156 Squadron

Badge: A figure of Mercury holding a torch.
The figure of Mercury holding a torch in indicative of the function of the unit as pathfinders.
Motto: "We light the way".
Authority: King George VI, July, 1943.
Based at Upwood from: (March 1944 - June 1945)
Type of Aircraft:
Avro Lancaster (January 1943 - September 1945)

156 Squadron formed in October 1918 for day-bombing, but disbanded in November 1918 without having become operational.
Some 24 years later in February 1942, 156 Squadron reformed at Raf Alconbury in Huntingdonshire as a medium bomber squadron equipped with Wellingtons and operated under 3 Group. A few months later when the Pathfinder Force formed in August 1942, No 156 was one of the four squadrons selected to form the nucleus of the new force, with the object of securing more concentrated and effective bombing by marking targets with incendiary bombs and flares dropped from aircraft flown by experienced crew and using the latest navigational equipment. It remained with the Pathfinder Force for the rest of the European war and, still flying Wellingtons at first and then Lancasters, played a major part in Bomber Command’s Offensive. In over a span of 38 months of operations it dropped 16,017 tons of bombs and lost 45 Wellingtons and 117 Lancasters.
When it had finished operations against Germany, No 156 marked the dropping zone at Rotterdam and The Hague for the bombers engaged in dropping food supplies to the starving Dutch people, also repatriated British ex-P.O.W.’s to Great Britain and transported British troops from Italy to Great Britian, also dropped unwanted incendiary bombs into the sea.
The squadron disbanded in September, 1945 and at that time its awards list comprised:

22 D.S.O.’s 1 bar to the D.S.O.
296 D.F.C.’s 22 bars TO D.F.C.’s
5 C.G.M.’s (Flying)
132 D.F.M.’s 1 bar to the D.F.M.
1 B.E.M.

First Operational Mission
16/17th February, 1942
1 Wellington Nickelled Lille area.

First Bombing Attack
17/18 February, 1942
3 Wellingtons Bombed Essen

Last Operational Mission
25th April 1945
16 Lancasters bombed gun batteries on island of Wangerooge

Last Mission before V.E. Day
7th May, 1945
10 Lancasters ferried 240 ex-P.O.W.’s home to the U.K. form Belgium.

The Stations 156 Squadron were based at
ALCONBURY 14/2/42 TO 15/8/42
WARBOYS 15/8/42 TO 5/3/44
UPWOOD 5/3/44 TO 27/6/45
WYTON 27/6/45 TO 25/9/45
Disbanded on 25/9/45

The aircraft 156 Squadron used
WELLINGTON IC 02/42 to 01/43
WELLINGTON III 03/42 to 01/43
LANCASTER I/III 01/43 to 09/45

The Commanding Officers of 156 Squadron

WING COMMANDER P G R HEATH
14/2/42 to 30/5/42

WING COMMANDER H L PRICE
30/5/42 to 29/7/42

WING COMMANDER R N COOK
30/7/42 to 28/10/42

WING COMMANDER T S RIVETT-CARNAC DFC
28/10/42 to 8/6/43

SQUADRON LEADER S G HOOKWAY (Temp)
2/43 to 2/43

GROUP CAPTAIN R W P COLLINGS AFC
8/6/43 to 15/1/44

WING COMMANDER E C EATON DFC
15/1/44 to 27/4/44

SQUADRON LEADER T W G GODFREY (Temp)
28/4/44 to 7/5/44

WING COMMANDER T L BINGHAM-HALL DFC
7/5/44 to 21/11/44

WING COMMANDER D B FALCONER DFC AFC
21/11/44 to 30/12/44

WING COMMANDER T E ISON DSO DFC
30/12/44 to 10/4/45

WING COMMANDER A J L CRAIG
10/4/45 to 25/9/45

 

156 Squadron D.F.M.

The Distinguished Flying Medal was awarded to Non-Commissioned Officers and Airmen for an act or acts of Valour, courage and devotion to duty performed whilst flying in active operation against the enemy

Below is a list of people who won the D.F.M. in 156 Squadron during the war
132 D.F.M.’s 1 bar to the D.F.M.
I am missing one name of the list, but I will find and add him.

ADDISON, JAMES HENRY
ASPINAL, DOUGLAS WORDSWORTH
ATKIN, ROLAND JOHN
BANKS, EDWARD WILLIAM
BARCLAY, WILLIAM JOHN MUIR LOW
BARNETT ALFRED
BAXTER JOHN CLARLES
BELLINGER, FRANCES THOMAS
BELTON, WILLIAM SAMUEL GEORGE
BENNETT, JOHN CECIL
BENTHAM CYRIL
BLACK ALEXANDER WILLIAM
BRADY CECIL THOMAS
BRIDGES, LAWRENCE ALLAN
BRUCE, RONALD JOHN SCOTT
BURGESS JAMES
BURRELL VINCENT DUNBAR
CABLE THOMAS
CARNES, HILTON ALONZO
CARTWRIGHT DOUGLAS ALFRED
CHAMBERLAIN, ERIC
CHAPMAN, JOHN CHARLES
CLARK, JACK LESLIE
CLEMENTS, GEORGE HEDLEY
CONNOLLY, WILLIAM JOHN
CORKEY, HOHN JOSEPH
COY, SYDNEY DAVID
CROSBY, VINCENT BRAIN
CURR, FRANCIS LAWRENCE Curr won the DFM while with 75 Squadron and a Bar to the DFM in 156 Squadron
DAVIS, GEORGE ALBERT
DREW, THOMAS EDWIN
EGERTON, MORRIS WATSON
ELDER, JOHN BOWMAN
FAST, ELVIN PETER
FISHER, RAYMOND VICTOR
FLETCHER, JACK
FOLLITT, COLIN HENRY BINGLEY
FORBES, GORDON GEORGE
FRANCIS, VERNON
GALLAHER, HENRY
GILBERT, KENNETH
GILES, FRANK
GIVNEY, VINCENT JOSEPH
GLASPER, STANLEY BULMAN
GRACEY, GEORGE WILLIAM
GRAY, JOHN DAVIDSON
GREEN, GEORGE ROBERT
GURTON, JOHN LEONARD
HAMMOND, HARRY ARTHUR CHARLES
HARDIMAN, PETER JAMES
HARRIS, KENNETH WILFRED
HART, FREDERICK WILLIAM
HAWKSLEY, HAROLD WILLIAM
HAY, JAMES
HAYTON, JAMES
HEAP, DONALD
HEATRICK, ROBERT JOHN
HOLLEY, CHARLES ROBERT
HUGHES, DEREK JAMES
JARVIS, FREDERICK JOSEPH
JOHNSON, BASIL LAWRENCE IVOR
JOHNSON, GRANVILLE CYRIL
JONES, RONALD CHARLES COTTINGHAM
KELMINSTER, EDGAR JAMES
KIMM ROBERT PORTER
KNIGHT, THOMAS HENRY
LACEY, ARTHUR FREDERICK
LAWRANCE, CHARLES HENRY
LEE, HENRY GORDON
LOADER, NORMAN JAMES
LOCKLEY, CHARLES ANTHONY JOSEPH
McCLOSKEY, VICTOR JOHN
McCRUM, JAMES
McLENNAN, HUGH ALEXANDER
McQUEEN, GEORGE
MacKENZIE, GORDON THOMPSON
MANN, JOHN ROUFFIGNAC
MARRIAGE, WILLIAM CHARLES
MASON, GEORGE EDWARD
MEER, GEORGE
MILBURN, GEORGE
MILLS, DENNIS ARTHUR
MOISEY, CYRIL
MOLLER, ANDREW JOHN
OGDEN, EDMUND
PARK, DOUGLAS JAMES
PEARCE, ARTHUR
PEARSON, KENNETH
PHELPS, WALTER CHARLES
PRETLOVE, CYRIL FREDERICK
PRICE, HAROLD ERNEST ANZAC
PRITCHARD, THOMAS JAMES
RANDALL, JOHN ROBERT
REED, DOUGLAS
REED, FRANK
REYNOLDS, FRANCIS GEOFFREY
REYNOLDS, LESLIE EWART
RICHARDS, WILLIAM FREDERICK
ROSIE, ERIC McKAY PORTEOUS
ROSS, JAMES CANNING
SAUNDERSON, CLIFFORD
SILVERMAN, DAVID MARK CLAUDE
SMITH, RONALD
SOCKETT, KENNETH
STAFFORD, GRAHAM CAMPBELL
STEARN, JOHN FRANCIS
STEPHENS, TREVOR GEORGE
STEWART, JOHN GREEN
STOCKS, THOMAS.
STONELEY, MICHAEL JOHN ERNEST
SUNDERLAND, FREDERICK
SUTHERLAND, MALCOLM BRUCE
TAYLOR, ERNEST VAUGHAN
TAYLOR, KENNETH WILLIAM
THORN, NORMAN
TOON, HARRY
TWIST, FREDERICK
UNDERWOOD, RONALD
VOLANTE, STEWART JAMES
WALKER, ALFRED JAMES
WALSH, JAMES THOMAS
WATSON, JOHN HENRY ROBERT
WHITE, MURRAY EDWARD
WILDS, FRANK ROBERT
WILKIE, DAVID LESSELS
WILKIN, FREDERICK JOHN
WILSON, ALBERT JOHN CHARLES
WILSON, HARRY LOUIS
WOOLMER, RONALD JOHN
WRIGHT, HAROLD JOHN ALFRED
WRIGHT, LESLIE ROBERT

Books on 156 Squadron

THEY LED THE WAY
The story of Pathfinder Squadron 156

By Michael Philip Wadsworth

A great book covering 156 Squadron History

The book is Dedicated to his father (F/O Philip Wadsworth 156 Squadron) who failed to return on the night of April 27/28th 1944, and all those who made the one-way journey.

ISBN No. 0 948929 58 8
Highgate Publications (Beverley) Ltd. 1992

Links to other 156 Squadron websites

Chris Villiers is on the committee for the Pathfinder March at RAF Wyton
www.pathfindermarch.co.uk

With the Pathfinders of 156 Squadron at Warboys and Upwood, 1943 - 1944 memories of life at Warboys and Upwood with 156 Squadron RAF in the period Late 1942 to 1944. Written by Peter Hodkinson
www.users.bigpond.com/nqsearch/hodgepodge/pathfinder.html

Full History of 156 Squadron by Robin Riley
www.156squadron.com

SEAN EDWARDS