VIV CHAPMAN
460 SQUADRON RAAF

 

Subject:    460 SQUADRON
Date:            Sat, 30 Jun 2001 21:26:47 +1000
From:           "Bryan Chapman" <navarch@ozemail.com.au>

Peter,

Here are some 460 Squadron photographs taken in 1944. Two of them appear to be official photographs and you may have seen them before. The third is definitely unofficial.

The two photographs I've called "Waiting for Something to Happen", taken in June 1944, are pretty much self-explanatory. The first photograph includes aircraft AR-Q. I would very much like to find out the serial number of this aircraft and its ultimate fate. Three aircraft with this identification are listed on Gordon Stooke's web site but these are ruled out as they were lost prior to June 1944. This is a "B" flight aircraft and has a picture of Rita Hayworth painted on the nose.

The third photograph is Crew M47, Pilot JK (Ken) Murray. This was the crew of the aircraft AR-Q in the photograph. They are, from L to R and from back to front, JF (Ford) Golsby - Bomb Aimer, HG (Gordon) Phipps - Engineer, JK (Ken) Murray - Pilot, KS (Ken) Muir - Mid-Upper Gunner, FJ (Jimmy) Manley - Navigator, VR (Viv.) Chapman - Wireless Operator, RT (Reg) Low - Rear Gunner.

This crew joined 460 "B" Flight in May 1944 and flew 31 missions as a group - no substitutes - over the period 18 July to 16 October. 28 of their trips were done in AR-Q. Viv. Chapman was my father and died in October 1999. To my knowledge the only other person with whom he had any contact after the war was Ken Murray, with whom he exchanged Christmas greetings and who visited us once in Adelaide in the early 1950s when en-route from Perth, where he had lived, to Brisbane. It appears that Ken Murray died a few years ago as according to my mother her Christmas card was returned one year "addressee unknown". We assumed that Mrs Murray moved back to Perth.

I'd be interested to know what happened to the rest of this crew. After leaving 460 my father and Ken Murray transferred to 1315 Flight and collected a Dakota in Canada for delivery to Archerfield (Qld) where they operated for the remainder of the war. Their last trip from Archerfield via Darwin and other points to Balikpapan and return was completed on 18 December 1945. My father was discharged early in 1946.

I visited Binbrook in April 2001 - my first trip of any significance to the UK. I have some separate photographs taken at that time.

I have quite a few other photographs which it appears my father sent home. Many of them aren't worth much (no caption, poor lighting, British standard grey sky, etc..) and others are from training stations etc. prior to joining 460. I'll go through them and see what might be of interest. Please let me know if this is not the kind of thing you want. 

My father did hear from one of his comrades some time in the late 1960s. I don't know who it was but apparently he and his family turned up in Adelaide. At that time I had already moved away from Adelaide and didn't meet them. At that stage the visitor lived in Clifton Street, North Balwyn, Victoria, not far from where I now live. I would be interested to find out who that was.

BRYAN CHAPMAN

vc01.jpg (309565 bytes)

June 1944 - Waiting for something to happen

vc02.jpg (281142 bytes)

June 1944 - Still waiting for something to happen

vc03.jpg (50877 bytes)

Summer 1944 - Crew M47

 


Subject:    460 SQUADRON
Date:            30 Jul 2001 21:26:47 +1000
From:           "Bryan Chapman" <navarch@ozemail.com.au>

Here is another photo of 460 Squadron Crew M47, probably taken in July 1944. The caption on the reverse of the photo says "The whole of our crew with some of the ground crew. Also 'Kim', one of the squadron mascots. In the background is our aircraft "Q" for "Queenie". Please note "Queenie" - Rita Hayworth of "Cover Girl" fame on the kite. Of our 30 ops 28 were done in this kite"

According to John Watson's records crew M47 completed a total of 31 operations. 

 

vc04.jpg (152545 bytes)

 

Identified people in this photograph are:

Back row, L to R: Ground crew (unknown), Chapman VR (W), Phipps HG (E), Ground crew (unknown), Ground crew (unknown), Muir KS (MUG), Golsby JF (B), Murray JK (P), Ground crew (unknown)

Front row, L to R: Low RT (RG), Manley FJ (N)

Is any body able to identify any of the ground crew?

The aircraft is understood to be NE142. It is understood to have survived the war and its last recorded operation according to Mike Nelmes at AWM was to Kiel on 9/4/1945.

BRYAN CHAPMAN

 


 

Subject:   460 SQUADRON - JUNE 1945
Date:           Fri, 24 Aug 2001 21:33:40 +1000
From:         "Bryan Chapman" <navarch@ozemail.com.au>

Peter,

I refer to the photo' on your 460 Squadron web page entitled "460 Squadron - June 1945".

You ask "Does anyone know the dog's name? Was he the squadron mascot?"

The attached might give you a clue. The caption on the back of the photo says "The whole of our crew with some of the ground crew. Also "Kim" one of the squadron mascots." This photo would have been taken in the summer of 1944. It looks quite likely that Kim is also the dog in the 1945 photo. After all it would have been 12 months older. If the dog in the 1945 photo isn't Kim it would appear to be a very close relative.

 

vc04.jpg (152545 bytes)

 

By the way I notice that the web page includes some bomb sight photo's. I have a handful, specifically:

Pauillac - 5/8/44
Cap Gris Nez - 26/9/44
Calais - 27/9/44
Duisburg - 14-15/10/44

They are all F/O Murray. Pauillac is K460, the others are Q460.

Duisburg is a night time operation and appears to be mainly flares and tracer. I think also somebody might have bumped the camera or they had to take evasive action. The others are day time operations and show at least something of interest, particularly the Pauillac and Gris Nez operations.

Do you have any interest in these. I can scan and e-mail them to you if you like.

Regards,

BRYAN CHAPMAN

 


 

Subject:   460 SQUADRON
Date:           Thu, 30 Aug 2001 22:14:30 +1000
From:          "Bryan Chapman" <navarch@ozemail.com.au>

Peter,

Here is one of the bomb sight photo's - Pauliiac 5/8/1944. Note the ship on its side in the bay. I'll send others later. I've scanned this at 300 dpi and they do make moderately large files so I thought one at a time might be preferable.

 

vc05.jpg (175178 bytes)

Pauliiac 5/8/1944

Regards,

BRYAN CHAPMAN

 


 

Subject:    460 SQUADRON
Date:            Thu, 4 Oct 2001 08:27:35 +1000
From:           "Bryan Chapman" <navarch@ozemail.com.au>

Peter,

Here is another of the bomb sight photo's I promised. This is Calais 27/9/1944. I have one more which I'll send later. As I mentioned previously they make rather large files which take some time to down load so I've elected to do them one at a time.

 

vc06.jpg (226973 bytes)

Calais 27/9/1944

Regards,

BRYAN CHAPMAN

 

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