407 Squadron
[sdd a brief history of the squadron here]
Does this picture show us the whole squadron? According to the squadron operations records and summaries, the squadron had many more personnel than shown here.
As of the end of August, 1944, 407 Squadron had 153 officers (61 Pilots, 27 Navigators, and 65 Wireless Operators/Air Gunners. There were 41 airmen (2 Pilots, 3 Navigators and 36 WOP/WAGs) and ground crew of 9 officers and 134 Airmen. They were complemented by 22 WAAFs (Women's Auxiliary Air Force), for a total of 359. The pictures contains only 116 members of the squadron. The names and ranks of the other members of the squadron can be determined from a review of the operations records. Their names will be listed soon.
When was this picture taken? Clearly after D-Day, when the Squadron was in Chivenor, as the plane has D-Day stripes, and of course Our Crew did not join 407 until after D-Day (See Operations Summary, June 1944 (here) at June 14 - "three new crews arrived today from OTU 6", where the Top Notchers in Photography photo was taken.
In fact, I think it was much later than that. Pilot Officer W.L.Dell, in row 2, took his first flight with the Squadron on 9 August, 1944.F/O J.D. Schultz, in Row 3, was posted back to Canada on 5 September, 1944, so it can't be later than that (and of course Our Crew did not come back to active duty with 407 after September 25).
Perhaps more tragically, there is a complete crew missing. F/O F.A. Kemper, F/S J.M. Richardson, F/O A. D. Hoddinott, P/O D.L.S. Henderson, P/O B.A. Gauthier and W/O A.R. Elliot left Chivenor on 13 August 1944 and did not return. None of those crew members are in this picture (although there are examples of only some members of a crew being in the picture)
However, the terrain looks more reminiscent of Chivenor, than of Wick. Other photos of Chivenor, such as this one, show the same low hills in the background. The squadron transferred from Chivenor to Wick on 21 - 22 August 1944, and the first operational flight from Wick was on 26 August 1944.
Based on all of this, I would say the picture was taken about mid- August, 1944, to commemorate the move to Wick. At Wick, the airfield is on higher ground than the surrounding countryside, and there are no hills higher than the airfield to provide the background shown in this photograph.
As of the end of August, 1944, 407 Squadron had 153 officers (61 Pilots, 27 Navigators, and 65 Wireless Operators/Air Gunners. There were 41 airmen (2 Pilots, 3 Navigators and 36 WOP/WAGs) and ground crew of 9 officers and 134 Airmen. They were complemented by 22 WAAFs (Women's Auxiliary Air Force), for a total of 359. The pictures contains only 116 members of the squadron. The names and ranks of the other members of the squadron can be determined from a review of the operations records. Their names will be listed soon.
When was this picture taken? Clearly after D-Day, when the Squadron was in Chivenor, as the plane has D-Day stripes, and of course Our Crew did not join 407 until after D-Day (See Operations Summary, June 1944 (here) at June 14 - "three new crews arrived today from OTU 6", where the Top Notchers in Photography photo was taken.
In fact, I think it was much later than that. Pilot Officer W.L.Dell, in row 2, took his first flight with the Squadron on 9 August, 1944.F/O J.D. Schultz, in Row 3, was posted back to Canada on 5 September, 1944, so it can't be later than that (and of course Our Crew did not come back to active duty with 407 after September 25).
Perhaps more tragically, there is a complete crew missing. F/O F.A. Kemper, F/S J.M. Richardson, F/O A. D. Hoddinott, P/O D.L.S. Henderson, P/O B.A. Gauthier and W/O A.R. Elliot left Chivenor on 13 August 1944 and did not return. None of those crew members are in this picture (although there are examples of only some members of a crew being in the picture)
However, the terrain looks more reminiscent of Chivenor, than of Wick. Other photos of Chivenor, such as this one, show the same low hills in the background. The squadron transferred from Chivenor to Wick on 21 - 22 August 1944, and the first operational flight from Wick was on 26 August 1944.
Based on all of this, I would say the picture was taken about mid- August, 1944, to commemorate the move to Wick. At Wick, the airfield is on higher ground than the surrounding countryside, and there are no hills higher than the airfield to provide the background shown in this photograph.