CREW MEMBER PROFILE |
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Surname: |
WITTY |
First Name/s: |
Alan Ronald "Ron" |
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Service No/s: |
1520694, 147467, & 158817 |
Service: |
RAFVR |
Branch: |
Navigator |
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Awards: |
DFC (Awarded for services on No.12 Sqn. Citation not found.) (London Gazette 12 Dec 44, p5690) |
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SERVICE RECORDS |
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Date |
Event |
Aircraft Flown |
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01 Apr 1942 |
Enlisted at Padgate, Manchester. Precise date tbc. |
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20 Apr 1942 |
Air Crew Reception Centre, St John's Wood, London. |
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01 May 1942 |
No.5 Initial Training Wing, Torquay, Devon. (Precise date tbc). |
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01 Sep 1942 |
Promoted to Leading Aircraftman (LAC) on completion of Initial Training. |
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15 Oct 1942 |
Embarked Liverpool on board the SS Stirling Castle, for South Africa. Precise date tbc). |
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04 Dec 1942 |
Disembarked in Durban, South Africa. |
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06 Dec 1942 |
No.48 Air School (Elementary Navigation Training School), Woodbook, East London, Eastern Cape. |
Tiger Moth, Tutor |
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01 Mar 1943 |
No.41 Air School (Bombing & Gunnery School), Collondale, East London, Eastern Cape. |
Anson |
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09 Jul 1943 |
Discharged on appointment to commission. |
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10 Jul 1943 |
Awarded Navigator's Flying Badge and commissioned as a Pilot Officer (London Gazette 28 Sep 43, p1943 |
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26 Jul 1943 |
Embarked from Cape Town or Durban, South Africa on board the RMS Mauretania for the UK. |
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05 Sep 1943 |
Disembarked at Liverpool (precise date tbc) |
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10 Sep 1943 |
No.30 (Observers) Advanced Flying Unit, 138 Course, Halfpenny Green, Staffordshire (precise date tbc). |
Anson |
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12 Oct 1943 |
No.84 Operational Training Unit, Desborough, Northamptonshire. Joined the G F Holbrook crew. |
Wellington. |
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10 Jan 1944 |
Promoted to Flying Officer (London Gazette 14 Jan 44, p313). |
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25 Feb 1944 |
No.1653 Heavy Conversion Unit, Chedburgh, Suffolk. |
Stirling |
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18 Apr 1944 |
No.1 Lancaster Finishing School, Hemswell, Lincolnshire. (Precise date tbc) |
Lancaster |
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24 Apr 1944 |
No.12 Squadron, 'B' Flight, Wickenby, Lincolnshire, flying the following operations in the G F Holbrook crew: |
Lancaster |
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16 Sep 1944 |
No.1656 Heavy Conversion Unit, Lindholme, Yorkshire, as an instructor. |
Lancaster |
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01 Jun 1945 |
No.576 Squadron, 'B' Flight, Fiskerton, Lincolnshire, joining the W Addison crew. This was Witty's second operational tour. |
Lancaster |
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10 Jul 1945 |
Promoted to Flight Lieutenant (war substantive) (London Gazette 24 Aug 45, p4283) |
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16 Sep 1945 |
No.50 Squadron, Sturgate, Lincolnshire, with the W Addison crew. |
Lancaster |
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25 Jan 1946 |
No.50 Squadron, Waddington, Lincolnshire |
Lancaster |
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01 Aug 1946 |
Demobilised (precise date tbc) |
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16 Oct 1946 |
Last day of Service. |
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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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25 Jun 1945 |
PA307 |
UL-W |
FLENSBURG |
0700 |
1150 |
4h50 |
P1 Flt Lt W. Addison |
NOTES: |
Exercise POST MORTEM I; a test of the German air defence system. |
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29 Jun 1945 |
PA307 |
UL-W |
FLENSBURG |
1010 |
1545 |
5h35 |
P1 Flt Lt W. Addison |
NOTES: |
Exercise POST MORTEM II - a test of the German air defence system |
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04 Jul 1945 |
PA307 |
UL-W |
FLENSBURG |
1305 |
1840 |
5h35 |
P1 Flt Lt W. Addison |
NOTES: |
Exercise PORT MORTEM 5 - a test of the German air defence system |
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02 Aug 1945 |
LM294 |
UL-P |
FISKERTON TO BARI |
0815 |
nk |
nk |
P1 Flt Lt W. Addison |
NOTES: |
Operation DODGE; the repatriation of Allied troops and prisoners of war from Italy. Three Squadron aircraft were detailed for this first 'Dodge' operation from Fiskerton. The aircraft flew from Fiskerton to Bari empty and returned on 04 Aug with a load of 20 passengers to Tibenham where they disembarked and the aircraft returned to base. |
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04 Aug 1945 |
LM294 |
UL-P |
BARI TO TIDENHAM |
nk |
nk |
nk |
P1 Flt Lt W. Addison |
NOTES: |
Operation DODGE 20 passengers |
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04 Aug 1945 |
LM294 |
UL-P |
TIBENHAM TO FISKERTON |
nk |
1815 |
nk |
P1 Flt Lt W. Addison |
NOTES: |
Operation DODGE. Empty positioning flight back to base. |
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22 Aug 1945 |
PA307 |
UL-W |
FISKERTON TO POMIGLIANO |
0740 |
nk |
nk |
P1 Flt Lt W. Addison |
NOTES: |
Operation DODGE; the repatriation of Allied troops and POWs from Italy. Took off at 07:39. |
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24 Aug 1945 |
PA307 |
UL-W |
POMIGLIANO TO GLATTON |
nk |
nk |
nk |
P1 Flt Lt W. Addison |
NOTES: |
Operation DODGE 20 passengers |
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24 Aug 1945 |
PA307 |
UL-W |
GLATTON TO FISKERTON |
nk |
1750 |
nk |
P1 Flt Lt W. Addison |
NOTES: |
Operation DODGE; empty positioning flight back to base. |
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PERSONAL INFORMATION |
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Details |
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Alan Ronald Witty, always known as 'Ron', was born on 06 March 1922 in Drypool, Hull, East Yorkshire. He attended Hull Grammar school to 1937 before working in the laboratories at BOCM (British Oil and Cake Mills) in Hull, and from September 1938 attended evening classes at Hull Municipal Technical College. After his service in the RAF, Ron returned to BOCM and continued his evening classes in Hull, in 1948 becoming a full time student. In 1950 he passed his ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities?) examinations, and in June 1950 passed a BSC Special in Chemistry. In September 1950 he married Yvonne, with whom he had four children. He was now working as an analytical chemist at Sturge Ltd of York. Ron died in 2014 in Yorkshire. Witty family |
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PHOTOS & DOCUMENTS |
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Details |
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The Holbrook crew, 12 Squadron, May 1944. Witty is back row, second rightd right,Witty family |
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The Addison crew on 576 Sqn, June 1945; L-R: Shaw/Smith, Blake, Addison, Jack, Witty, Payne (tbc)Witty family |
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Ron Witty at Fiskerton, June 1945Witty family |
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