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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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No. 9 Squadron
26/27.04.1941 No. 9 Squadron Wellington IC R1281 WS-? Sgt. Ronald Gustave Damman

Operation: Emden, Germany

Date: 26/27th April 1941 (Saturday/Sunday)

Unit: No. 9 Squadron

Type: Wellington IC

Serial: R1281

Code: WS-?

Base: RAF Honington, Suffolk

Location: Ommen, Holland

Pilot: Sgt. Ronald Gustave Damman. 400051. RAAF. Age 27. PoW No. 592. Camps: Stalag Luft I - Barth, Stalag Luft VIIIB - Lamsdorf, Stalag Luft VI - Heyderkrug, Stalag 357 - Kopernikus, Poland (1)

2nd Pilot: Sgt. Richard M. Trundle. 745529. RAFVR. Age? PoW No. 615. Camps: Stalag Luft I - Barth, Stalag Luft III - Sagan (2)

Nav: Sgt. D. B. Reid. 910503. RAFVR. Age? PoW No. 610. Camp: Stalag Luft I - Barth, Stalag Luft III - Sagan

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. R. R. (Mac) MacKenzie Graham. 619759. RAFVR. Age? PoW No. 598. Camp: Stalag Luft I - Barth, Stalag Luft VIIIB - Lamsdorf, Stalag Luft III - Sagan, Stalag Luft VI - Heyderkrug, Stalag 357 - Kopernikus, Poland

Air/Gnr: Sgt. B. S. (Jake) Jacobs. 908595. RAFVR. Age? PoW No. 602. Camps: Stalag Luft I - Barth, Stalag Luft VI - Heyderkrug, Stalag 357 - Kopernikus, Poland

Air/Gnr: Sgt. B. W. Channing. 906225. RAFVR. Age? PoW No. 589. Camps: Stalag Luft I - Barth, Stalag Luft III - Sagan, Stalag Luft VI - Heyderkrug

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1941 Refuelling a Wellington Bomber (courtesy of Australian War Memorial) and a Wellington IC of No. 9 Squadron (courtesy Imperial War Memorial)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Sgt. R. G. Damman and crew took off from RAF Honington in Wellington R1281 at 20.44hrs for an operation on Emden, Germany. This was Sgt. Damman first flight as the Pilot of the aircraft. One of two aircraft from the Squadron on this operation to Emden that evening. At 02.23hrs the aircraft "obtained a third class fix from Hull which put it just South of Emden and the word "lost" was sent from the aircraft" The aircraft at this time would have only had just over an hours fuel left and a message was sent stating to fly at a low boost and to head for the nearest point on the English coast. This message was not acknowledged and nothing further was heard from the aircraft. The aircraft may have run out of fuel and crash landed or been hit by flak.

A German High Command communique was received and claimed that on the night of 26/27th April 1941 they had captured a Wellington aircraft crew in Holland

Stalag Luft III - Sagan (courtesy of Imperial War Museum)and Stalag Luft VIIIB - Lamsdorf (courtesy Australian War Memorial)


Above left: Remarkable photo showing Sgt. Ronald Damman in the 'cooler' after an escape attempt. Right, after receiving his wings.

Above left: Ron Damman 4th from left on the 'TSS Awatea' en-route from Sydney to Vancouver. Right Ron and Mary's wedding day 26th May 1945.

Stalag Luft III - Sagan. Books were sent out by the British Red Cross for the prisoners (picture courtesy Australian War Memorial)

(1) Ronald (Ron) Gustave Damman was born on the 7th September 1913 in Warburton, Victoria, Australia. Educated at Ivanhoe Grammar School and later worked at his uncle's tobacconists. Enlisted on the 29th April 1940 and completed
part of his training in September at No 1 Initial Training School, Toronto, Canada and arrived in the UK four months later. Posted to RAF Uxbridge and then onto No 11 OTU (Operational Training Unit) Bassinbourn. Ron Damman was posted to No. 9 Squadron, RAF Honington where he gained his "Wings". Ron was a prisoner of war for some 4 years and gained the following examinations - Institute of Book Keepers Associates, Incorporated Sales Managers Associations and the University of Oxford - Faculty of Social Studied. Ron returned to Australia with his wife in 1946.

Ronald (Ron) Gustave Damman died on the 15th July 2002 aged 88 and was buried on the 19th July 2002 in Pimpama Cemetery, Queensland, Australia

(2) Sgt. Richard Trundle had flown with Fl/Lt. John Talbot Lovell Shore (see Wellington R1335) on seven operations in February and March 1941

Researched by: Kate Tame Aircrew Remembered and for all the relatives and friends of the crew. With special thanks to Commonwealth War Graves Commission, National Archives Air 27/126 and 131, Air 20/2336, Oliver Clutton-Brock - Footprints on the Sands of Time, W R Chorley - Bomber Command Losses 1941, Victor F. Gammon - No Time for Fear, Australian National Archives, Australian War Memorial, Trove Newspaper Archives, Imperial War Museum, Gordon Thorburn - Bombers First and Last.

For further detailed accounts we recommend the following publications. No Time for Fear by Victor F Gammon ISBN 1 85409 490 4. Bombers First and Last by Gordon Thorburn ISBN 10: 1 86105 946 9 ISBN 13: 9 781861 059468

KTY - 21.02.2017 Page updated

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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 MWO 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', Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, 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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