The Navy Is Here!
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CONTACT ! The Newsletter of the former RAF Defford Reunion Association, now merged with the DEFFORD AIRFIELD HERITAGE GROUP in partnership with THE NATIONAL TRUST, CROOME http://deffordairfieldheritagegroup.wordpress.com Editor: Bob Shaw Distribution: Ann Sterry Number 124, February 2019 THE NAVY IS HERE! Photo: Geoff Shaw Royal Navy Corsair comes in fast and low. There were at least four Corsairs at Defford from 1944, for trials with the Royal Naval section at Defford. In this edition of ‘Contact!’ we tell the story of Lt Cdr ‘Loopy’ Dunworth DSC, who was Officer Commanding the Naval Section at Defford 1951-1953. A popular and eccentric figure, he stayed on at Defford as a test pilot with Boulton Paul (see ‘Contact!’ no. 123, January 2019), at Defford after leaving the Navy. .2. Lt Cdr Geoffrey “Loopy” Dunworth DSC OC Naval Section, RAF Defford 1951-53. BPA Pilot 1953-1961 By Les Whitehouse, with additional material from Dennis Williams and overall editing by the editor Born in Manchester 5/8/1921 Geoff Dunworth qualified as a Research Chemist for ICI but in Sept 1940 he volunteered to be aircrew with the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy, as an Observer. From RNAS Arbroath, he was posted to 817 Squadron aboard HMS Victorious, August 1941, which was part of the replacements for aircraft losses over Petsamo and Kirkenes, Norway in July. Escort of the Arctic convoys to Archangel (Operation Dervish) and then the escort of HMS Argus returning from Murmansk followed. Victorious launched air attacks, on targets in Norway, through to October 1941. L/A Geoff Dunworth along with gunner L/A Davies were teamed up with S/L Raymond. C. Jones as pilot, normally flying an Albacore torpedo bomber coded 5G. February 12th 1942 during flying off Iceland to cover Rodney and Renown, with an air temperature of 36 degrees of frost, the fixed aerial collapsed with the cold. Held by his legs by the air gunner, he tried to crawl back along the fuselage to fix it. After one and a half minutes outside he had to be dragged back in and took over 20 minutes to recover from the cold. On February 22nd in the evening, after much indecision, the entire squadrons 832 and 817 were tasked with flying off torpedo armed, to look for Scheer and Prinz Eugen. Conditions on deck were miserable, light sleet and snow in pitch black. 23rd 0140 hrs take-off in 5G with S/L Jones and L/A Lockyer with icing from sea level up, squalls and deteriorating weather. One aircraft badly out of formation crossed in the darkness in a very near miss on 5G at 100 miles from the Norwegian coast. In heavy cloud at 30 miles there was a tremendous explosion as two aircraft collided. 5H (S/L Matthias, S/L Mann, L/A Clark) and 5F (Lt Burke, Lt Gordon PO Hibbs) lost. 817 split up to search after that and 5G turned south for 75 miles as far as Kraakenes Light, having to frequently fly below 300 feet because of cloud. So dark that only the flash of the lighthouses could be seen in blackness. Left: Rear cockpit pf Albacore 5G of 817 Squadron in 1942 with Dunworth (left) and L/A Davies. 3. Geoff set course for Lerwick but aircraft compasses differed by as much as 10 degrees in the bad weather. At ETA plus 5 mins still no land and W/T failed completely so jettisoned torpedo and set course for Scotland itself. Shetland sighted and landed Sumburgh after 4.5 hours flying. March 9th 1942, the torpedo attack force aircraft Geoff would normally have flown, was changed, because Tirpitz WAS OUT! The search aircraft of 832 Squadron coded 4F had ASV Mk II which Geoff probably was qualified to operate, so as a skilled navigator he was seconded to fly in that with a mixed crew to form part of the searching fan of aircraft. Taking off at 0630 hrs as “Duty F” with S/L Birch and L/A Davies, an hour later the pilot spotted an “island” 22-30 miles ahead, which turned out to be Tirpitz and a single destroyer. Geoff remained shadowing and reporting to the attack force of 12 more Albacore torpedo bombers “At 0840 hrs tracer flashed past the cockpit followed by a long burst in the back cockpit. I saw water bottles and fire extinguisher disintegrate followed by a lot of blood all over the place. A fighter had got right under our tail unobserved and closed right in before firing. Warned pilot and conned him into cloud and safety before we could take a second burst. Luckily retained consciousness and was able to navigate back despite blood all over the instruments.” One bullet which hit his sheath knife on the shin was deflected off. A group went through his chart board and should have hit his chest, but were deflected. Geoff was wounded several times from at least 5 bullets in the legs/lower torso. Stretchered out from the aircraft to the emergency dressing station, Geoff was operated on to remove clothing and worst metal from wounds. “As I came around heard explosions and bombs as Ju88’s attacked.” LEFT: Severely wounded and being extracted from Albacore after the Tirpitz episode 9th March 1942. His personal photo album caption reads: “The end of a perfect day…” The attack force got no hits on Tirpitz. 832 Squadron lost S/L’s Shepherd and Brown (in 4P - author). Aircraft went straight in from a dive so the pilot must have been killed. 817 had S/L Jones and L/A Sivewright killed in 5G. “Plane was on fire when it pulled out of dive, but Ray kept it under control and dropped his fish before crashing. He was my normal driver, a good pal and a first class pilot.” Geoff’s aircraft had probably been attacked by the Arado 196 floatplane launched by Tirpitz as a “helping fighter” (Hilfsjäger). With both 20 mm cannon and 7.62 mm machine guns the two seat Arado 196 could be a formidable machine for a floatplane. The torpedo attack did result in the Tirpitz turning tail for the Fjords and the Arado 196 was left to fly back to Norway. Hence Tirpitz ship’s daily log does not actually record the aerial combat, which would have been reported back in Norway when the Arado 196 landed, probably as “inconclusive”. 4. 11th March 1942 in Scapa, Geoff was lowered by crane in a stretcher and taken to Hospital Ship Amanapoora. Dressings which had been untouched for 2.5 days were removed – “most unpleasant business” he records. X-rayed then operated on. Transfer to army hospital carrier Dinard. March 24th arrived Aberdeen and by ambulance to RNA Hospital Kingseat. No nurses only SBA’s with a sister in charge. Geoff was definitely peeved – “After two years fancy getting into hospital and not having any odd nurse to hold your hand occasionally!!” 11th June 1942 he received two letters from ship congratulating him on the award of the DSC, about which he had known nothing whatsoever! LEFT: Fairey Albacore aircraft After recuperation by August 1942 Geoff was with 781 Squadron NAS as wireless operator/observer. One of his jobs was to carry out aerial photographic mosaic mapping of the Lee-on-Solent area from a Supermarine Walrus amphibian. He also did his first sea landing in a 703 Squadron Vought Kingfisher and had some dual control training on the type, showing good aptitude. He was posted to 703 Squadron “Corfu Flight” operating the Vought Kingfisher floatplane. The aim of Corfu flight was to train and prepare crews to operate from HMAMC Corfu, a former planned civilian ship converted as an armed merchant cruiser and operating in the South Atlantic. LEFT: Displaying DSC awarded by H.M. King George “for courage in action against the enemy”. Piratical Loopy, looking stern in full regalia, but then he was always good at acting the part… April 1943 Geoff was posted again, to 784 Squadron NAS formed at RNAS Drem. With 746 Squadron, formed at Lee-on-Solent, they were the nucleus of the FAA radar equipped night fighter squadrons with the Fairey Fulmar II and NF Mk II. It appears to have been here or on the MAC Carrier Niarana that Geoff first got the nickname “Loopy” as it appears during this time (Loopy = absolutely barmy!). Geoff was aboard HMS Niarana as one of the three aircraft flight. Niarana embarked its aircraft on 24th February and they left the carrier on 15th March 1944. They escorted convoys OS69/KMS43 to Gibraltar and on the way back MKF29. They had no chance to fly at night or to intercept the enemy but they managed to provide an all-weather capability to the convoy defence which could not be carried out by the other aircraft on board. Two Fulmars of the three were wrecked. Geoff’s aircraft lost its entire rear fuselage and tail by breaking in two on landing, fortunately both crew were OK. LEFT: Creditable one-wheel landing after hydraulic failure. Hal Far Malta 13th November 1948 in Firefly Night Fighter 274P. “Sorry about the belly radar chaps, but compared with the ‘plane and me, it was expendable!” 5. Posted back to RNAS Drem in December 1944 he was allocated to 1790 Squadron operating Fairey Firefly aircraft. Shipped out from Belfast on 24th June 1945 aboard HMS Vindex to HMS Nabthorpe in Australia. The squadron was intended to be based on HMS Implacable. 1790 Squadron was destined not to arrive until VJ minus 2, only two days before the end of hostilities.