Operation: Anti Shipping, Italy

Date: 20th August 1942 (Thursday)

Unit No: 227 Squadron, Coastal Command

Type: Beaufighter VIF

Serial: T4934

Code: S

Base: Luqa, Malta

Location: Ionian Sea, Italy

Pilot: WO. Donald Gilfred Brisco 403786 RNZAF Age 21. PoW No. 225706 * (1)

Navigator: Sgt. Douglas Albert Garden Paterson 995687 RAFVR Age 22. PoW No. 81118 ** (2)

Note: Both the Pilot and Navigator were on attachment from 235 Sqn

* Stalag 4B Mühlberg, Sachsen, Germany

** Stalag 334 Lamsdorf, now called Łambinowice in Silesia

Above: Sgt. Donald G. Brisco taken at Masterton prior to embarking for England (Courtesy of Richard McTague from the family records)

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the 20th August 1942 twelve (12) aircraft were details from the squadron to attack and enemy convoy enroute to Taranto and to provide protection to ten (10) Beauforts of 39 Squadron who were to carry out a Torpedo attack.

T4934 was hit by Flak from the ships and was one of two of the squadron’s aircraft that failed to return.

The second was Beaufighter VIF X8034 “H” which was ditched in the sea 5 km south of Kalafrana after engine trouble and fire in the fuselage. Fg Off. J.P. Eyre was rescued by ASR but Sgt. George Donaldson Leslie 979912 RAFVR was lost. He is remembered on the Alamein Memorial, Column 261.

(1) From the On-Line Cenotaph – Auckland War Memorial Museum:

WO. Donald Gilfred Brisco was a member of the “Goldfish Club".

“Date and time of ditching, 20 August 1924 approx 11am, off the south coast of Italy. The cause of the incident hit by flak ship and shot down. Time spent in water 2 hours no dinghy but wearing a life jacket. Swam to the shore dragging my navigator Sgt Paterson who believe he was wounded upon reaching the Italian coast we discovered that the reddish fluid by navigator thought was blood was a colour flowing from his "Mae West" he then felt better. We were then grabbed and taken prisoner by an Italian solider with a gun”.

WO. Brisco was captured south of Toranto in Italy that day. He was quarantined and interrogated near Rome on the 22nd August 1942. On the 7th September he was transferred to Campo PG 65, Gravina-Altamura at Bari in Apulia, SW Italy. On the 10th October he was transferred to Campo PG 57, Grupignano near Udine at Cividale del Friuli.

Whilst being held in Italy he suffered from pneumonia through inadequate clothing and then contracted Malaria.

On the 8th September 1943 the Germans took over the camp and on the 13th September 1943 he was transferred to Stalag 18A, Wolfsberg, Austria. Two days later he was transferred to Stalag 4B Mühlberg in Sachsen, Germany arriving there on the 23rd September.

Stalag 4B Mühlberg was liberated by Soviet forces in April 1945. The camp held some 30,000 and of these 7,250 were British. The Soviet’s held the British and American PoWs in the camp for over a month. Individual soldiers "escaped" from the camp and made their way on foot to the American lines. He was interviewed on the 28th May 1945.

He attempted numerous escapes:

Campo PG 65 – In September 1942 planned to escape with Italian assistance, with a Navy Chief Petty Officer (CPO) and four (4) others but the information leaked out and he was transferred to Campo 57;

Campo PG 57 – Planned to escape by tunnel together with a Sgt. Poidevin of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Never needed because Italy capitulated;

Sgt. George Gordon Poidevin VX29686 of the 2/24 Australian Infantry Regiment. Captured at Tobruk on the 1st May 1941.

Stalag 18A – Together with Sgt. Poidevin caught climbing the wire;

Stalag 4B – Two attempts, on the first in November 1943 managed to get to Poland but was returned to the camp by the SS. On the second in July 1944 he and a Sgt. Vickery, RAF walked out of the main gate, evaded for 14 days but were caught boarding a train to France and returned to the camp.

Sgt. Benjamin Henry Vickery 748625 RAFVR. He was the Pilot of 252 Sqn Beaufighter IF T5029 which was believed to have been shot down by a Bf109 from Stab I./JG27 on the 4th July 1942. His navigator, Sgt. Leslie George Watling 924634 also became a PoW.

Donald Gilfred Brisco was born on the 15th September 1920 in Te Awamutu, New Zealand and was educated at Wairarapa College, Masterton, New Zealand.

He enlisted in the RNZAF on the 9th September 1939. He attained the rank of Pilot Officer in the service during WW2. He was a sheep farmer and held the office of Justice of the Peace for New Zealand in 1967.

He succeeded to the title of 8th Baronet Brisco of Crofton Place, co. Cumberland. Son of Sir Hylton Musgrave Campbell Brisco and Kathleen McAllum (née McCallum). Husband of Irene Gage.

Above: Courtesy of The Gloucester Journal, dated 11th August 1945

Donald passed away on the 24th June 1995 in Hastings, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

His brother Sgt. Robert Hylton Brisco was KiA on the night of the 28th/29th July 1942. He was the Observer aboard 75 Sqn, Wellington III X3664 AA:V which was shot down by Flak and crashed near Neugraben-Hohenwisch on an operation to Hamburg in Germany.

Above: LAC. Robert H. Brisco taken at Masterton prior to embarking for England (Courtesy of Richard McTague from the family records)

In a previous generation four (4) Brisco brothers served with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) in 1914/1915:

Above Trooper Wastel Brisco (Courtesy of On-Line Cenotaph – Auckland War Memorial Museum)

Trooper Wastel Brisco 13/304, Auckland Mounted Rifles was KiA aged 27, on the 19th May 1915 in Gallipoli. Buried at the Walker's Ridge Cemetery, Anzac in Turkey;

Trooper Bertram Isold Brisco 11/860 who served in Wellington Mounted Rifles, Trooper Gilfred Rimington Brisco 11/1413 who also served in the Wellington Mounted Rifles and Private Oriel Arthur Brisco 5/95 who served in the Headquarters NZEF all returned safely;

Their eldest brother, Hylton Musgrave Campbell Brisco remained at home to run the family farm.

(2) Sgt. Paterson was captured at Catanzard in SE Italy that day and was transferred to Campo PG 65, Gravina-Altamura at Bari in Apulia, Southern Italy arriving there on the 3rd September.

On the 14th April 1943 he was transferred to Campo PG 52, Genora arriving there on the 16th April. On the 15th September after the Germans took over the camp he was sent to Stalag 8A, Görlitz, Lower Silesia, east of the River Neisse arriving there on the 20th September. On the 19th November he was transferred to Stalag 344, Lamsdorf in Silesia arriving there the next day.

On the 22nd January 1945, as the Soviet armies resumed their offensive and advanced into Germany, he was amongst the many PoWs who were force-marched westward in groups of 200 to 300. Many of them died from the bitter cold and exhaustion. The lucky ones got far enough to the west to be liberated by the American army. The unlucky ones got liberated by the Soviets, who instead of turning them over quickly to the western Allies, held them as virtual hostages for several more months.

He escaped from the marching column on the 25th January and hid on a small farm near Strehlen until 1st February. He was recaptured by German front-line troops and forced to rejoin the marching column on its westward evacuation. He was liberated on the 14th April 1945. The now promoted to Warrant Officer (WO) was interviewed on the 21st April 1945

Douglas Albert Garden Paterson was born on the 28th June 1920 in Aberdeen, Scotland. He was a banker in Aberdeen prior to enlisting in the RAFVR on the 14th February 1940. Douglas passed away on the 4th June 2003 in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Burial details:

None. Both survived the war as PoWs

Researched by Kelvin Youngs (Webmaster) and dedicated to the relatives of this pilot with thanks to Jenifer Lemaire and to the extensive research by Errol Martyn and his publications: “For Your Tomorrow Vols. 1-3”, Auckland Library Heritage Collection, AWMM, Weekly News of New Zealand (Mar 2021). Reviewed and updated by Aircrew Remembered with corrected Sqn and Navigator information, and inclusion of PoW information (Jul 2025). Many thanks to Therese and Richard McTague for the photographs and Brisco family information (Jul 2025).

Other sources listed below:

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