Photo from the 466-462 Squadrons' Association

Back, L to R: W/Op STANTON; R/AG BROWN; MU/AG CADDY; F/Eng GRAY;
Front, L to R: B/A PERRIGNON; Pilot SWANN; Nav TAYLOR.

Crew 55, 462 Squadron, Driffield, Yorkshire, and Foulsham, Norfolk

Pilot: Alan Gibson SWANN 401175 RAAF
Bomb Aimer: Edmund Theodore PERRIGNON 432718 RAAF
Navigator: Maxwell Garrod TAYLOR 434714 RAAF
Wireless Operator: Herbert Ernest Alfred STANTON 428058 RAAF
Mid-Upper Gunner: Athol William CADDY 441345 RAAF
Rear Gunner: Arthur Howarth Sydney BROWN 437673 RAAF
Flight Engineer: John Edmund Arthur GRAY 1595698 RAFVR

Special Duties: WINDOW Dispensers (Foulsham)
Special Duties Ops, Radio Counter Measures – nil by this crew
Links to Additional Crew Information; and Crew Ops.

Reference sources – Australian WW2 Nominal Roll; National Archives of Australia (462 Squadron Operational Record Book; Movement of 462 Squadron Series A2217); Australian War Memorial; CWGC; and books as named in the text.

Alan SWANN was President of the 466/462 Squadrons' Association from 1964-1968.

The photograph shown at left, was taken outside the Respirator Workshop, at RAF Driffield.

Pilot

Name: Alan Gibson SWANN
Service: Royal Australian Air Force
Service Number: 401175
Date of Birth: 25 August 1916
Place of Birth: Brunswick, Victoria
Date of Enlistment: 04 January 1941
Place of Enlistment: Melbourne, Vic
Next of Kin: Marion SWANN
Date of Discharge: 02 January 1946
Rank at Discharge: Squadron Leader
Posting at Discharge: 27 Operational Training Unit
Honours and Gallantry: Nil
Prisoner of War: No

On the 462 Squadron Foulsham page, S/Ldr SWANN is included in the photo of "B" Flight Pilots, 1945, front row, 3rd from left.
Photo of S/Ldr SWANN below; F/Lt in November 1943, below right.

Bomb Aimer

Name: Edmund Theodore PERRIGNON
Service: Royal Australian Air Force
Service Number: 432718
Date of Birth: 12 October 1917
Place of Birth: Randwick, New South Wales
Date of Enlistment: 25 January 1943
Place of Enlistment: Sydney, NSW
Next of Kin: Henry PERRIGNON
Date of Discharge: 14 January 1946
Rank at Discharge: Flying Officer
Posting at Discharge: 462 Squadron
Honours and Gallantry: Nil
Prisoner of War: No

On the 462 Squadron Foulsham page, PERRIGNON may be in the photo of Bomb Aimers, March 1945, but not identified.
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Australian War Memorial, P01523.031

Above: S/Ldr Alan Gibson SWANN 401175 RAAF, in "B" Flight Office at 462 Squadron, Foulsham, April 1945. The AWM records the photographer as Ronald Maxwell HINES. (432466 RAAF, Pilot, HINES and Crew 65 were posted TO 462 Squadron in March 1945.

Australian War Memorial, UK0740

Above: Centre with raised hand, F/Lt Alan Gibson SWANN 401175 RAAF, at PDRC Brighton, 21 Nov 1943; with 2 Sergeants, and a British Army Officer. RAAF personnel were processed through 11 PDRC, Brighton.

The AWM caption was: "Sussex, England, 21 November 1943. The first Inter-Unit Australian Rules Football match between Personnel Despatch and Reception Centre (PDRC) and RAAF Overseas Headquarters, London, was played at Brighton. Several well known Australian players took part. The match was won by PDRC by 12 goals 20 behinds to 11 goals 9 behinds. Shown: 401175 Flight Lieutenant A G SWANN explaining some of the finer points to a British Army Officer.
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Navigator

Name: Maxwell Garrod TAYLOR
Service: Royal Australian Air Force
Service Number: 434714
Date of Birth: 20 July 1911
Place of Birth: Unley Park, South Australia
Date of Enlistment: 30 January 1943
Place of Enlistment: Adelaide, SA
Next of Kin: Mary TAYLOR
Date of Discharge: 23 January 1946
Rank at Discharge: Flight Lieutenant
Posting at Discharge: 17 Operational Training Unit
Honours and Gallantry: Nil
Prisoner of War: No

On the 462 Squadron Foulsham page, TAYLOR is included in the photo of Navigators, Feb/Mar 1945, front row, 2nd from left. He may also be in the 2nd photo of Navs, March 1945, but not identified.
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Wireless Operator

Name: Herbert Ernest Alfred STANTON (Ernie)
Service: Royal Australian Air Force
Service Number: 428058 (later O35041)
Date of Birth: 14 January 1924
Place of Birth: ...............
Date of Enlistment: 09 October 1942
Place of Enlistment: Hobart, Tasmania
Next of Kin: Beryl STANTON
Date of Discharge: 17 November 1945
Rank at Discharge: Warrant Officer
Posting at Discharge: 462 Squadron
Honours and Gallantry: Nil
Prisoner of War: No

On the 462 Squadron Foulsham page, STANTON in included in a photo of Aircrew on VE Day 1945. He is also in the photo of Wireless Operators, March 1945.
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Mid-Upper Gunner

Name: Athol William CADDY (Bill)
Service: Royal Australian Air Force
Service Number: 441345
Date of Birth: 12 July 1925
Place of Birth: Meekatharra, West Australia
Date of Enlistment: 17 July 1943
Place of Enlistment: Perth, WA
Next of Kin: J CADDY
Date of Discharge: 23 July 1946
Rank at Discharge: Flying Officer
Posting at Discharge: 9 Aircrew Holding Unit (Gamston)
Honours and Gallantry: Nil
Prisoner of War: No

On the 462 Squadron Foulsham page, CADDY in included in a photo of Aircrew on VE Day 1945, middle row, far left. He may also be in the photo of "B" Flight Gunners, March 1945, but not identified.
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Rear Gunner

Name: Arthur Howarth Sydney BROWN
Service: Royal Australian Air Force
Service Number: 437673
Date of Birth: 26 August 1916
Place of Birth: Footscray, Vic
Date of Enlistment: 30 March 1943
Place of Enlistment: Melbourne, Vic
Next of Kin: Arthur BROWN
Date of Discharge: 25 September 1946
Rank at Discharge: Flight Lieutenant
Posting at Discharge: Northern Area Headquarters
Honours and Gallantry: Nil
Prisoner of War: No

On the 462 Squadron Foulsham page, BROWN may be in the photo of "B" Flight Gunners, March 1945, but not identified.
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Flight Engineer
Gray was killed on 17 April 1945 flying as substitute F/Eng
on an OP with LODDER Crew 44 (details on that page)

Name: John Edmund Arthur GRAY
Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Service Number: 1595698
Date of Birth: 8 June 1924
Marital Status: Single
Next of Kin: Frank Balmforth GRAY (father)
Date of Death: 17 April 1945
Rank at Death: Sergeant
Posting at Death: 462 Squadron
Age at Death: 20
Grave reference: Joint Grave 5. K. 9
Cemetery: Durnbach War Cemetery, Bayern, Germany
Son of Frank Balmforth Gray and Annie Gray
of Christchurch, Cambridgeshire

Photo of Headstone on the Lodder Crew page, the inscription reads:
1595698 SERGEANT
J.E.A. GRAY
FLIGHT ENGINEER
ROYAL AIR FORCE
17TH APRIL 1945, AGE 20
†

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Special Duties – WINDOW

1. 04 Feb 1945 – Geoffrey HARRISON-BROADLEY 1458627 RAFVR. His Crew Arrival Form states that he was posted TO 462 Squadron FROM 102 Squadron (Pocklington) on 02 November 1944 as a Mid-Upper Gunner. However he was not recorded in the Oct/Nov/Dec Squadron ORB Form 541 Postings. His first Op was on 29 Nov 1944 as MU/AG with CARTHY Crew 17. All of his subsequent 7 Ops were as Special Duties WINDOW Dispenser with 5 different Crews. He was KIA with TOOTAL Crew 57, on 24 Feb 1945, Halifax PN429 Z5-E – more details are on that crew's page.

2. 07 Feb 1945 – Garth FINK, 435339 (later A11415) RAAF.

3. 11 Feb 1945 – W E TOEWS R.278376 RCAF.
He was posted TO 462 Squadron in September 1944 (10 Ops as R/AG; 21 as MU/AG with COOKSON Crew 23). He also substituted as Mid-Upper Gunner for the SWANN crew on 07 Feb 1945 (also MU/AG for JACKSON Crew 14, and as Special Duties WINDOW Dispenser for Byrom Crew 16, total of 34 Ops).

4. 27 Feb 1945 – Michael John STAFFORD (usual role as Rear Gunner, JACKSON Crew 14, includes photos on that page).

5. 02 Mar 1945 – Stanley Ernest TILLS, 17596 RAAF

FINK and TILLS were from a group of 12 RAAF Wireless Operators posted TO 462 Squadron in January 1945, to dispense WINDOW. Further details and photos on the Special Duties WINDOW page.
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Additional Crew Information – Wanted please – photos of, and information about individuals in this crew ( contact ).
None of the RAAF Service Files for this crew had been digitised at the time of creating this web page (06 Nov 2019). Information has been sourced from the 462 Squadron Operational Record Book (from NAA); Movement of 462 Squadron Series A2217 (from NAA); Aircraft Loss Files (Series A11385 1714/19/P1 from NAA) LODDER Crew 44, for Aircrew Arrival Form for F/Eng GRAY; and Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Flight Engineer John Edmund Arthur GRAY, 1595698 RAFVR – details from his Aircrew Arrival Form, in his own handwriting and signed. He was single, Church of England, and Medical Category A1. His next-of-kin was listed as his father, Frank Balmforth GRAY, of Haworth, Keighley, Yorkshire. Mrs Kathleen Newman of East York was listed as a friend for notification in the event of casualty. Enlistment information is not yet known, however from the website http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/rfc_raf.pdf ..... Sce No 1595698 was in the series 1585001 to 1600000, allocated from September 1941, Weston-super-Mare (but W-s-M is a long way from his home in Yorkshire).
His training and previous postings are not yet known, however he most likely trained as a Flight Engineer at St Athan, Wales.
He was promoted to Sergeant on 04 September 1944, on or soon after qualifying as a Flight Engineer. From there he would have been posted TO a HCU to join a crew.
14 December 1944 – posted FROM 1663 Heavy Conversion Unit, Rufforth, Yorkshire, TO 462 Squadron, and listed in sequence with other members of the SWANN Crew.

In the absence of any RAAF Service Files for members of this crew, it could be suggested that the 6-man Swann crew had formed at an Operational Training Unit (location not yet known).
They would have then been posted TO 1663 HCU Rufforth for conversion to Halifax bombers, where F/Eng GRAY joined the crew.
December 1944 – Posting of crew TO 462 Squadron. It could be assumed that all were posted on 14 December 1944, the same date as definitely known for F/Eng GRAY – the crew names are consecutive in the ORB.

ORB Form 540, December 1944, PART III – PERSONNEL ..... posted to the squadron
Officers – F/L A G SWANN (A.401175), P/O M G TAYLOR (A.434714), F/O A H BROWN (A.437673)
NCOs – F/S E T PERRIGNON (A.432718), F/S H STANTON (A.428058), F/S A W CADDY (A.441345), Sgt J E GRAY (1595698).
(The only other postings TO the Squadron during December 1944 were Officers PAULL and ASTILL, and NCO Sgt MacPHERSON.)

It is possible that the SWANN was on his second tour, and had perhaps been side-lined as an Instructor. He was already at the rank of Flight Lieutenant in November 1943, at PDRC in Brighton (photo in previous section). Both he and Nav TAYLOR were back at Operational Training Units, prior to their Demobilisation, possibly as Instructors.

December 1944 – Relocation of 462 Squadron from Driffield (4 Group) TO Foulsham (100 Group) – from Series 2217 at NAA.
"Rear Party. Personnel detailed in Appendix D will proceed by Rail on completion of handing over Accommodation Barrack equipment etc., to RAF Station Driffield, on the 30th December 1944."
"Dress – Best Blue"

Appendix "D", REAR PARTY
Officer in charge:- Aus/401175 F/L A G Swann
Aus/434714 F/O M G Taylor
Aus/437673 F/O A H Brown
Aus/432718 F/S Perrignon, E T
Aus/428458 F/S Stanton, H E
Aus/441345 F/S Caddy, A W
1595698 Sgt Gray, J E

September 1945 – Posted FROM 462 Squadron – SWANN in the first batch of 27 Officers; and PERRIGNON, TAYLOR, BROWN, and CADDY listed in the 2nd group of Officers. BROWN was listed twice – once with the Officers posted FROM, and also with the Board of Survey (see below). STANTON's name was missing from the Postings FROM, and GRAY was deceased.

September 1945 – ORB, Form 540, Part 'V"

20 September 1945 – "On this day, a Board of Survey consisting of the undermentioned personnel, was assembled for the purpose of the disposal of documents and files of this Unit, on disbandment. All documents were reviewed and disposed of in accordance with Air Ministry Order A.863/45.

F/L D G HIGHMAN (Aus.406394) President ..... (Dudley Gilbert HIGHMAN, Adjutant of 462 Squadron)
F/O A H BROWN (Aus. 437673) Member ........ (R/AG of the SWANN Crew 55)
(Aus. 31419) Sgt BRAZIER, R C, Member ....... (Ronald Charles BRAZIER, not recorded in aircrew, usual duty not yet known)

It is interesting to note that members of this crew were involved in the formalities for the relocation from Driffield to Foulsham (as a newly arrived crew), and disbandment of the Squadron. Disbandment completed as at 24 September 1945.

The following table shows Rank for the crew members at various times.

For each month from February to April 1945 (462 Squadron, Foulsham), the Log Book pages for F/Sgt De Leacy (W/Op for FRAZER Crew 56) were all signed by Squadron Leader A. G. Swann as Officer in Charge of "B" Flight.

Crew Ops are as detailed in the following section.

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Crew Ops – sourced from the 462 Squadron Operational Record Book

February 1945 – ORB Form 540, Part I, Operations
03 February 1945 – "F/L SWANN carried out a combined test and training flight, and is now ready for operations."

The usual crew of seven flew 5 Ops together from 04 February 1945 to 02 March 1945 – no early returns, no landing away, no aircraft damage, no other problems, all safe returns. There was one substitution of Mid-Upper Gunner CADDY, by TOEWS on 07 February 1945.
Special Duties – Spoofs (WINDOW) for all of the 5 Ops, crew of 8, with 8th man to dispense WINDOW.
Special Duties – Radio Counter Measures – none carried out by this Crew.

The following Table lists the 5 Ops for SWANN and his crew.
As OIC "B" Flight, SWANN had a reduced number of Ops. His crew carried out extra Ops, and these are listed following the table below.

Aircraft Serial Numbers and Code numbers Z5- are thought to be correct, based on photographs and various Log Books. (There are discrepancies within the ORB, and between the ORB and various authors.)
Times up and down in red are night flights.
Target "Ruhr x 12" means 12 aircraft tasked from 462 Squadron to the target of the Ruhr, with the SWANN crew one of the 12, (and so on for the other dates).
Code for Op Type – SD Special Duties; SP Spoof;
W WINDOW; B Bombs; I Incendiaries.

MZ341 Z5-P (Peter Rabbit) x 1 Op – photo and artwork of this aircraft on Halifax page.
NR284 Z5-Q (Queenie) x 1 Op – one photo of this aircraft on Halifax page.

Ops Details for members of this crew - unless otherwise noted, the substitute role was the same as their substantive role.
SD/W was Special Duties WINDOW Dispenser. RCM - Radio Counter Measures, with an extra crew member to operate equipment.
On 09 April three of the SWANN crew were flying with the FLEMING.

Nav TAYLOR - 5 Ops with SWANN; 1 Op with FLEMING on 9 April 1945; Total 6.

B/Aimer PERRIGNON - 5 Ops with SWANN; 1 Op with FLEMING on 9 April 1945; 1 Op with GRANT on 16 April 1945 (RCM); Total 7.

W/Op STANTON - 1 Op as SD/W with HANCOCK on 05 January 1945; 5 Ops with SWANN; 1 Op as SD/W with UTHER on 08 April 1945; 1 Op as SD/W with FLEMING on 09 April 1945; 1 Op with O'SULLIVAN on 16 April 1945; Total 9.

MU/AG CADDY - 1 Op as SD/W with ASTILL on 05 January 1945; 4 Ops with SWANN; Total 5.

R/AG BROWN - 1 Op as SD/W with ROBERTSON on 05 January 1945; 1 Op as MU/AG with O'SULLIVAN on 28 January 1945; 5 Ops with SWANN; 1 Op as SD/W for O'SULLIVAN on 04 April 1945 (early return); 1 Op as MU/AG for GRANT on 8 April 1945 (RCM); Total 9.

F/Eng GRAY - 1 Op as SD/W with ANDERSON on 05 January 1945; 5 Ops with SWANN Crew; 1 Op with LODDER on 16 April 1945, KIA. Total 6 completed Ops.

 

More information and/or photos will be added when available. If you can assist, please make contact

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