This is not a comment, but rather a request for help.

I am looking for information on my father who was a pilot during WWII. He was in US Army Air Corps and US Navy. We have a copy of a post-war US Veterans Administration (VA) brochure that says he was near Stockton England. It says that he flew air cover for an American “Colored” unit that was involved in action in Italy and the Po Valley. It further says that he was shot down by Germans.

The brochure that I mention, published by the US VA, discussed how the VA was helping disabled veterans get jobs after the war. Officially, my father may have been “disabled” to some degree, but it was never evident to me.

From stories that I remember hearing as a child, my father was in a hospital for almost a year after a crash. At some point he was in the hospital in the US. He would not let my mother come visit, but only allowed his father, a WWI veteran, visit in the hospital in the US.

My father was born in 1920 and died of a heart attack in 1978. My mother (a cryptanalyst during the war) is also now deceased and my brother and I are trying to gather information about our father. We want the information for our personal edification and would like to know more about his war service.

I read in the article about Lance Wood that some UK WWII records are still classified.

But, could you tell me how to determine where my father was in the UK during the war and how I could locate any records or other information?

As his records were in a group destroyed by fire in the 1970s, I am turning to his UK/European service for information.

I thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide.

Sincerely,

Carol Smith

By Carol Smith on Jul 12, 2008 at 7:12 pm

Firstly two points of accuracy, the Auster was a single engined aircraft and was used on Communications and Aerial Observation Post (AOP) duties, it was certainly not a bomber. It would have been a very obvious choice for the type of flight that Wg Cdr Wade made on that fateful day. Lance Wade was promoted from the RAF rank of Squadron Leader (Sqn Ldr), equivalent to Major, to the rank of Wing Commander (Wg Cdr), equivalent to Lieutenant Colonel.

Secondly extracts refering to Lance Wade from “Spitfire into Battle” written by the late Group Captain W.G.G Duncan-Smith DSO DFC, who was Wing Leader (an appointment) of 244 Wing when Wade was CO of 145 Sqn.

“Much has been said and written about the American pilots who joined up in Canada with the intention of getting into the RAF, particularly Fighter Command. They were a motley crowd and though most of them wer tough, rough adventurers, out for wahat they could get for themselves, they were nevertheless a most likeable bunch of chaps, and I personnaly counted some very good friends amongst them. There were some, of course, like Peterson, Blakeslee and Lance Wade, who were exceptional leaders, with outstanding operational records.”

“The Squadron Commanders [of 244 Wing] in particular were seasoned campaigners, and presented an interesting cross-section of nationality and temperment. There was Lance Wade, 145 Squadron, an American Eagle, who had come to the Middle East in 1941. He had done brilliantly and had run up a score of twenty-eight enemy kills while serving in the Desert Airforce. Dark and balding, he was older than the rest of us and had been a test pilot with Fairchild in Tucson, Arizona, before coming to England to join the RAF.”

A test pilot even! Well he certainly had the skill to fool the RAF, even his closest colleagues. This man was a true hero.

Unfortunately although Gp Capt Duncan-Smith lists Wg Cdr L C Wade, DSO DFC and two Bars in the “Dramatis Personae” of his book and notes that he was killed in a flying accident there is no reference to the actual event.

Incidently, Gp Capt Duncan-Smith was the father of The Rt.Hon Iain Duncan-Smith MP and former leader of the Conservative Party in the UK

Peter R Woods Sqn Ldr RAF (Rtd)

By Peter Woods on Dec 18, 2008 at 7:49 pm

It is highly doubtful that German pilots were avoiding Wade because of any personal markings on his aircraft. Aircraft markings included roundels to show that it was British, plus large letters indicating the squadron and the individual designator within that squadron. Added to this were other markings such as serial number, along with a considerable number of much smaller markings used to identify service access panels etc. Of all of the markings, the squadron and aircraft letters were, by far, the largest and more spread out. Even at that, when considering distances and speeds, it would be impossible to look at aircraft in the air, determine the squadron, then determine which aircraft was which. In the air, at fighter speeds, it takes a lot of concentration to even identify the TYPE of aircraft, let alone any markings, or even color.

(The markings were mostly intended for recognition by fellow pilots, in formation or on the ground, to make sure the right pilot ended up in the right airplane. Also, the markings allowed ground crews to readily identify aircraft from a distance, rather than have to walk out to each one and check serial numbers individually).

Wade’s personal marking was even smaller. Chalk this tale up to yet another story, perhaps told by Wade himself, perhaps not. (Gotta like the guy, even with his embellished back story – his non-existent time as a “test pilot for Fairchild” in Arizona is no doubt why this Texan has become strangely known as “The Arizona Wildcat.” However he got there and whatever he said to get there, he was a brave fellow and an inspired leader.)

By Bernard Wilson on Mar 10, 2009 at 6:09 pm

Reference Lance Wade-he is not forgotten-indeed we are working on a book about him–with an Amercian.
Lance did not die flying an Auster-it]was a Spitfire-I even the number of the aircraft/date /time/place.
Where the test pilot rubbish comes from-dear only knows-
there is a Spit in USA in his markings and thus a tribute to
145.
EY Hon Sec 145

By Eric Young on May 7, 2009 at 12:43 pm

The notification by Eric Young that a Book about Lance C. Wade is indeed welcome news.
Wade was in one of the first classes called the “United Kingdom Refresher Course” conducted at Spartan Aircraft Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1940 for the purpose of training American Royal Air Force volunteers to a standard that allowed them to enter the Regular British combat flying schools in Canada. My father in law, Newman Wadlow, was his flight instructor at that time and later hosted him upon his return on leave to the States in 1942 when Wadlow was Spartan flight chief. His memory is deserving of a more complete story.

By Joe "justin" Case on Sep 6, 2009 at 12:30 pm

My father was a close friend of Lance Wade. Lance and Dad both trained in Canada. Dad, together with all his friends from training at Uplands, including Don Lush, “Crabby” Lowther, Tommy Patterson, Wally Conrad, George Keefer, Johnny Gain, Bill Swinden, Bert Houle, Heath Hunter and “Stuffy” Sutton, who had an airfield named after him in North Carolina when he was killed… it was in Scotland where Dad and Lance began their friendship, about to board the Furious for the Middle East, and were together six months in Libya flying Hurricanes together. Dad never saw Lance again after the two were sent out alone on a mission in late January 1942 due to an alert about ‘brass’ being sighted in the desert near camp, Dad following Lance’s bravado. Dad was shot down and Lance circled under huge German fire trying to save Dad, an act Lance had successfully done with other fellow pilots as told in my father’s book, Goon In The Block (not to be confused with another author’s book of same title). Dad wrote extensively of Lance, but one interesting paragraph is this:
“As far as we knew he [Lance] was a junior Pilot Officer, even junior to me in date of commission and just as green as the rest of us at the fighting game. Several weeks before the Push started, 33 Squadron was asked to patrol over Giarabub as our troops had just moved in. I was away that day and missed the trip but Lance was one of the six. They returned that evening in high spirits. They had met eight or ten Italian CR 42’s and shot three of them down, and damaged a fourth. Lance was the quietest of the group while the story was being told, but it turned out he claimed two and the other boys backed him up. It wasn’t until three years later I found Lance fought for the Finns before joining the RAF and had six Russian planes to his credit. He later became a Wing Commander and the Middle East Ace of the time with twenty-eight and a half victories to his credit. In 1944 he was killed in an air accident in Italy.”

If you would like further information about Lance Wade, please post here to ask me, as I can ask my father who at 92 has all his faculties. Or contact Mike Montgomery who wrote extensively about Lance Wade and has talked to my Dad. I’ll try to come back and check here, and get back to you after asking Dad your questions. Dad’s adventures and pals were many but he has always endearingly said of Lance that they were “fast friends”. My family has always known that Lance really was a hero many times over and we love to read and hear Dad’s first hand recollections of their adventures and friendship. I’m glad Lance is finally being documented as such. Dad will hopefully be getting new copies of his book for sale soon, as many friends have asked and credited Dad’s book as a very good read. We’re so proud.

By Daughter of Don Edy, friend of Lance Wade on Nov 10, 2009 at 4:19 pm