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Operation: Ferry Flight
Date: 20th November 1942 (Friday)
Unit No: 65 Squadron, 11 Group, Fighter Command
Type: Spitfire Vb
Serial: AD544
Code: YT:M
Base: RAF Drem, East Lothian, Scotland
Location: Pooley Bridge, Penrith near Ullswater.
Pilot: Fg Off. Ryszard Józef Stróžak P-1498 PAF Age 26. Killed
REASON FOR LOSS:
Crashed at Pooley Bridge, Penrith near Ullswater, whilst on a Ferry flight in dense fog. No further details available.
Spitfire VB AD544 was built at the Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory and fitted with the Merlin 45 engine.
Above - Course 22A 58 OTU, Grangemouth, Scotland.
Front row: Plt Off. Smith K.J., Plt Off. Draper G.C., Flt Lt. Christoper Cecil McCarthy-Jones, Plt Off. Draper J.W.P., Plt Off. Hawkins J.B., Plt Off. Dunn P.H.
Centre Row: Plt Off. Richard Lander King, Plt Off. Stevenson A.G., Plt Off. Winchester A.G., Plt Off. Jack Douglas Ernst, Plt Off. George Edward Glenwright, Plt Off. Spretzel J.R.
Rear Row: Plt Off. Ryszard Józef Strozak, Plt Off. Ellington P.M.A. Plt Off. Holmes H.C.H. Plt Off. William Manley Butler, Plt Off. Tom Montague Falls, Plt Off. Peppler G.E., Plt Off. Chandler R.J., Plt Off. Stanislaw Podobinsk.
Flt Lt. Christopher Cecil Macarthy-Jones 76590 RAFVR - 504 Sqn Spitfire VB BM145, PoW;
Fg Off. Richard Lander King 119570 RAFVR - 122 Sqn Spitfire IX BS350, MiA;
Plt Off. Jack Douglas Ernst J9755 RCAF - 276 Sqn Lysander II T1696, MiA;
Fg Off. George Edward Glenwright J10264 RCAF - KiA on the 28th December 1942 when his Spitfire VB, ER665 of 152 Sqn was shot down at Souk el Arba. He is buried in Medjez-el-Bab War Cemetery;
Plt Off. William Manley Butler J10151 RCAF - 58 OTU Spitfire IIB P8644, Killed;
Fg Off. Tom Montague Falls J10147 RCAF - 111 Sqn Spitfire VC ER884, MiA;
Plt Off. Stanislaw Podobinski P-1691 PAF - 303 Sqn Spitfire VB EN856, Killed.
Research continues on the remaining pilots from this course.
Burial Details:
Fg Off. Ryszard Józef Stróžak. Silloth (Causewayhead) Cemetery, Holme Low - Cumberland, United Kingdom. Sec R. Grave 1. Born on the 21st July 1916 Lwow, Poland. Julie Whittle's mother (now deceased) was his fiancée at the time of his death. Further Next of Kin details not yet available.
Researched by Kelvin Youngs (Webmaster) for relatives of the pilot with thanks for further information to the Grangemouth Air Cadets and the Grangemouth Spitfire Memorial Trust (Unfortunately now defunct) who provided me with so much information and assistance during my visit, Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Jeff Wilson from Silloth War Graves. (Jul 2015). Thanks to Julie Whittle for the Next of Kin update (Nov 2024). Reviewed and updated by Aircrew Remembered (Nov 2024)
Other sources listed below:
RS 13.11.2024 - Reviewed and updated with new information.
KTY 12.07.2015 Map update
RS 13.11.2024 - Reviewed and updated with new information.
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them. - Laurence
Binyon
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Last Modified: 13 November 2024, 10:51