COOLHAM
ADVANCED LANDING GROUND WAR MEMORIAL
World War 2 - Roll of
Honour with detailed information
Compiled and copyright © John Harrison 2006
Coolham
is a somewhat unusual memorial. It is at the site of a former Advanced
Landing Ground, a temporary airfield built to support the D Day
landings in 1944 and only used for a few months. Construction began
in August 1943 and was complete by the beginning on March 1944.
135 Wing arrived in April and was transferred to the airfield at
Holmsley South in the New Forest on 22nd June. It was replaced by
135 Wing consisting of 222, 349 and 485 Squadrons, previously at
Selsey Advanced Landing Ground near Chichester, on 30th June. The
wing was only there for five days before being transferred to Funtington
ALG, having suffered no casualties. No other squadrons operated
from Coolham after that date, but the removal of equipment did not
start until the autumn of 1945.
The
memorial is near the Selsey Arms public house in Coolham. It consists
of a brick wall with three inset black granite panels with all lettering
in gilt. The centre panel contains the dedication in English and
Polish underneath the badge of the Royal Air Force.
‘This
memorial commemorates and honours
The airmen of many nations who fought valiantly
In defence of Britain while serving at
Coolham Advanced Landing Ground
during Operation Overlord in 1944 and
Those who made the ultimate sacrifice and
died far from their homeland will be
Remembered for Evermore’
-----------------------------------
No 133 & 135 Wings of No 84 Group Second Tactical Air Force
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POLISH AIR FORCE
-----------------------------
306 Dywizion Mysliwski Torunski
315 Dywizion Mysliwski Deblinski
411 Eskadra Reperacyina
5090 Ruchoma Jednosika Lacnosci
ROYAL
AIR FORCE
-------------------------------
129
Mysore 222 Natal 349 Belgium 485 New Zealand
Airfield
Construction Squadrons
---------------------------------------------------
5003 5004 5018 5027 5206
RAF
Regiment 2722 2829 Squadrons
--------------------------------------------------
RAF Maintenance Unit 49MU (Faygate)
Greater
love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends
COOLHAM
AIRFIELD REMEMBERED 1944 – 1994
The
left hand panel is in Polish and lists the Polish casualties with the
inscription
‘Za Nasza I Wasza Wolnosc .’
The
right hand panel is in English and lists the British casualties with
the inscription
‘For Our And Your Freedom’.
The memorial was dedicated on 11th June 1994
during a special commemorative weekend
Acknowledgement
is made to the book, ‘Coolham Airfield Remembered’
by Paul Hamlin and Ann Davies for information.
129 (Mysore)
Squadron was reformed after First World War service on 26th January
1941. Initially flying Spitfires, it became part of the Second Tactical
Air Force in June 1943 and converted to North American Mustang Mark
III fighters in April 1944. After forming part of the Polish 133 Wing
for D Day operations it was deployed to an airfield at Romney Marsh
in Kent as part of anti V1 measures.
306 (Torunski) and 315 (Deblinski) Squadrons were formed after the defeat
of Poland in 1939. 306 was formed at Church Fenton in August 1940 and
315 at Acklington in January 1941. Both Squadrons were initially equipped
with Hawker Hurricanes and converted to Spitfires in July 1941. Both
squadrons further re-equipped with North American Mustang III fighters
in March 1944, becoming part of 133 Wing.
BRITISH
CASUALTIES
CHARLES
GORDON
NOEL
STURT GREEN
ALLAN
JOHN HANCOCK
DOUGLAS
HAIG NELSON
STANLEY
PAYNE
WILLIAM
EDWARD RIGBY
WILLIAM
TYRER
POLISH
CASUALTIES
ROMAN
MARIAN BRYGIDER
STANISLAW
CALINSKI
BOLESLAW
GECA
CZESLAW
OBERDAK
KAZIMIERZ
OSIELENIEC
HENRYK
STEFANKIEWICZ
ADAM
SWORNIOWSKI
WLADYSLAW
JAN SZAJDA
RAF |
GORDON |
Charles |
Sergeant
967357, 5018 Airfield Construction Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve Born 11th December 1901. Son of Margaret Todd (formerly
Gordon) and stepson of William Todd. Husband of Elizabeth McEwan
Heeps Gordon of Stirling. Killed 15th February 1944. Buried in
Section M, Grave 27 in Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling. Hit by
the propeller of Martin B26 Marauder 41-34913 'Flounder Gus' of
the 454th Bomb Squadron while making an emergency landing while
the airfield was under construction. The aircraft had been hit
by flak over Cherbourg, losing an engine. The other engine failed
just before landing and the aircraft broke in half as it slid
along the ground, but the crew survived with only minor injuries.
A section of the port wing broke off as the aircraft hit a tree
and killed Charles Gordon. For reasons unknown, the CGWC lists
him as serving with 454 (RAAF) Squadron. |
GREEN |
Noel
Sturt |
Flight
Lieutenant 122119, 129 (Mysore) Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve Born 22nd December 1922 in Egham, Surrey. Son of William
Ernest Green and his wife, Eva, of Worthing Killed in action 17th
June 1944. Commemorated on Panel 202 of the Runnymede Memorial.
He was flying Mustang FZ176 when hit by flak after dive bombing
Marshalling yards at Mezidon and crashed. His family owned 'Green's'
cakes. |
HANCOCK |
Allen
John |
Flight
Lieutenant 120710, 129 (Mysore) Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve Born 26th Aril 1918 in Lahore, India. Son of John and
Beatrice Asgil Hancock of Houghton, Huntingdonshire. Killed 22nd
June 1944. Buried in Grave II G 7 in Bayeux War Cemetery, Normandy.
Commissioned from Flight Sergeant 31st March 1944. Served with
213 Squadron in the Western Desert. Awarded DFC 28th July 1942
and bar 10th October 1944. Shot down 7 enemy aircraft. Aircraft
hit by heavy flak during while strafing enemy positions south
of Cherbourg and crashed. |
NELSON |
Douglas
Haig |
Pilot
Officer 54296, 129 (Mysore) Squadron, Royal Air Force Born 20th
September 1918 in Saskatchewan, Canada. Son of George and Mary
Frances Nelson of New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. Killed
26th April 1944. Buried in Row B, Grave 32 in Poix-de-Picardie
Churchyard in the Somme, France. Commissioned from Flight Sergeant
in March and commission `backdated to 26th January 1944. Shot
down by flak while attacking Beauvais airfield in Mustang FX949,
he bailed out but did not survive |
PAYNE |
Stanley |
Flying
Officer 158325, 129 (Mysore) Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve. Born in London 11th May1920. Son of Frederick and Marion
Payne. Husband of Peggy Mary Payne of Wood Green, Middlesex. They
had 1 daughter, Christine. He was known in the squadron as 'Skip'.
Died 17th June 1944. Buried in Block U, Grave 398 in Hills Cemetery,
Horsham. Killed in a take off accident at 18.03 hours in Mustang
FB165. The aircraft, carrying two 500 lb bombs, lost power and
hit a tree, crashed near the 'Old House' at Coolham. There was
a small explosion from the engine, the aircraft caught fire and
was completely destroyed. |
RIGBY |
William
Edward |
Pilot
Officer 177660, 129 (Mysore) Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve. Born 9th February 1923. Son of John Edward Rigby and
his wife, Elsie, of Harwood, Lancashire. Killed 14th June 1944.
Buried in St Hymer Churchyard, Calvados, France. He is the only
CWGC burial here. Commissioned from Warrant Officer 18th May 1944.
Went missing about 15 miles east of Caen on Ramrod 998, cause
not known. |
TYRER |
William |
Leading
Aircraftman,1033207, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Born 12th
March 1912 in Prescot, Lancashire. Motorcycle despatch rider attached
to 411 (Polish) Repair and Salvage Unit, Coolham Died in a traffic
accident in Chichester 12th May 1944. Buried in Section 6, R.C.
Grave 565 in West Derby Cemetery, Liverpool. |
POLISH
AIRFORCE |
BRYGIDER |
Roman
Marian |
Pilot
Officer P-2304, 315 Squadron. Born 6th August 1912 in Tarnopol,
Poland. Killed in an accident in FX895 which broke up in the air
on the 19th April. The tailplane came off during a test dive and
he crashed near Coolham. He was one of a section of four simulating
a strafing attack. Buried in Section H, Grave 406 in Northwood
Cemetery, Ruislip, Middlesex. Also commemorated on the Polish
War Memorial, RAF Northolt, Middlesex. |
CALINSKI
|
Stanislaw |
Flying
Officer P-2198, 315 Squadron Born 9th January 1922 in Tarnopol,
Poland. Killed by flak on 20th May 1944 when dive bombing targets
at Verberie, about 40 miles north of Paris in FB179, code letters
PK-C. Buried in Plot 2, Row 2, Grave 346 in Creil Communal Cemetery,
France. Also commemorated on the Polish War Memorial, RAF Northolt,
Middlesex. |
GECA |
Boleslaw |
Flight
Lieutenant P-1797, 306 Squadron Born 23rd December 1917, Lubin,
Poland Killed 7th June 1944when Mustang FZ169, code letters UZ-S,
was caught by the explosion of its own bombs when attacking German
transport in the Montfort area, south of Le Havre. Initially buried
in Grave 1 in Blangy Le Chateau Cemetery in the Calvados area
of France, now in Grave II AA 1 in Grainville-Langannerie Polish
War Cemetery near Falaise. Also commemorated on the Polish War
Memorial, RAF Northolt, Middlesex |
OBERDAK |
Czeslaw |
Flying
Officer P-2224, 306 Squadron Born 20th July 1921, Krakow, Poland
While acting as escort to B-17 Flying Fortresses on 30th May 1944,
his Mustang was hit by flak over Germany but was able to keep
going for several hundred miles and he crash landed at Dalmsholte,
near Zwolle, Holland. After being sheltered by the Resistance
for some months he was arrested on 24th December and is understood
to have been executed on 8th March 1945. He is buried in Loechen
Military Cemetery near Apeldoorn, Netherlands. Also commemorated
on the Polish War Memorial, RAF Northolt, Middlesex. On 10th December
2009 the body of 306 Sqn pilot Czeslaw Oberdak was reburied in
Krakow, Poland. A DNA match was made (2008) with his sister Ludmilla
who has never stopped looking for her lost brother. He was indeed
one of 117 people shot by the Germans in March 1945. |
OSIELENIEC
|
Kazimierz |
Flight
Sergeant P-780907, 306 Squadron Born 31st July 1918, Lubin, Poland
Killed in Mustang FB100, code letters UZ-P on 21st April 1944.
During training at Coolham, he undershot the landing ground, hit
a tree stump with his right wheel which then damaged the right
flap. He made another approach but the damaged flap forced the
aircraft onto its back and it crashed. Buried in Section H, Grave
422 in Northwood Cemetery, Ruislip, Middlesex. Also commemorated
on the Polish War Memorial, RAF Northolt, Middlesex. |
STEFANKIEWICZ |
Henryk |
Flight
Lieutenant, P-0564, 315 Squadron Born 16th July 1918, Warsaw,
Poland. On June 22nd In Mustang FB398, Code letters PK-A he took
part in a strafing attack on German armoured vehicles south of
Cherbourg. The flak was heavy and hit his aircraft causing it
to crash into the channel. He is commemorated on the Polish War
Memorial, RAF Northolt, Middlesex. |
SWORNIOWSKI |
Adam |
Flight
Lieutenant P-1739, 315 Squadron Born 19th February 1918, Krakow,
Poland. On 10th June 1944, during Ramrod 986, an armed recce in
the area south of Caen in Mustang FX960, code letters PK-A, the
aircraft was hit by flak. He successfully jettisoned his bombs
and either baled out or crash landed safely (there are two conflicting
accounts)and was then shot by German troops while running towards
the cover of some trees. He is buried in Grave V E 9 in Grainville-Langannerie
Polish War Cemetery near Falaise. He shot down a FW 190 on 7th
June. |
SZAJDA |
Wladyslaw
Jan |
Flying
Officer P-1740, 306 Squadron Born 31st October 1919, Tarnopol,
Poland On 4th April 1944 he was ferrying one of the new Mustangs,
FX881, from RAF Aston Down to Coolham. On taking off from Aston
Down the engine failed and the aircraft crashed with full fuel
tanks The pilot was trapped by his feet and could not be freed.
His drop tanks had broken off, but had caught fire. This fire
eventually reached the crashed aircraft which then burned with
the pilot trapped inside. Buried in Section H, Grave 357 in Northwood
Cemetery, Ruislip, Middlesex. Also commemorated on the Polish
War Memorial, RAF Northolt, Middlesex. |
Last
updated
4 July, 2016
|