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Allied Air Forces Losses and Incidents Database.

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NOTE ON DATES: IMPORTANT: For consistency, the Date is given as the date the mission TOOK OFF since the precise time of a loss is not always certain. Take Off date is unambigous and fixed in the official records, but obviously in those cases where the incident occurred before midnight UK time, then the Take Off Date will be the same as the Incident Date. Of course, most Bomber Command missions flew through midnight, therefore a Luftwaffe claim against a plane - or a locally generated crash report - may record the incident as occurring on the day following our Take Off Date. Bear this in mind when cross-referencing to our Luftwaffe Victories by Name/Date Database and other Luftwaffe sources. In some cases other sources may quote the date following our date, using locally generated reports as their source. To add to the potential for confusion, remember to take into account a Luftwaffe recorded date will be in local time, 1 hour ahead of UK time. When we discover a validated Incident Date we change our record if necessary.



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Thanks to Personnel of the Polish Air Force in Great Britain for supplementary data and images (marked with a chequerboard device) related to the Polish Air Force, and many images courtesy of our respected colleagues Wojtek Matusiak and Robert Gretzyngier. Other images from our own archives.
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Polish Air Force personnel have a supplementary database containing more information and many more entries. Check the following:
Personel Polskich Sił Powietrznych posiada dodatkową bazę danych zawierającą więcej informacji i wiele innych wpisów. Sprawdź następujące elementy:
Archiwum: PSP 1939 -1947 Database 17,000+ Polish Air Force Entries
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You searched for: “treacy and fighter”

#Name*First NamesTitleRankRAF Equivalent RankService No.BornNationalityRoleAwardsAir ForceCommandUnitDateofIncident *See NoteAircraftTypeSerialCodeVictories (Fighters)BaseTimeMission                        Incident                        FateCommemoratedPhoto (Click to Expand)Referring Database                        Notes                        Links/Archive Reports
1 EdmondN DFlying Officer41564PilotFighter242Sqn
1941-04-20HurricaneIIZ2632PatrolCollision over Channel withSqn Ldr WPF Treacy and Hugh LangKilled. DrownedNorth Weald Bassett (St- Andrew) Churchyard United Kingdom
Involved in a unique accident when Hugh Lang, ND Edmond and their Squadron CO,Sqn. Ldr WPF Treacy DSO finding themselves suddenly under attack from German fighters all collided together in clouds, and drowned when their Hurricanes crashed into the sea.Obituary Alastair Lang
2 LangHugh IFlying Officer70380PilotFighter242Sqn
1941-04-20HurricaneIIZ2634StaplefordPatrolCollision in clouds over Channel withSqn Ldr WPF 'Paddy' Treacy and ND EsmondKilled. DrownedWest Dean (All Saints) Churchyard United Kingdom
Brother ofSqn Ldr Alastair Lang of 156Sqn

Hugh, ND Edmond and their Squadron COSqn. Ldr WPF Treacy, DSO finding themselves suddenly under attack from German fighters all collided together, and drowned when their Hurricanes crashed into the sea.		Obituary Alastair Lang
3 TreacyWilfred Patrick Francis 'Paddy' 'Treacle'Squadron Leader37617Dublin June 1917IrishPilotDSO

RAFFighter242Sqn
1941-04-20HurricaneIIZ28875StaplefordPatrolCollision over Channel in clouds with Hugh Lang and ND Esmond, all of 242SqnKilled. DrownedBoulogne Eastern Cemetery France Plot 11. Row A. Grave 17.

This is 'Paddy' Treacy, who is mentioned in the book 'Nancy Wake: The White Mouse', an SOE secret agent whose exploits are to be found here. Nancy met him when he was in Marseille, trying to escape back to England. She refers to him glowingly as exuberant and great fun.
On April 20th, Treacy was flying on a sortie with Hugh Lang (brother ofSqn Ldr Alistair Lang DFC of Pathfinder fame), flying with 242 Squadron over the Channel, when he was involved in a unique accident when Hugh Lang, ND Edmond and their Squadron CO,Sqn. Ldr WPF Treacy, DSO finding themselves suddenly under attack from German fighters all collided together in clouds, and drowned when their Hurricanes crashed into the sea.

Paddy Treacy was born in Dublin in 1917, and was educated at St Joseph College, Dublin, and Cistercian College, Roscrea. On the 2nd March 1936, he was granted a short service commission as an Acting Pilot Officers on probation. On the 6th July 1938, he promoted to the rank of Flying Officer. At the beginning of the war, he joined 74Sqn (Tiger) with Pilot officer Bryan Vincent `Paddy` Byrne and Sailor Malan and was B Flight commander. In Spring 1940, he was the Flight Commander. He flew a Spitfire and saw combat on the 24th May (Hs 126 & Ju 88) and 27th May 1940 (Me 109E & Do 17). He went missing in France for the second time in May 1940. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant 6th July 1940. In July 1940 he was in Marseille and had escaped three times from the Germans before being arrested by the French. He escaped after capture. Became acting Squadron Leader of 242 Squadron seeing combat 1st and 5th April 1941. The Hurricanes of 242 Squadron flew from Martlesham Heath to the Stapleford Tawney airfield on the 9th April 1941. On the squadron's first operation out of Stapleford (20th April) three Hurricanes collided in cloud over the Channel after finding themselves suddenly under attack from German fighters. The pilots drowned when their Hurricanes crashed into the sea, one of whom wasSqn Ldr Treacy. His body was found in the sea off Boulogne, and he was buried there. On the 13th March 1942 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, with effect from the 27th March 1941.
4 TreacyWilfred Patrick Francis 'Paddy' 'Treacle'Flight Lieutenant37617PilotFighter74Sqn
1940-05-25SpitfireIPatrolCrashed over FranceSafe
5 TreacyWilfred Patrick Francis 'Paddy' 'Treacle'Flight Lieutenant37617PilotRAFFighter74Sqn
1940-05-27SpitfireIK9875PatrolEvaded via Spain.Missing This is 'Paddy' Treacy, who is mentioned in the book 'Nancy Wake: The White Mouse', an SOE secret agent whose exploits are to be found here. Nancy met him when he was in Marseille, trying to escape back to England. She refers to him glowingly as exuberant and great fun

Marseille 1940/41 Lt. Finch, Ian Garrow (part of Resistance escape organization), Paddy Treacy, Ian Wilkins.

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