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Operation: Offensive Sweep
Date: 17th January 1943 (Sunday)
Unit No: 111 Squadron
Type: Spitfire VC
Serial: ER884
Base: RAF Souk-el-Arba Tunisia
Location: Mediterranean Sea
Pilot: Fg Off. 'Monty' Tom Montague Falls J10147 RCAF Age 20. MiA
REASON FOR LOSS:
Not many details regarding this loss and indeed the pilot. We welcome any further information.
We do know that he did his basic training at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan at Uplands, Canada between October 25th 1941, graduating on January 16th 1942. Then moved to United Kingdom where he then did conversion training on Spitfires at 58 OTU in Grangemouth, Scotland.
Carrying out many offensive sweeps whilst based in Souk-el-Arba in Tunisia he was shot down over the Mediterranean Sea.
The same month the squadron lost 20 year old Sgt. George Longbottom from Brigg in Lincolnshire and 21 year old Fg Off. Dennis Maurice Moss from Southport, Lancashire. (Both buried at Medjez-El-Bab War Cemetery in Tunisia, shown above)
Course 22 A 58 OTU Grangemouth Scotland:
Front row: Plt Off Smith K.J., Plt Off. Draper G.C., Flt Lt. McCarthy-Jones C.C.(P.o.W. 26th July 1943 - 504 Squadron), Plt Off. Draper J.W.P., Plt Off. Hawkins J.B., Plt Off. Dunn P.H.
Centre Row: Plt Off. King R.L.(Believed killed 2nd December 1942 - 122 Squadron), Plt Off. Stevenson A.G., Plt Off. Winchester A.G., Plt Off. Ernst J.D.(Killed 24th August 1942 - 276 Squadron), Plt Off. Glenwright G.E.(Believed killed 26th December 1942 - 152 Squadron), P/O. Spretzel J.R.
Rear Row: Fg Off. Strozak R.P.(Killed 20th November 1942 - 65 Squadron) , Plt Off. Ellington P.M.A. Plt Off. Holmes H.C.H. Plt Off. Butler W.M.(Killed 18th June 1942 - 58 O.T.U.), Plt Off. Falls T.M., Plt Off. Peppler G.E., Plt Off. Chandler R.J., Plt Off. Podobinski S. (Killed 14th December 1943 - 303 Squadron)
Burial Details:
Fg Off. 'Monty' Tom Montague Falls. Commemorated on the Malta Memorial. Born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 1917. Son of Richard Henry Margrave and Anna Mabel (née Brown) Falls and brother to Richard Falls, also born in Chicago, from Orford Lake, Quebec, Canada. His mother, Anna passed away in 1966 and his father, Richard in December 1967.
Researched for relatives of the pilot. With thanks to the following for further information supplied by the 1333 (Grangemouth Spitfire) Squadron and the Grangemouth Spitfire Memorial Trust who provided me with so much information and assistance during my visit. Thanks to Richard Allen Falls, the nephew of 'Monty' for the Next of Kin details.
RS 17.10.2018 - Update to NoK details
Unknown - Original upload
RS 17.10.2018 - Update to NoK details
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them. - Laurence
Binyon
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