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Flight Sgt Maurice E “Monty” Walters 1324748 Late in 2007, looking towards the 7th anniversary of the the 211 Squadron website in April 2008, I thought it could be a good be time to advertise once more for past members of the Squadron who may have missed seeing requests (of mine and of others) in earlier years. So I placed a small notice in the Australian Dept of Veterans Affairs ex-services newsletter, Vet Affairs. In October, to my surprise and considerable delight, Monty Walters replied by letter from Queensland to introduce himself and later his old Navigator, Ron Kemp. Monty and Kempie still work pretty much as a team, though half a world apart. As well as giving a hand in copying Kempie’s narrative, Monty not only put forward a handsome collection of his own yarns—he worked out how to make his scanner fly on the spot, to share a mass of photographs that add a great deal to their story and to the record of 211 Squadron life: men, camps, and aircraft. The tide of events It was in this atmosphere of mingled optimism and apprehension that F/Sgt Monty Walters arrived at Chiringa from Ranchi. Posted to 211 Squadron with his Nav/W F/Sgt RC Kemp 1684520 (Ron, or more often Kempie), the pair’s arrival together with another crew (MacCaskill and Wagstaff) was recorded in the Squadron diary on 19 March. On a brief operational stand-down that Monday, by Tuesday the Squadron was back at work—though as a bonus the new Station cinema opened at last, in place of one burnt down the year before.
Beaufighters over the wine-dark sea
Over the Mediterranean, Monty at the Mighty Wurlitzer—the cockpit of the Beaufighter, stuffed with the latest in taps, knobs and dials. Presumably that is Kempie just visible in the back office. The faint hint of serial no, possibly ?Z???, is consistent with a Mark X in the LZ series. The roundel is of Europe/Middle East style, while the plain numeral 6 suggests an OTU aircraft. 79 OTU certainly had Mark X Beaufighters of the LZ sequence and used plain numerals like this on individual aircraft up to at least numeral 48—and no (so far recorded) two-letter code. This over-water shot is reminiscent of the Operational Flying Exercise elements of the 79 OTU Beaufighter Ops course. Monty and Kempie did three together, but this isn’t one of them. Monty logged their OFEs against individual numerals of other 79 OTU aircraft in his Pilot’s Flying Log for 1944. With the first of these he notched up 400 flying hours: Oct 25 Beaufighter X 17 OFE No 1 Photography at low level of Larnaca
Of the 17 men in this formal group shot, four went on to serve in 211 Squadron, five to 22 Squadron, six to 27 Squadron, and one to 177 Squadron. Seven of them did not survive the war. Left to right, rear row: Hexley, second from the right in the middle row, presented something of a puzzle, as a Flying Officer without aircrew badge in a formal OTU group of pilots. Monty initially recalled him as a pilot lost off the coast near Jaffa, however, there was no trace of any man of that name in either the London Gazette, in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Honour Roll, nor in any RAF Air Force List issue from January 1944 to April 1945. However, F/O Nav/W A Exley (whose loss is noted above) does appear in those formal records from January 1944 until April 1945 and in Bowyer’s 27 Squadron account Flying Elephants (albeit as GA Exley). Pilots did, on occasion, re-muster as Navigators if washed out of a course. Given all the circumstances of date, rank, Squadron and so on, it seems that Hexley was most likely 153487 Armold Exley. Further enquiries are in hand. With the 211s
Monty’s account: “We had just arrived at Chiringa after a trip from Ranchi, many miles by train in a cattle truck to Calcutta, then another short rail trip, then on a coastal steamer to Chittagong, eventually picked up in 15 cwts [trucks] and taken to the airstrip at Chiringa. Most of us were the what I call ‘alphabetical joes’ on the Sqdn. Last in everything, because our surnames were from the arse end of the alphabet. I recall Tommy Taylor was always first, then came the W's: Webster, Whitehorn, Watts, Wilkes, Walters etc. [...] the photo of the forlorn looking bod in the basha is of the late Bill Wilkes.”
Left to right: Unknown, Chiefy Platineau Station Warrant Officer, Rickey Watts (pilot), Ron Watling (Nav/W) and cousin of Jack Watling the film actor. Monty and Kempie are firm friends to this day. In frequent touch by email, phone and post, from Surrey in England to Mango Hill in Queensland, their humour as lively today as it was in Burma over 60 years ago when they had a hand in this little bit of banter: The Squadron Song Composers Attached to each copy that was given to those involved in composing the new Squadron Song, was this Glossary For New Crews: Blinking: A mild expletive. On operations
Another of Kempie’s shots from the Nav/Ws cupola on their first sortie on 25 March. The aircraft are climbing while turning to port in loose formation. On their fourth operation they were briefed for a long-range sortie, taking off at 6:00am for an outward leg of three hours to patrol for about half an hour over the briefed area. Hit in the port wing and engine by ground fire, they limped home to land safely at near maximum endurance after more than seven hours in the air. Sixty-odd years later Monty recalls the event: “...we got the shit shot out of us on a Ye to Tavoy road patrol. Hit with .5's in the port engine. I nursed the old Beau back. During what seemed a very long flight across the Gulf of Martaban, Kempie was very quiet. I thought maybe he had been hit or something. Eventually he said over the intercom something like, "Do your best, Son " (that was always his name for me, him being 5 months older than me) "and get us back safe and sound, 'cos today is my Wedding Anniversary". [Aircraft: Beaufighter X NV607 ‘K’] Ron and Pam had married in mid 1944 before his departure to the Middle East. For Walters and Kemp on their ninth sortie (30 April 1945), the approach of the monsoon and the timing of the Operation Dracula push for Rangoon were in some tension. The weather was already worsening as Monty recalled: “211 Sqdn with Beau's from other Sqdn's of 901 Wing were briefed, based on info that the Japs had MTBs and the like in the Bassein Delta and to attack same. We were all loaded with RPs and the normal 20 mm cannons.The weather was, to say the least, atrocious, with the monsoon moving through Burma. The attack was to be last light, looking back I believe it should have been an early first light attack but the powers that be had sent in the Form 700 and so were sent on our way. I was lucky enough to hit a "vessel", but the flight back from The Bassein Delta during darkness was one of the worst nights flying I had ever encountered in the Far East.” Low-level Beaufighter operations were dangerous for a variety of reasons apart from Japanese AA and weather. The very proximity of the ground at attack speeds presented a risk of impact and also of blast or debris damage: 60lb rocket salvoes were seen as the equivalent of a broadside from a light cruiser.
The port wing leading edge of a 211 Squadron Beaufighter, with what looks to be impact damage (rather than cannon-fire). Though not remarked in the Squadron record, Monty recalled one instance of RP damage: “from an Op flown by F/Lt Pete Smith and with him his Nav/W W/O Ed Webber. Time...somewhere around the beginning to mid April 1945. I recall he got a bit of a "rocket " from the Old Man, as it was believed that some of the damage was caused by him not pulling out quick enough after firing the RPs.” This shot may show Smith’s misadventure, or perhaps that of NE688 ‘R’ flown by F/Lt WP Strumbos RCAF (Nav/W F/O CE Glazzard), damaged in a sortie 2 May 1945 by own RP blast.
Starboard wing and aileron damage from explosive shells: cannon-fire, perhaps.
More aileron damage, apparently the port wing. These two shots seem to be of one aircraft, possibly ‘X’ of F/Sgt TD Taylor and F/Sgt Vic Broome, which came under accurate 20mm fire from the ground late in the morning of 25 March 3 miles North of Lampe. Tom and Vic returned safely to Chiringa at 1305 hours, though ‘X’ suffered extensive damage to both wings. Sufficiently diverting that Tom omitted his usual complete recording of a/c letter and serial!
One of “ours” perhaps?
Out on patrol near the Yomas, some 300 miles South of Chiringa, on the Irrawaddy plain beyond Prome.
Monty’s second operational sortie, South of Henzada, 29 March 1945.
A Japanese gharry (truck) under cannon attack, near Prome.
Another shot taken on patrol near Prome. The road is empty. Sortie report: “No movement seen”.
Possibly near Shitpin. Steep country. The hint that the aircraft is very low to a saddle in the range is on the bottom left margin.
The river steamer has just come under attack, as a light spray rises from the first rounds on target. The aircraft is approaching in a shallow dive at around 250mph rather above tree-top height. If the river here is 300yds wide, Monty has about 3 seconds to finish his run and peel off so that Kempie can have a squirt with the rear Browning as they depart.
Taken on the way back from a trip, 200 miles or more from base. About the camp
A favoured off-duty pastime.
An evocative shot. A vehicle has passed by during the careful, successful, time exposure. Not easy to get right, then.
The aftermath of the great storm on 14/15 May that heralded the breaking of the 1945 monsoon season, so well-described by Kempie and others.
A light-hearted moment. Squadron diary 22 May: “There was a generous ration of American beer”. Off-duty comforts were often far from automatic, with irregular hiccups in the arrival of letters and in supplies of “the necessaries” like beer and tobacco. The monthly beer ration was 2 quarts per man: four bottles. More bods
With pups and trophy. After one of the shooting expeditions mentioned by Ron Kemp, perhaps.
Ed was Pete Smiths's Nav/W. Monty recalls: “Pete Smith had [Puggles] sired by a Dachshund “dog” belonging to an Army Capt, I think from an Ack-Ack Battery near the "strip" at Chiringa, and she had some dammed good pups. The white dog, a mongrel, belonged to me, called Zift. That's Arabic for shit, which she did, plenty of, mostly in the billets, when I first found her wandering a street in Bangalore. We wangled her back to our billets and fed her from scraps from the Mess. In co-operation with Ron Kemp we flew Zift in Ron Kamp's nav bag from, firstly Yelahanka to St. Thomas's Mount, then to Akyab and finally Don Muang.”
And ready for a swim. Monty was on leave, at a beach house south of Bangkok.
Monty: “Puggles belonged to F/Lt Pete Smith DFC. He took Puggles, a dachshund, hidden in Ed Webber's nav bag, on an op over Burma so that she could be the proud possessor of the Burma Star, which he stitched to her collar. I believe she was the only dachshund to ever go on ops in Burma. Puggled in Urdu means drunk or a wee bit mad and when Puggles was a mere pup, she was a bit stupid according to Pete Smith.” Sadly, in early 1946 there was an outbreak of rabies in the Bangkok/Don Muang area. Both Puggles and Zift had to be put down. Monty: “...we all got soundly drunk that night. Strange things happen in Wars...I found that most aircrew were very sentimental people.”
The dejected batsman—’twas ever thus! The Squadron also took an active part in football matches.
Pilot Ray Woods and his Nav/W Johnny Sleight. Monty and Ray had trained together from their early days in the RAF, as had Johnny and Ron Kemp who had met up at the Air Crew Reception Centre. Taken at St. Thomas Mount just after promotion to Warrant Officer, sometime between mid-July and early November 1945. They had found a good tailor near the airstrip and having been down to bare clothing for some time, a number of the fellows spent up on some good uniforms.
Nav/W Tom Wilson, also Tug or Toss, with his pilot W/O Alan (Alfie) Wythe DFM. Alfie came from Southampton, and Monty came from Winchester: Hampshire Hogs together.
Mosquito exercises...
The 17 July low-flying exercise also shown on the Mosquito page. Shot taken from Mosquito S-Sugar RF765 (with ME Walters the pilot and Nav/W Ron Kemp). B-Baker RF751 (seen at left) was flown by F/Sgt Ray Wood, Nav/W Johnny Sleight.
Monty’s hand on the control column. Ht 3,500ft Speed 240 mph, carefully noted on the back of the print. ...and a Mosquito mishap
The pilot was unable to correct the swing and in the resulting ground loop the undercarriage collapsed. Although the aircraft was a complete write-off there were no casualties and the loss seems to be unremarked in the Squadron Operations Record book. Another of Monty’s pictures of the result appears on the Mosquito page. Don Muang: Duty Done
Don Muang, 19 January 1946: Lord Louis disembarks from his Dakota transport to an RAF honour guard.
The returning King of Siam, HM Ananda Mahidol, Rama VIII, with royal entourage at Don Muang on 19 January 1946. Ananda Mahidol died in June 1946 in unexplained circumstances at the age of 41, to be succeeded by King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX, who today is the longest serving head of state in the world.
Life after 211 Repatriated to the UK at last in July 1948, he was posted to No 1 Air Navigation School at Topcliffe.
With a very nice fruit salad on the tunic. Monty’s yarn: “After I was posted back to the UK in July 48, my first posting was to No 1 Air Navigation School at Topcliffe. Went on my first parade...I was never pushy on what happened to me during the war...was really got stuck into by the Station Warrant Officer, some smart-arse five foot nothing, who proceeded to tear me off strip about not wearing ribbons on my Battle Dress. He then continued to berate me about had I just joined up and how long since it was when I had received my wings. And so it went on with his last words, the norm in RAF language: “See Me In My Office, Pilot!”. He then went through my docs. and told me in no uncertain terms exactly what he thought of RAFVR and my ancestry etc. A few weeks later in my mess mail box came my gongs with a short note from "His Majesty" the The joke of this tale is that this Station Warrant office was wearing [just] a 39/45 Star, the Defence Medal & War Medal.” And so it goes But game as Ned Kelly, he bizzes around their retirement village on a mobile scooter, among other things helping other families with their computing problems. Needless to say, in going through his photo collection he tackled the tricks of getting them to me digitally with ingenuity and gusto. And Monty would tell you with a twinkle what a lucky bloke he is: he’s still here to tell yarns, send jokes and generally “press on”. To the enjoyment of all... Sources C Bowyer The Flying Elephants—The History of No 27 Squadron RAF 1915-1969 (Macdonald 1972)
www.211squadron.org © DR Clark & others 1998–2009 |
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