CREW MEMBER PROFILE |
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Surname: |
GAGE |
First Name/s: |
Frank Harry |
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Service No/s: |
1318498 |
Service: |
RAFVR |
Branch: |
Wireless Operator |
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Awards: |
1939-1945 Star, Air Crew Europe Star, 1939-1945 War Medal |
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SERVICE RECORDS |
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Date |
Event |
Aircraft Flown |
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12 May 1941 |
Enlisted at St Michael’s Hall, Shoe Lane, Oxford, Oxfordshire, as Aircraftman Second Class (AC2), mustering as Air Crew Hand (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner). |
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12 May 1941 |
Transferred to the Reserve, pending call-up. |
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13 May 1941 |
Attended No. 12 Aviation Candidates’ Selection Board at the Old Clarendon Laboratories, Parks Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, where he was recommended for training as Wireless Operator/Air Gunner. |
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01 Oct 1941 |
Called up to No. 3 Recruit Centre (3 RC), Padgate, Warrington, Cheshire and sent to No. 10 (Signals) Recruit Centre 10 (S) RC), Blackpool, Lancashire, later the same day. |
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19 Mar 1942 |
No. 2 Signals School (2 SS), Yatesbury, Wiltshire. |
Dominie / Proctor tbc |
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15 Jun 1942 |
Remustered as Wireless Operator under training. |
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25 Jun 1942 |
RAF Station, Hornchurch, Essex: unit and purpose not known. |
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21 Oct 1942 |
No. 1 Signals School (1 SS), Cranwell, Lincolnshire. |
Dominie / Proctor tbc |
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17 Feb 1943 |
No. 4 Radio School (4 RS), Madley, Herefordshire. |
Dominie / Proctor tbc |
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18 Apr 1943 |
No. 97 Wireless Operator/Air Gunner Course. |
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15 May 1943 |
No. 1 Air Armament School (1 AAS), Manby, Lincolnshire. |
Hampden |
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25 May 1943 |
Promoted to Leading Aircraftman (LAC). |
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04 Jun 1943 |
Awarded Wireless Operator/Air Gunner’s (WAG) brevet, promoted to Sergeant, and remustered as Wireless Operator/Air Gunner. |
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08 Jun 1943 |
No. 3 (Observer) Advanced Flying Unit (3 (O) AFU), Bobbington (Halfpenny Green), Staffordshire. |
Anson |
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06 Jul 1943 |
No. 81 Operational Training Unit (81 OTU), Tilstock, Shropshire (Whitley); joined the H R Marsden crew, which probably comprised: |
Whitley |
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30 Sep 1943 |
No. 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit (1656 HCU), Lindholme, Yorkshire; here the crew would have been joined by their Flight Engineer, C P Rudland. |
Lancaster |
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01 Dec 1943 |
Joined No. 576 Squadron, 'B' Flight at Elsham Wolds, Linconshire. |
Lancaster |
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20 Dec 1943 |
Frankfurt (Ball); lost in W4123 UL-R2, aged 21 |
Lancaster |
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576 Squadron FLYING RECORDS |
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Date |
Aircraft |
Code |
Flight Details |
T/O |
Land |
Flt Time |
Crew |
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16 Dec 1943 |
W4245 |
UL-S2 |
BERLIN |
1630 |
1900 |
2h30 |
P1 Flt Sgt H.R. Marsden |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up Area Returned early, Port inner-low oil pressure. Bomber Texel Island as last resort |
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20 Dec 1943 |
W4123 |
UL-R2 |
FRANKFURT |
1700 |
FTR |
nk |
P1 Flt Sgt F. Ball |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries Frankfurt; lost in W4123 UL-R2, aged 29 Shot down by Oblt. Werner Baake of 3./NJG-1 and crashed at De Planck, Voeren, Belgium. No survivors Initially buried by the Germans at Brusthem (Sint Tryuden/St Trond) Cemetery, and reinterred on 25 Mar 47 at Heverlee War Cemetery, Louvain, Belgium, grave 5.B.1 “ALWAYS IN OUR HEARTS” |
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PERSONAL INFORMATION |
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Details |
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Frederick Henry Gage was born 5 (or possibly 9) June 1922 in Rye, Sussex, youngest son of Engineer Commander Henry Frederick Gage, RN, and Dorothy Nelly Wood. He had two older brothers: Frederick John Noel (1918-1943 k. in N Africa) and Charles Franklin (1920 - 1999). He attended Portsmouth Grammar School and in September 1939 is shown as residing at Pies Hotel, Sea Road, Bournemouth, Dorset. He was probably evacuated here as he was still at school and PGS moved out of Portsmouth at that time. His family were living at 48 Carmarthen Avenue, East Cosham, Portsmouth, Hampshire in September 1939. Frank was killed on air operations over Frankfurt, Germany in December 1943. |
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PHOTOS & DOCUMENTS |
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Details |
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Gage gravestoneCWGC |
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Original temporary graveBack to Normandy |
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