605698 – later Pilot Officer  199984

Born 15 April 1925, Kingston Jamaica.  Attended Kingston College.

In WW2 Noel Jocelyn Chinn was a bomber navigator with RAF Coastal Command, stationed in Scotland.  After the war he obtained a degree as a civil engineer from Loughborough University and returned to Jamaica where he had a distinguished career as a civil engineer, becoming a partner with Hue Lyew Chin Consulting Engineers.  In 1978 he moved to the United States becoming a citizen in 1983.  He continued his career as the City Engineer for Coral Springs until his retirement in 1988.

Noel Chin died on 1 March 2002, leaving his wife Dorothy (whom he married in 1953), three children and six grandchildren.

Noel’s older brother, Arthur Chin survived service in Europe throughout the war but was killed in a flying accident in India in November 1946.  [See separate entry]

[Source: AD]

1396389 – Orlando Joseph Pepitune

Orlando Jose Pepitune, a retired shipping and receiving manager for Thompson Equipment Co., died Monday [October 20, 2003] at Metropolitan Hospice. He was 80. Mr. Pepitune was born in Belize City, Belize, and lived in Metairie [Louisiana] for the past 36 years. He was a graduate of St. John’s College in Belize City. He was a member of the Belize Association. During World War II, he served in the British Royal Air Force in England.

(From:  The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA) – October 22, 2003)

[Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65986189/orlando-pepitune  (accessed 03/06/2020); courtesy Audrey Dewejee]

1390726 – Celso Lima de Freitas – Warrant Officer

Celso de Freitas joined the Royal Air Force in 1940, and went into action as· a Sergeant-Observer. He took part in the now famous thousand-bomber raids on Cologne and Essen, and during a similar raid on Hamburg his plane was one of those which failed to return. On the way home both engines on one side of the giant bomber were shot away, and the pilot had to make a crash landing. The crew were badly shaken, but managed to get out of their plane and set it on fire; they were taken prisoner only a few miles from the coast.

[Source: Saint Stanislaus Magazine, april 1943] Read more

He was one of the first to sign up from BG. His brother Arlindo de Freitas also signed up shortly afterwards.

Celso is one of the unfortunate prisoners of war who have been put in chains, and in a recent letter he speaks of the new experience of receiving Holy Communion in chains.
Mr. De Freitas was second only to South African, Billy Wade, in cricket batting averages in the POW camps and his style was later compared to Sir Colin Cowdrey. Cricket was going on in the POW camps as exercise and territorial rivalries led to informal “Tests”.  He is mentioned on pages 86/87 of this fascinating document which is a great read. https://www.lamsdorf.com/uploads/6/4/2/7/6427590/cricket.pdf

Celso was head of the British Guiana Volunteer Force (as its Lieutenant Colonel) in the run up to Guyanese independence. His small volunteer corps played a major role in quelling and preventing the political rioting which led up to the independence elections. He received an OBE (Mil) – a military OBE – for his efforts.

[Courtesy: Paul de Freitas]

Aircrew of No.15 Squadron in front of Short Stirling I, December 1941. Celso de Freitas is last row, second from left. (Click to enlarge)

[Source: History of War]

EDWARDS, GEORGE MERCIER; Flight Sergeant (Air Gnr.); Service No. 1259259; Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve; Age 24; Rear Gunner on Halifax B for Bertie (W7801).

George Edwards was born in Kingston, Jamaica, the son of George Henry Edwards & Sidona Edwards.

Military Service Sergeant Edwards was the Rear Gunner Halifax B for Bertie (W7801), one of two tug planes used during Operation Freshman. He was killed instantly when his aircraft crashed into Hæstad Mountain, Helleland, Norway, around midnight on the 19th November, 1942.

Sergeant Edwards is buried in the Commonwealth Grave plot in Helleland Churchyard, Norway.

OPERATION FRESHMAN

On the evening of November 19th, 1942, two Halifax bombers, each towing a Horsa Glider took off from RAF Skitten, near Wick in NE Scotland. On board each glider were 15 specially trained Royal Engineers, and two pilots. Their top-secret mission, code-named Operation Freshman, was to destroy the heavy water-producing facility at the  Norsk Hydro industrial complex near Vemork, Norway. This facility was a crucial part of Nazi Germany’s efforts to develop a nuclear bomb.

Tragically, due to failures in the navigation and guidance systems and poor weather, the aircraft failed to identify the landing zones and were forced to turn back. During the return, extreme icing of the tow cables resulted in both gliders becoming detached from their tow-planes and they crashed in the mountains of SE Norway. In addition, one of the Halifax bombers also crashed, instantly killing all 7 crew members onboard, including Sergeant George Mercier Edwards from Kingston, Jamaica. The crew were initially buried in a shallow grave close to the crash site but were reinterred in the Commonwealth graves plot in Helleland Churchyard, Rogaland, Norway at the end of the war with full military honours.

Of the 34 men onboard the gliders, a number were killed on impact, while others were executed by firing squad shortly after their surrender at  Slettebø, near  Egersund. In addition, four, badly-injured soldiers were interrogated and murdered by the Gestapo in Stavanger, their bodies dumped at sea off the coast of Norway. At the end of the war, the remains of most of the soldiers were reinterred at the Commonwealth Grave section in Eiganes Cemetery in Stavanger, where a remembrance ceremony is held every year to  honour their sacrifice.

Due to the secrecy surrounding the mission, very little information was provided to the families of the servicemen at the time, other than that they were missing. A short news article was published in a Norwegian newspaper shortly after the raid saying that a number of aircraft had landed in Norway and that all of the soldiers on board had been engaged and killed to the last man. However, it was not until after the war that true horror of the story emerged!

Over the years there have been a number of publications describing the events of Operation Freshman, and also the subsequent successful sabotage of the Vemork facility by British-trained Norwegian special forces soldiers (Operation Gunnerside). This action was immortalised in the Hollywood film The Heroes of  Telemark, starring Kirk Douglas.

In 2011, Ion Drew’s excellent book, Silent Heroes, was published. In addition to the event itself, Silent Heroesalso provided a unique insight into the personal lives of the individual servicemen and their families, and contained information based on interviews, correspondence, and meetings with surviving relatives and ex-servicemen who had connections to the operation. At the time of publication, however, details of only some of the men were available. Efforts are now being made to address this gap as part of a project to update Silent Heroes. In particular, the project is looking for any additional information on Sergeant Edwards.

Ultimately the Operation Freshman Project is trying to trace surviving relatives or people who have stories or anecdotes concerning the servicemen who participated in the raid, and who may have photographs, letters or other documentary information relating to the servicemen. The idea is to tell the story of these incredibly courageous young men through their lives, and lives of their families, rather than more conventional histories which focus primarily on the events themselves.

[Source: Dr. Bruce A. Tocher]

1897759 – Godfrey Oswald Leopald Petgrave – Nigeria/Caribbean – enlisted Euston 1943

The son of a Jamaican father and an Antiguan mother, Godfrey Petgrave ​enlisted in the RAF in Lagos as his father was working in Nigeria at the  time.

[Source: Audrey Dewjee, West-Indian Aircrew in East Yorkshire during WW2, the Africans in Yorkshire Project]

‘…had a distinguished service record as a spitfire pilot who volunteered and flew one glider mission into Holland.’

[Source: Mr. Nicholas Devaux, St. Lucia/Trinidad]

Serial Number: 1396487
RAF Trade: Flight Engineer
Date of Enlistment: 1939
Rank Achieved: Warrant Officer
Operational Sorties:  3 Ops with 115 Squadron, 47 ops with 156 Squadron

On 31^st August 1941, he left New Providence for England via Miami, New York and Halifax, Nova Scotia from where he sailed to England in a convoy of ships arriving at Liverpool on September 19^th 1941.  He spent several days in London and then went to Readcar to be outfitted and spent thirteen months in training and studying.  He passed out as a mechanic and later remustered to fitters course and then to aircrew as a Flight Engineer Air Gunner.   

He first served with the 115 Squadron of Bomber Command and later with Group 8 of 156 Squadron of the elite Path Finder Force, Bomber Command stationed at Warboys Airfield in South West England.

After completing thirty-six operational flights in April 1944 he was recommended and received the prestigious award of the Distinguished Flying Medal (D.F.M.). 

 His Wing Commander in the citation described him –

“He is a member of an outstanding Path Finder Force crew, and his resourcefulness and unfailing efficiency have contributed to the aircraft returning to base from raids during which the safety of the aircraft depended upon his knowledge and skill.

He is cool and unruffled under fire and his consistent skill and reliability under harassing circumstances have been inspiring to other members of the crew.

His high sense of devotion to duty made him well worth of the Award of Distinguished Flying Medal.”

[Source: http://www.156squadron.com/Crew_Johnson.html]

Read more about Mr. Johnson’s remarkable life and career at the wonderful website www.156squadron.com and here: http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/highlighting-heroes-remembrance-day

MARTIN, ALBERT WILLIAM Initials: A W Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Warrant Officer Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Unit Text: 307 (Polish) Sqdn.
Date of Death: 05/01/1945 Service No: 1390553 Additional information: Course 3, ATS, Trinidad, trained in Canada, Pilot, served 68 sqn jan-Dec 1944, when posted to 307 Sqn on 12/12/44.
Date: 05-JAN-1945. Type: de Havilland Mosquito NF.Mk.30. Operator: 307 (polish) Sqn RAF. Registration: MV545 Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair). Location: sea 10 miles SW of Valley, Anglesey – United Kingdom. Phase: En route Nature: Military Departure airport: Church Fenton. Crashed in sea in bad weather on night navex 10m SW of Valley 5.1.45 cause unknown. Crew: W/O (1390553) Albert William MARTIN (pilot) RAFVR – killed P/O (189.447) Donald Frederick PRIOR (obs) RAFVR – killed . Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 269. Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL. Source cwgc, http://aviation-safety.net , Trinidad Guardian

Miguel ‘Mike’ Enciso Seiglie, better known as The Lord, received four medals (see below) and a personal honor from King George VI for participating in sinking the German cruiser Admiral Scheer in the port of Kiel, on the night of 9 April 1945.

In August 1942 Enciso departed from Cuba for Toronto and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he graduated as a pilot. In January 1944 he arrived in Liverpool, England, receiving the rank of First Lieutenant with the RAF. He flew a Lancaster BX (built by Victory Aircraft in Ontario) in No. 1 Bomb Group and flew  missions over Berlin, Nuremberg, Kassel, Manheim and objectives in the Baltic Sea.

On 14 March, a Messerschmitt hit Enciso’s airplane 16 times. In his book ‘9050 Horas’ former Cuban Air Force General Del Pino relates the story of Enciso: ‘The bombers flew in close formation to defend ourselves better … seconds later I felt the rattle of my gunner Mark’s machine gun. I recognized him immediately because he had the habit of firing in short bursts at intervals. He was not one to pull the trigger and not let loose, but was a professional with incredible equanimity.
The bomber flying to my right in the formation was hit by another Messerschmitt in one of the engines of the left wing. As we felt the explosion we saw one of the propellors come away from the engine and spin off. There was no doubt that this was the end of the aircraft. However, you always hope that the crew can bail out and survive as POW’s. We were close enough to see the Pilot and Copilot get up from their seats to leave the bomber, but the left wing broke off and the plane began to rotate uncontrollably along its longitudinal axis. Moments later another explosion disintegrated the plane completely. No one was spared.
Events unfolded rapidly and you do not have the time to coordinate well what you do. I flet a blow to the tail of our plane and I thought it might have been some fragment of the other bomber that had exploded. Mark called on the intercom and told me we were hit and that a piece of aluminum tail had embedded in our left side. I no longer heard the characteristic rattle of his firing, so I worried more about that. He said he was bleeding a lot an felt very weak. We had already left the combat zone. The enemy fighters had withdrawn, but it was still a little more than an hour flight. I was constantly calling until I stopped listening about ten minutes before reaching the airfield. When we landed, Mark was dead, had bled to death.
But that was not the worst day, although we lost Mark. A week later, when we bombarded German troops near the city of Kasselnos we were attacked by Focke-Wulf Fw 190’s. This time we did not lose anyone, but the impacts of cannonfire ripped all right landing gear and we had to make an emergency landing upon arrival at the airport. But this time my Tail Gunner shot down one of the German fighters.’

The account of the sinking of Admiral Scheer on April 9, 1945 as told by Mike Seiglie and published in the same book ‘9050 Horas’ by General Del Pino: ‘We flew over the port of Kiel about 60 km north of Hamburg when we surprised a German naval grouping. The entire squadron went on the attack of the enemy ships. An infernal Flak barrier stood between us and the enemy… Derek, my Bomb Aimer, told me with astonishing calmness he would indicate the direction to launch the bombs …! “Four degrees to the right, one more degree, another degree, there, there, I have released the bombs… We hit it! We hit it!” he shouted euphoric.We saw several bombs explode on the German cruiser and a blaze lit up the whole sky. A couple of days later we heard we had sunk the cruiser Admiral Scheer. We continued on to Hamburg where we also surprised and attacked the submarines that were moored at the docks.’

[Courtesy Mehdi Schneyders, translation Hans Klootwijk]

On the night of 9 April 1945, a general RAF bombing raid by over 300 aircraft struck the harbor in Kiel. Admiral Scheer was hit by five Tallboy bombs and capsized.

[Source: wikipedia]

Medals and commendations: The British medal for Enlisted General Service (1939-1945), The medal Liberation of Germany, The French medal Star ‘for conspicuous value and service’ defending that nation, and the Voluntary Service medal from the Royal Canadian Armed Forces. Also he received a personal co-decoration from the King of England, King George VI, for single-handedly sinking a German battleship and thanking him for being a foreigner who risked his life fighting for Great Britain.

[Source: www.elgrancapitan.org]