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No 997 Sqn Personnel, aircraft and locations

[1944 | ]

Personnel Movements: Feb - Dec 1944

Rank Name Date Notes
February
Sqn Ldr A E L Hill  1 Feb 1944 Posted to No 997 Sqn and assumed command of the unit
Flt Lt T F Garside  1 Feb 1944 Posted to No 997 Sqn for duty as Adjutant
Flt Lt J A S Williams  1 Feb 1944 Posted to No 997 Sqn for duty as Flt Lt Balloons
Flt Lt R P Garner  1 Feb 1944 Posted to No 997 Sqn and assumed command of No 111 'P' Flight
Act Flt Lt G Hutchinson  1 Feb 1944 Posted to No 997 Sqn and assumed command of No 112 'P' Flight
Act Flt Lt A R S Stockdale  1 Feb 1944 Posted to No 997 Sqn and assumed command of No 113 'P' Flight
Fg Off P B L Falk  1 Feb 1944 Posted to No 997 Sqn for duty as Equipment Officer
Fg Off K C Mounsey  1 Feb 1944 Posted to No 997 Sqn for duty as 2nd in command, No 111 'P' Flight
Fg Off A J Doddington  1 Feb 1944 Posted to No 997 Sqn for duty as 2nd in command, No 112 'P' Flight
Fg Off B W Wiggins  1 Feb 1944 Posted to No 997 Sqn for duty as 2nd in command, No 113 'P' Flight
Flt Lt T F Garside 14 Feb 1944 Adjutant, posted to No 6 Balloon Centre
Flt Lt W O Rollo 14 Feb 1944 Arrived on posting from No 934 Sqn for duty as Adjutant
Flt Lt C S Hancox 14 Feb 1944 Arrived on posting from No 993 Sqn and assumed command of No 112 'P' Flight
Act Flt Lt G Hutchinson 14 Feb 1944 OC, No 112 'P' Flight posted to No 115 'P' Flight
Fg Off P B L Falk xx Feb 1944 Equipment Officer, attached to No 995 Sqn
March
Sqn Ldr A E L Hill  5 Mar 1944 Attached to HQ Combined Operations Training Centre, Largs
Sqn Ldr A E L Hill 12 Mar 1944 Ceased to be attached to HQ Combined Operations Training Centre, Largs
Flt Lt W O Rollo 26 Mar 1944 Adjutant, attached to No 6 BC for No 7 Battle Course
Fg Off P B L Falk 26 Mar 1944 Equipment Officer, attached to No 6 BC for No 7 Battle Course
April
Flt Lt C S Hancox  7 Apr 1944 Proceeded to Poole with advance party
Flt Lt R P Garner  7 Apr 1944 Proceeded to Weymouth with advance party
Flt Lt A R S Stockdale 10 Apr 1944 Proceeded to Portsmouth with advance party
Sqn Ldr R V N Shutte 17 Apr 1944 Arrived on posting from No 30 Group
Sqn Ldr A E L Hill 18 Apr 1944 Relinquished command of No 997 Sqn on posting to No 974 Sqn, wef 17 Apr 1944
Sqn Ldr R V N Shutte 18 Apr 1944 Assumed command of No 997 Sqn
Flt Lt Webb 20 Apr 1944 Arrived on posting from No 957 Sqn
Flt Lt Preston 25 Apr 1944 Arrived on posting from No 957 Sqn
May
Flt Lt D K Etherington 13 May 1944 Attached from No 955 Sqn, wef 28 Apr 1944, pending vacancy on Home Flight
Flt Lt K E Gormly 19 May 1944 Proceeded on embarkation leave
Flt Lt D K Etherington 30 May 1944 Assumed command of Home Flight
Flt Lt K E Gormly 30 May 1944 Posted to No 5 PDC pending posting overseas
June
Flt Lt Gardner 17 Jun 1944 Attached from No 12 Balloon Centre for temporary duty at Poole
Flt Lt Gardner 18 Jun 1944 Assumed command of 15 x Balloon Operators at Poole attached from No 998 Sqn
Flt Lt Preston 21 Jun 1944 Posted to School of Equipment, Stannington
July
Capt G F Lambert USA  7 Jul 1944 Ceased to be attached from No 320 AAB, 1st US Army
Flt Lt D K Etherington 12 Jul 1944 Flt Lt Balloons, Home Flight posted to No 924/30 Sqn
LAC G P R Godden 17 Jul 1944 Died from injuries
Flt Lt Webb 22 Jul 1944 Posted to No 6 Balloon Centre but remained in Weymouth attached to No 924/30 Sqn
Flt Lt A R S Stockdale 22 Jul 1944 OC, No 113 Flight, posted to No 6 Balloon Centre
Fg Off B W Wiggins 22 Jul 1944 No 113 Flight, posted to No 945/7 Sqn
August
No personnel movements recorded in this month's ORB
September
No personnel movements recorded in this month's ORB
October
No personnel movements recorded in this month's ORB
November
Sqn Ldr R V N Shutte  1 Nov 1944 Relinquished command of No 997 Sqn on posting to No 159 Wing
Flt Lt C S Hancox  1 Nov 1944 OC, No 112 Flight, promoted to Act Sqn Ldr and assumed command of No 997 Sqn
Sqn Ldr C S Hancox  8 Nov 1944 Attached to No 159 Wing
Fg Off B F A Butler 16 Nov 1944 Arrived on posting from No 9 PDC for duty as Equipment Officer
Act Flt Lt V G Biller 17 Nov 1944 Arrived on posting from RAF Cardington and assumed command of No 112 Flight,
Act Flt Lt E M E Cramp 25 Nov 1944 Arrived on posting from No 1 Balloon Centre
Flt Lt W O Rollo 25 Nov 1944 Adjutant, posted to No 6 BC, pending Equipment Course
Fg Off P B L Falk 28 Nov 1944 Equipment Officer, attached to No 6 BC, pending posting
December
No personnel movements recorded in this month's ORB

Source - No 997 Sqn ORB (AIR 27/2341/2)

Organisational Movements: Jan - Dec 1944

Date Notes
January
 7 Jan 1944 The personnel for No 997 Squadron assembled at RAF Cardington for training on Mark VI Balloons
24 Jan 1944 Personnel moved to No 6 Balloon Centre and undertook Battle Training
February
 1 Feb 1944 No 997 Squadron was formally formed at No 6 Balloon Centre, comprising: -
  • HQ Flight
  • No 111 'P' Flight  (30 x Mk VI Balloons)
  • No 112 'P' Flight  (15 x Mk VI Balloons)
  • No 113 'P' Flight  (10 x Mk VI Balloons)
  • Home Flight
19 Feb 1944 Squadron and Flight deployed to Grovelly Hall, Redditch Road, Birmingham
29 Feb 1944 Strength of the Squadron and Flights on this date: -
  •  9 x officers
  • 32 x NCOs
  • 95 x airmen
March
12 Mar 1944 16 x airmen attached to No 6 BC for No 6 Battle Course
18 Mar 1944  6 x Balloon Operators attached to RAF Cardington for course on A2 Silicol Plant
25 Mar 1944 11 x airmen attached to No 6 BC for No 7 Battle Course
31 Mar 1944 Strength of the Squadron and Flights on this date: -
 
  Officers Airmen
No 997 Sqn 4 42
No 111 Flight 2 39
No 112 Flight 2 32
No 113 Flight 2 26
April
 7 Apr 1944 1 x officer and 11 x ORs proceeded to Poole as an advance party

1 x officer and 11 x ORs proceeded to Weymouth as an advance party
10 Apr 1944 1 x officer and 6 x ORs proceeded to Portsmouth as an advance party
15 Apr 1944 Main party departed Grovelly Hall and arrived No 11 Balloon Centre, Pucklechurch
16 Apr 1944 Main party departed No 11 Balloon Centre, Pucklechurch as follows: -
  • No 112 Flight proceeded to Poole
  • No 113 Flight proceeded to Portland
  • No 111 Flight proceeded to Weymouth
  • Sqn HQ proceeded to 'Springfield', Springfield Road, Weymouth
May
 2 May 1944 26 x Balloon Operators ceased to be attached to No 957 Sqn and allocated to Home Flight
31 May 1944 Strength of the Squadron and Flights on this date: -
 
  Officers Airmen
No 997 Sqn 7 92
No 111 Flight 2 40
No 112 Flight 2 34
No 113 Flight 2 27
June
18 Jun 1944 15 x Balloon Operators arrived at Pool e on attachment from No 998 Sqn
July
11 Jul 1944 10 x non-balloon trades detached, pending posting, to various London squadrons
20 Jul 1944 Squadron and Flights departed their various locations and proceeded to Nos 6 and 11 Balloon Centres
22 Jul 1944 The parties that had initially moved to No 11 Balloon Centres, resumed their journey to No 6 BC

Squadron and Flights commenced reforming and refitting

No 113 'P' Flight was disbanded with its personnel distributed as follows: -

  • 14 x Balloon Operators to No 112 Flight
  •  8 x Balloon Operators to No 111 Flight
29 Jul 1944 Squadron and Flights departed No 6 BC and proceeded to No 23 BC, Gravesend for Anti-Diver duties
30 Jul 1944 Squadron and Flights arrived at No 23 BC, Gravesend for Anti-Diver duties
August
26 Aug 1944 Squadron became non-operational
31 Aug 1944 Strength of the Squadron and Flights on this date: -
 
  Officers Airmen
No 997 Sqn 4 34
No 111 Flight 2 49
No 112 Flight 2 49
September
 1 Sep 1944 Squadron departed No 23 BC, Gravesend and arrived at No 6 BC
15 Sep 1944 OC, 5 x officers and 100 x airmen deployed to Broom to carry out harvesting for Warwickshire War Agricultural Committee
October
27 Oct 1944 Personnel deployed to Broom returned to No 6 BC
November
18 Nov 1944 Advance party (1 x officer and 29 x ORs) proceeded to Concentration Area
28 Nov 1944 Road party (4 x officers and 15 x ORs) proceeded to Concentration Area
29 Nov 1944 Marching party (2 x officers and 96 x ORs) proceeded to Concentration Area
December
 2 Dec 1944 Road party (4 x officers and 14 x ORs) embarked at Tilbury
 2 Dec 1944 Marching party (2 x officers and 86 x ORs) embarked at Tilbury
 4 Dec 1944 Road party disembarked at Ostend
 5 Dec 1944 Road party arrived at Doel
 6 Dec 1944 Marching party disembarked at Ostend
 7 Dec 1944 Marching party arrived at Doel
27 Dec 1944 20 x Balloon Operators attached from No 967 Sqn to be employed on guard duties with 'A' and 'B' Flights
31 Dec 1944 Strength of the Squadron and Flights on this date: -
 
  Officers Airmen
No 997 Sqn 4 34
No 111 Flight 2 48
No 112 Flight 2 48

Source - No 997 Sqn ORB (AIR 27/2341/2)

This entry was last updated on 23/11/25

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