, Flying Officer Acworth and Pilot Officer Bowker.

Flying Officer John  Archibald Milne, RAF 42758 (Canadian from Yorkton, Saskatchewan)

prior service in the Battle of Britain, with RAF 112 Squadron from 12/6/42 to 26/6/42

John joined the RAF in 1939, after a brief stint in Aston Down for OTU he was posted to 72 Squadron (Spitfires) in June 1940.. He never flew with 72 squadron as he was immediately sent to RAF 605 Squadron in Drem, Scotland flying Hurricanes. During August of that year the squadron was posted to the South of England, John saw alot of action in the Battle of Britain.. Action on the 20th October 1940 From :

Gretzyngier, Robert. Poles in Defence of Britain: A Day-by-Day Chronology of Polish Day and Night Fighter Operations, July 1940 - June 1941. London: Grub Street, 2001

ISBN 1-902304-54-3
294 pages

The windy morning with much broken cloud resulted in almost a repeat of the actions of 20th, when 605 Squadron was again engaged by Freie Jagd Messerschmitt 109s over Tunbridge Wells. The pilots involved were as follows:

S/Ldr Burront	P3677	Red 1
P/O English	N2557	Red 2
Sgt Jones	V6699	Red 3
P/O Muirhead	R4118	Yellow 1
P/O Glowacki (Polish)	P3583	Yellow 2
P/O Milne (Canadian)	P3832/UP-P	Yellow 3

This time however the RAF pilots were not surprised and managed to engage their attackers. P/O Witold Glowacki:

"While on patrol near Tunbridge Wells we were attacked by two Me 109s which dived on us out of the sun. The squadron was circling right-handed and losing height when a Me 109 broke into the formation firing at me. I was then rather higher than the rest of the squadron and the Me. after a short burst over-shot me and I was able to give him a long burst from 300 yards closing to 50 yards. I saw him shudder and try to climb away, but he could not do so and dropped away. This is confirmed by Yellow 1 but neither of us could watch him as another Me 109 was then in position to attack and we had to break away The second enemy aircraft climbed back to join the rest of the formation alone."

On 22nd October 1940,  John was shot down and wounded by an Me 109, He crash landed his Hurricane I (V6783) near Dorking at 14:30hrs. He had a broken hip. Recovering John was sent to 52 OTU as an instructor, he continued as an instructor when in December he was posted to 73 OTU at Sherk Atham in the Aden Protectorate training South African and Rhodesian pilots. He joined RAF 112 Squadron at Gambut Main on 12 June 1942. John fractured his spine in a take off accident. We backed up to strip 075, Sidi Aziez, Sollum and eventually Sidi Haneish near Mesa Matruh. Here on the 26th, we were scrambled to evacuate the strip about 10:00 p.m. as Jerry tanks were reported advancing on our strip. In taking off I collided with another aircraft. Where it came from I do not know as it was quite dark. Then by way of 86 Hospital, Hospital ship and train to Baragwanath in South Africa, he spent the next six months in a plaster cast, arrived back in UK in November 1942

John mentioned that his Flight Log Book was in the Kittyhawk storage compartment when the plane crashed and burnt.

30 November 2006 I have just gotten off the phone with John, he still resides in Yorkton, he was with his wife for 64 years, having lost her just last year. They have 3 children together. His keen sense of humour is still very active as he had a bad fall while we where talking on the phone, after recovering from that he stated "fortunately I am short so it is not  far to fall!!!!""  He still fondly remembered Rudy Leu and James Arthur Walker another Canadian that signed into RAF 112 Sqdn at the same time as John, James was also was a survivor of the Battle of Britain. Picture used with Johns permission.

Flt Sgt Benard Hyland Peters, Ex-112 Squadron pilot B H (Bernie) Peters passed away, on 

27 November2005 Flt Sgt Benard Hyland Peters (Australian). 409439, only Australian record 

found is the following  with different service number: The different service numbers maybe due to 

enlisted rank and then an officers service number

My father, Flt Sgt BH (Bernie) Peters, was a 112 sqdn pilot, who joined the squadron in Sept 43 and left in late 

July, 44. He features on your "claims" page in April 44, when he was credited (I think) with an FW190 over Rieti. 

He finished his own "war in Europe" as Flt Lt Peters (DFM), being recalled to Australia in late 44. He went on to a 

long career in military & civil flying, logging 22000 hrs before he quit around 1981. Sadly, Bernie may not be with us 

much longer. At age 83, he has just been diagnosed with untreatable cancer - and I fear he has little time left. I am 

writing this hoping that some of Dad's surviving comrades are still around to wish him well. If so, please reply - and 

I am hoping I can pass on your wishes. Many of the names on your web-site were folk-lore to me, during my 

childhood. Dad could come up with so many stories of life with "the happy crew of 112". (Well, anyway, that's how 

they sounded to me - as a small boy). 

yours, 

Greg Peters Sydney Australia.

 Here is a bit of sleuthing, 64 years on.  Hope you find this useful –  may add a couple of small details to your site.  Also, feel  free to use the photo if you like. And keep up the great work.

Visiting your 112 site recently, I looked at the section  Sqdn planes, Damage and Losses 1939-1945. For the entry of 20 Dec 1943, it seems Fg Off Wilkinson had a very bad day – being both shot down in P40 FR-864 (M) (& made a POW), and sustaining Cat II damage in P-40 FR-801 (H) .  

My late father, Bernie Peters, had a photo  album including  a pic of F/O  Wilkinson (enclosed), and Dad’s diary has commentary on 20 Dec 43. Coincidentally, Bernie’s log book records that P40 FR-801 (H) was Dad’s “personal mount”, for some weeks up to Dec 20 (he logged 16 flights in it,  the last on Dec 18th).

Robyn Brown’s  book “History of 112” (p121) records that F/O Wilkinson was indeed shot down  in FR 864 in Dec 43, and states also that “one aircraft returned Cat II” around the same date (without naming the pilot, or the plane).

Bernie Peters’  log entry for Dec 20, 43 is:

The section in italics was apparently added later (different pen).

I had heard the extended version of this story verbally,  many times over the decades.  Dad enjoyed telling it over a few beers. As he put it, the hole near the wing root was big enough for two men to stand in, and he swore  that he owed his life to the tough construction of the Kittyhawk.

Assuming Dad was right about this, I wondered why his Cat II was not in your site’s list.  And, could it have been  the un-named Cat II which returned that day, as per Robyn Brown’s book? I did also wonder if  Wilkinson’s  Cat II was perhaps wrongly accredited.  But, that  would not explain things either, because he was (supposedly) flying FR-801, not FR-388.  I then turned to Bernie’s diary, which reads:

Dicembre  20 Sabato S                 Liberato M

“A bloody heavy day.   1^st show me, in (Z). Gun fire & Ack Ack something terrific. I got a hell of a clobber in leading edge of left wing root at 200ft after shooting a big tank.  On way back 3 Spits shot at me.  My kite was a Cat II.   No ASI and kite stalled if you breathed hard. Didnt have guts to bail out, so returned. Runway was cleared for me & after doing a perfect 3-pointer (with ring twitch), I found I had no left brake. Skidded off right of runway, straight at bunch of  twin types, who ran.  Cut engine, but didn’t turn over & did a beautiful twizzle beside a row of tents, thumbing the types as I skidded by backwards.  Cocks shot down but OK.  F/O Wilkinson on fire and bailed out at 1500ft. POW if OK.  2 other Cat II kites and one destroyed. 2 Yanks bailed out. This may be the last entry. I have just been informed that I am on the same target tomorrow. RIP Maleish.”

By way of explanation:  By “types” Dad just means “people”, and  so “twin types” were people (=aircrew) who flew  twin-engine bombers. This was a big base, and there were lots of Martin or Douglas twins  there, lining the airfield. “Cocks” was Flt Sgt WE Cocks, whom Dad had known for some time, from advanced training in Egypt and Libya. The 2 other Cat II kites may have been in other squadrons at the base (as were the “Yanks”). “Maleish” was common slang on the squadron  (?Arabic) – meaning  “so be it” (with thanks to Ken Cockram  who told me that recently – after I contacted him thru your site).  The above diary entry didn’t throw any light on what happened to FR 801 (H) that day. But, this mention of Sgt Cocks turned out to be useful, when considered in light of a later diary entry:

“We fly again. A practice flip in my new-old kite H.   Cox lobbed old H in a river. Dog fought Tex & Worby...”

This diary entry is listed under “Dec 29^th “, but from Dad’s log book, I gather it refers to either Dec 21^st or Dec 30^th. (the diary doesn’t have all dates filled in, and  entries sometimes  go wherever there is space). “Cox” here is Flt Sgt Cocks (spelling wasn’t Dad’s strong point); Tex =Tex Grey, and Worby=Stan Worby. What is informative here is the reference to Cocks “lobbing the old H in a river”, and Dad’s referring to “my new-old kite H”.  The reference to Cocks is supplied parenthetically here -as background on Bernie needing  a replacement H. According to Dad’s log book, the replacement H  [= “new-old H”] was FR-257 . He first flew this on Dec 21, and next on Dec 29th. He went on to log 38 flights in it, eventually.  As mentioned, his previous (and first) H was FR-801, which he first flew on Nov 2^nd. Dad’s log shows that he never flew 801 again after Dec 18^th. [FR-801 is the higher serial number, hence  “newer” than the “new-old” FR-257]. So, the “old H” that Cocks lobbed in the river must have been FR-801, and this would have been when Cocks was shot down on Dec 20^th.  It seems that your Cat II for FR-801 on Dec 20, 1943, should be attributed to Sgt Cocks, not F/O Wilkinson. 

I doubt that FR-801 is  the Cat II plane that Robyn Brown’s book refers to anonymously. That Cat II plane, the book states, did not end up in a river, but “returned”.  So, it seems to me that this last Cat II plane must be FR-388 (Z), flown by Bernie Peters. If you find this convincing, please add another entry to your  Damage and Losses 1939-1945, for the date of 20 Dec 43. That will make three for the day.  As Dad put it: “A bloody heavy day” .

Yours,    Greg Peters,   Sydney Australia

Master Tecnician Lenord Francis "Paddy" Paddock, 546274 RAF, Captured in Greece held in Crete, Lamsdorf, Luft 3 and Belaria for the duration of the war.

Service Record Book, and a drawing of Gladiator K6140 done in Stalag Luft III during 1944

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