CREW MEMBER PROFILE |
||||||
Surname: |
SPOWART |
First Name/s: |
David |
|
||
|
||||||
Service No/s: |
1567579 |
Service: |
RAFVR |
Branch: |
Air Gunner |
|
|
||||||
Awards: |
||||||
SERVICE RECORDS |
|||
Date |
Event |
Aircraft Flown |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
23 Feb 1942 |
Enlisted at Assembly Rooms, George Street, Edinburgh, Midlothian as Aircraftman Second Class (AC2), where he also attended No. 24 (or 25) Aviation Candidates Selection Board and was recommended for training as Pilot/Observer. He was mustered as Air Crew Hand/Pilot. |
||
|
05 Oct 1942 |
Transferred to the Reserve, pending call-up |
||
|
31 Oct 1942 |
No. 27 Wing, Air Crew Camp (ACC), Ludlow, Shropshire |
||
|
11 Nov 1942 |
Air Crew Despatch Centre (ACDC), Heaton Park, Manchester, Lancashire. |
||
|
12 Nov 1942 |
Embarked UK for South Africa (port & vessel n/k). Date TBC. |
||
|
12 Dec 1942 |
Clairwood Camp, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. |
||
|
16 Dec 1942 |
Disembarked Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. |
||
|
20 Mar 1943 |
Initial Training Wing (ITW), Bulawayo, S Rhodesia. |
||
|
05 May 1943 |
Remustered as under training Air Gunner. |
||
|
20 May 1943 |
Reclassified as Aircraftman Second Class (AC2). |
||
|
25 Jun 1943 |
No. 24 Bombing, Navigation & Gunnery School (BGNS), Moffat, Gwelo, S Rhodesia. |
Battle/Oxford/Anson tbc |
|
|
26 Jun 1943 |
Promoted to Leading Aircraftman (LAC). |
||
|
06 Aug 1943 |
Awarded Air Gunner’s brevet, promoted to Sergeant, and remustered as Air Gunner |
||
|
24 Sep 1943 |
Home Embarkation (HE); embarked Durban for the UK (vessel n/k). |
||
|
06 Nov 1943 |
Disembarked UK. |
||
|
07 Nov 1943 |
No. 7 Personnel Reception Centre (PRC), Harrogate, Yorkshire. |
||
|
25 Nov 1943 |
Joined 576 Sqn at Elsham Wolds, Linconshire |
Auto loaded with initial creation of profile |
|
|
26 Jan 1944 |
Attached to the Air Crew NCO’s School, Whitley Bay, Northumberland. |
||
|
23 Feb 1944 |
Returned to No. 7 Personnel Reception Centre (PRC), Harrogate, Yorkshire, |
||
|
29 Feb 1944 |
Attached to No. 22 Air Crew Holding Unit (ACHU), Hednesford, Staffordshire. |
||
|
10 Mar 1944 |
Returned to No. 7 Personnel Reception Centre (PRC), Harrogate, Yorkshire. |
||
|
14 Mar 1944 |
No. 30 Operational Training Unit (OTU), No. 37 Course, Hixon, Staffordshire; joins Durrant crew. |
Wellington |
|
|
30 May 1944 |
No. 11 Base, Lindholme, Yorkshire; administrative Base for No. 1 Group heavy bomber conversions. |
||
|
31 May 1944 |
No. 1662 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU), Blyton, Lincolnshire OR No. 1667 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU), Sandtoft, Yorkshire OR No. 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU), Lindholme, Yorkshire tbc (Halifax/Lancaster tbc. Date tbc. |
Lancaster and or Halifax |
|
|
01 Jul 1944 |
No. 1 Lancaster Finishing School, Hemswell, Lincolnshire (Lancaster) – only if Lancasters not flown on HCU tbc. Date tbc. |
Lancaster |
|
|
28 Jul 1944 |
No. 576 Squadron, ‘A’ Flight, Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire |
Lancaster |
|
|
23 Sep 1944 |
Neuss; lost in NN711 UL-L2, aged 21 |
Lancaster |
|
576 Squadron FLYING RECORDS |
|||||||
Date |
Aircraft |
Code |
Flight Details |
T/O |
Land |
Flt Time |
Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
10 Aug 1944 |
LM227 |
UL-I2 |
DUGNY (PARIS) |
0920 |
1440 |
5h20 |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Aviation fuel storage depot. Spitfire escort. Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x500lb bombs |
||||||
|
11 Aug 1944 |
ME801 |
UL-C2 |
DOUAI |
1400 |
1730 |
3h30 |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Marshalling Yards Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs Intercom u/s. |
||||||
|
14 Aug 1944 |
ME801 |
UL-C2 |
FONTAINE LE PIN BATTLE AREA |
1325 |
1730 |
4h05 |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Enemy positions in Normandy battle area. Flown in support of the 3rd Canadian Division which was advancing on Falaise. Load: 20x 500lb bombs |
||||||
|
15 Aug 1944 |
ME801 |
UL-C2 |
LE CULOT (BEAUVECHAIN) |
1005 |
1405 |
4h00 |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Luftwaffe night fighter base Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs |
||||||
|
18 Aug 1944 |
ME800 |
UL-W2 |
WEMAERS CAPPEL |
1945 |
2300 |
3h15 |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
V1 Launching Site Load: 20x 500lb bombs Had to make 4 bombing runs. Damaged by flak |
||||||
|
25 Aug 1944 |
LM594 |
UL-A2 |
RUSSELSHEIM |
2015 |
0520 |
9h05 |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Opel factory for V1 wings & fuselages & built-up area Load: 1x 4000lb ‘Cookie’, 12x500 4lb incendiary clusters. |
||||||
|
29 Aug 1944 |
PD232 |
UL-F2 |
STETTIN |
2105 |
0635 |
nk |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Port Area Load: 1x 4000lb ‘Cookie’, 60x 30lb and 660x 4lb incendiaries Note: S D Thompson RAAF flew his ‘second dickie’ with one of these crews |
||||||
|
03 Sep 1944 |
NN711 |
UL-L2 |
EINDHOVEN |
1535 |
1945 |
4h10 |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Luftwaffe airfield. Spitfire escort Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs One aircraft (unidentified) diverted due to weather. |
||||||
|
05 Sep 1944 |
NN711 |
UL-L2 |
LE HAVRE |
DNTO |
nk |
N/A |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Enemy strongpoints & HQ in port area Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs Not bombed up in time. |
||||||
|
06 Sep 1944 |
NN711 |
UL-L2 |
LE HAVRE |
1710 |
2000 |
2h50 |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Enemy strongpoints & pockets of resistance Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x500lb bombs |
||||||
|
08 Sep 1944 |
NN711 |
UL-L2 |
LE HAVRE |
0640 |
1010 |
3h30 |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Enemy strongoints to the north of the town & pockets of resistance Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs 10 Aircraft allocated Aiming Point 12, 5 aircraft allocated Aiming Point 13 Master Bomber instructed crews who had not bombed to return with their bombs due to increasing low cloud cover. |
||||||
|
10 Sep 1944 |
NN711 |
UL-L2 |
LE HAVRE |
1640 |
2035 |
3h55 |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Enemy strongpoint ½ mile SW of the Forêt de Montgeon Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x500lb bombs. Port surrenders. |
||||||
|
12 Sep 1944 |
NN711 |
UL-L2 |
FRANKFURT |
1810 |
0200 |
7h50 |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Marshaling yards Load: A2 & D2: 10x 1000lb, 1x 500lb bombs All other a/c: 1x 4000lb ‘Cookie’, 14x Type 14 incendiary clusters, 120x 4lb incendiaries One aircraft (unidentified) bombed a Last Resort Target. |
||||||
|
15 Sep 1944 |
NN711 |
UL-L2 |
PALLAU, POLWYSEP-HEL, & ARNHOLT |
2220 |
0435 |
6h15 |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Gardening *Mis-spelt in ORBs Load: A2 & B2: 4x 1800lb, 5x 1500lb mines All iother a/c: 4x 1800lb, 6x 1500lb mines Area ‘A’ PALLAU Pillau ‘Tangerine’ 2 a/c Area ‘B’ POLWYSEP HEL Gdynia ‘Spinach’ 6 a/c Area ‘C’ ARNHOLT Kattegat ‘Silverthorne’ 2/ac This aircraft Garden: Silverthorne (Anholt) |
||||||
|
16 Sep 1944 |
NN711 |
UL-L2 |
LEEUWARDEN |
0040 |
0415 |
3h35 |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Luftwaffe Airfield (flown in support of Operation MARKET GARDEN) Load: 20x 500lb bombs. |
||||||
|
20 Sep 1944 |
NN711 |
UL-L2 |
CALAIS (SANGATTE) |
1505 |
1840 |
3h35 |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Coastal guns & defences Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs. |
||||||
|
23 Sep 1944 |
NN711 |
UL-L2 |
NEUSS |
1850 |
FTR |
uk |
P1 Fg Off S.F. Durrant |
NOTES: |
Marshalling Yards Load: 12x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs. Attacked by Oblt. Lothar Jarsch of 4./NJG2 at 2229 and at 3,500m (also claimed by a flak battery). Crashed at Kappelen, near Duisburg. All the crew were killed and buried initially at Kappelen Communal Cemetery and re-interred on 26 Oct 47 at the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Nordrhein-Westfalen. 30.F.13 ASLEEP IN GOD'S BEAUTIFUL GARDEN. TOO DEARLY LOVED TO BE FORGOTTEN |
||||||
PERSONAL INFORMATION |
|
Personal Records Restricted - not available to the public |
PHOTOS & DOCUMENTS |
|
Personal Documents Restricted - not available to the public |
