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Operation: Training
Date: 27th August 1945 (Monday)
Unit: No. 709 Squadron Fleet Air Arm
Type: Seafire III
Serial: NN193
Code: Not known
Base: St. Merryn, Cornwall (HMS Vulture)
Location: Sea off Treligga
Pilot: Lt. Matthew Cameron Farrer DSC. RNZNVR Age 23. Missing - believed killed
REASON FOR LOSS:
Taking part in a cliff top firing practice when it dived into the sea killing the young New Zealand pilot.
DSC: London Gazette 25th July 1944:
'Operations Veritas and Ridge (1) - Air strikes on German shipping off Norway April 1944'.
(1) This was a British carrier-borne air attack, otherwise known as ‘Ridge’, after 'Planet' and the abandonment of 'Brawn', by elements of Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser’s Home Fleet to harry German shipping plying to and from the west coast of German-occupied Norway, to reconnoitre Narvik, and also to add verisimilitude to the 'Fortitude North' deception and cover plan (26/28 April 1944).
The substantial British force deployed for this double operation comprised the fleet carriers Furious and Victorious, escort carriers Emperor, Pursuer, Searcher and Striker, and a number of cruisers and destroyers. ‘Veritas Able’ (otherwise ‘Ridge Able’) involved air attacks on German coastal shipping in the area of Bodø, resulting in the sinking of three ships (15,083 tons) from a German southbound convoy for the loss of six aircraft to fighters and anti-aircraft fire, while ‘Veritas Baker’ (otherwise ‘Ridge Baker’) was to have involved attacks on German coastal sipping in the area of Rorvik, but had to be cancelled as a result of bad weather. (see credits and link)
Above rear: Lt. Aitken, Lt. J.F. Lowder, Lt. Aggleton, Lt. M. Wargent. Front: Lt/Cdr. G.W. Bird, Lt/Cdr. C.E. Gibson, Lt/Cdr. D.M.R. Wynne-Roberts, Lt. M.C. Farrer.
Burial details:
Lt. Matthew Cameron Farrer DSC. New Zealand Naval Memorial, Devonport, Auckland. Panel 8. Born on the 04th June 1922 at Hamilton, the son of Matthew Roland and Dorothy Lucy Clare Farrer (nee Margetts), of Te Kuiti, New Zealand.
Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this pilot with thanks to the research by Errol Martyn and his publications: “For Your Tomorrow Vols. 1-3”, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Weekly News of New Zealand, Royal Navy Research Website, Christopher Chant and his interesting website 'Codenames of ww2', other sources as quoted below:
KTY 25.08.2019
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them. - Laurence
Binyon
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