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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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485 Squadron Crest
04.04.1942 485 Squadron Spitfire Vc P8724 Plt Off. Fox

Operation: Circus 119

Date: 4th April 1942 (Saturday)

Unit: No. 485 Squadron

Type: Spitfire Vb

Serial: P8724

Code: OU:?

Base: RAF Kenley, Surrey

Location: St. Omer, France

Pilot: Plt Off. Thomas Tristram 'Dene' Fox 411392 RNZAF Age 21. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 09:40 hrs on an operation to escort 12 Boston's taking part in an operation to bomb the railcards at St. Omer in France.

After the raid was completed they were attacked by around 40 enemy fighters. Two Spitfires were lost. Plt Off. Fox is understood to have come down in the target area with 24 year old Plt Off. Chandler flying Spitfire BM231 coming down over the coast at Boulogne.

Plaque was placed near the spot where he lost his life and unveiled in August 2016 (courtesy Jocelyn Leclercq)

Burial details:

Sadly the body of Plt Off. Chandler was never recovered and he is commemorated on the Runnymede memorial. The body of Plt Off. Fox was recovered and buried at Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery however, after the war his grave could not be identified so he has a special memorial within the cemetery (marked 'buried near this spot') and also commemorated on the Runnymede memoria

Plt Off. Thomas Tristram Fox. Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery (St. Omer) Special Memorial. Plot 9. Row A. Son of Thomas and Marion Agnes Fox and husband of Doreen Fox, of Minnedosa, Manitoba, Canada.

Plt Off. Fox undertook his advanced flying training on the Harvard at No.10 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) at RCAF Dauphin in Manitoba, Canada. Whilst here he met and married Doreen. A total of 259 flying hrs. logged and on his 5th operational sortie.

Others mentioned within this report:

Plt Off. Edward Fred Chandler. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 115, Son of Edward Fred Chandler, and of Evelyn Marguerite Chandler, of Tapu, Auckland, New Zealand. A total of 273 flying hours logged. His brother, Flt Sgt. John Lincoln Chandler also lost, believed killed - a pilot with 131 Squadron. Further details can be read here.

Researched by Kelvin Youngs (Webmaster) 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 (Oct 2018). Thanks to Aaron Fox, the half cousin to Plt.Off. Fox for his 'nickname' and additional information (Sep 2019).

Other sources as quoted below:

RS 11.09.2019 - Additional information for Plt.Off. Fox added

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Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and Captain François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Andrew Mielnik: Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Polish graves: https://niebieskaeskadra.pl/, PoW Museum Żagań, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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