Operation: Rocket Attack

Date: 10th September 1944 (Sunday)

Unit: No. 198 Squadron. 123 Wing. 84 Group. 2nd Tactical Air Force (motto: Igni renatus - 'Born again in fire')

Type: Typhoon IB

Serial: MP116

Code: TP-T

Base: B35 - Godelmesnil, France

Location: At base

Pilot: Fl/Lt. Desmond Palmer Perrin DFC NZ/404404 RNZAF Age 26. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the 22nd November 1941, whilst with 1 squadron flying Hurricane IIC Z3899 was involved in a mid air collision with Hurricane IIC BD940. That pilot, 28 year old, Sgt. Leslie James Travis 938146 RAFVR lost his life in the incident over Isle of Wight. Sgt. Perrin injured, managed to bale out. The cause was put down to after a dusk scramble in poor visibility.

Started to take off at 19:10 hrs. as leader of 3 others to attack an enemy strong hold at Le Havre.

Bounced during take off due to uneven surface of the Sommerfeld track (1) and burst a tyre.

The aircraft overturned and caught fire. The canopy was crushed as was the armoured plate behind Des Perrin's head. His neck was broken. Tyre type for the Typhoon was adapted after this and many other incidents.

DFC citation L/G 20th October 1943:

'This officer has participated in very many sorties and has led his flight with distinction on all occasions. In the course of his activities, Flight Lieutenant Perrin has executed destructive attacks on locomotives, rail installations and enemy shipping. On one occasion he obtained a hit on an ammunition truck which blew up with such violence that his aircraft was endangered by the explosion. In addition, Flight Lieutenant Perrin has destroyed a Messerschmitt 210. His fine fighting qualities have been highly commendable'.

Burial details:

Many locals attended the funeral held on the following day while the French Resistance provided a Guard of Honour and a firing party. The C/O. Squadron Leader Yves Paul Ezzano remained to attend the funeral of Perrin, and only after that rejoined the Squadron at Merville.

Fl/Lt. Desmond Palmer Perrin DFC. Le Treport Military Cemetery. Grave I. P. 1. Born on the 27th November 1918 at Wellington. Worked as a clerk for Port Craig Timber Conpany of Invercargill. Enlisted at Levin on the 24th November 1940. Embarked for Canada on the 27th February 1941. Awarded his pilots badge and promoted to sergeant on the 09th June 1941. Embarked for England on the 20th June 1941. After training with 52 Operational Training Unit joined 1 Squadron on the 04th September 1941. Awarded his commission on the 05th January 1942. Son of Alfred Charles (died 09th July 1958), and Margaret Theresa Perrin (née Blewman - died 01st April 1969), of Wellington, New Zealand and husband of Anna Margarette Beth Perrin (née Cleland) - died 2nd January 1945 aged 24, of Coatbridge, Scotland. She is buried at the Old Monkland Cemetery of Coatbridge. It is thought that the death of her husband contributed to her early death. A total of 950 solo flying hours logged with 400 on the Typhoon.

Sgt. Leslie James Travis. East Leake Churchyard, (St. Mary). Son of James Travis, and of Nellie Travis, of East Leake, Nottinghamshire, England. Grave inscription: 'The Supreme Sacrifice. All He Had Hoped For, All He Had, He Gave'.

(1) Sommerfeld tracking, named after German expatriate engineer, Kurt Joachim Sommerfeld then living in Cambridge, England, it was a lightweight wire mesh type of prefabricated airfield surface. First put into use by the British in 1941, it consisted of wire netting stiffened laterally by steel rods. This gave it load-carrying capacity while staying flexible enough to be rolled up. Kurt Sommerfeld developed the track in the workshops of D.Mackay engineering based in East Road Cambridge. He worked on the design with Donald Mackay. Nicknamed "tin lino", Sommerfeld tracking consisted of rolls 3.25 m (10 ft 8 in) wide by 23 m (75 ft 6 in) long. Mild steel rods threaded through at 9 inch intervals gave it strength. The rolls could be joined at the edges by threading flat steel bar through loops in the ends of the rods.

Sommerfeld tracking was used extensively by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War to make runways at their airfields, as it could be deployed quickly. In addition, some 44,500,000 yards of Sommerfeld tracking was supplied to US forces by Britain in Reverse Lend-Lease.[4]

Sommerfeld tracking was used widely on RAF and USAAF Advanced Landing Grounds, both in the UK and elsewhere. (Courtesy Wikipedia)

Researched 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”, RAF Commands Forum, Auckland Library Heritage Collection, AWMM, other sources as quoted below:

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