110 Squadron November 11, 1943
Response to Icare9 who posted the names of the three 110 Squadron air crew killed Nov. 11, 1943
On October 14, 1943 the Squadron moves again, this time to Kumbhirgram, about 25 km northeast of Silchar, under the command of S/L Leonard Frank Penny DFC. In November S/L Penny leads the Squadron into action. Their target is the south-bound road out of Imphal toward Tiddim. Of the ten aircraft that arrive over the target, Penny’s is the only one that fails to bomb. He is more successful on his second raid of the same area when the Squadron intervenes in an artillery battle and tips the balance in favour of the British.
On November 11, 1943 three 110 Squadron members are killed. Commemorated at Gauhati War Cemetery, Assam, India are:
Cpl Alfred John Arthur Burrows, age 33, RAFVR
LAC John Joseph Crockett, age 24, RAFVR
LAC James McKendrick Hall, age 31, RAFVR
One close call the Squadron has with the Japanese takes place when they are driving out to their aircraft for a bombing run. Reg Duncan is sitting on the end of the truck and notices some airplanes overhead, telling the boys, “We have Mohawks for fighter support today.” Then he sees the Rising Sun and shouts, “They’re not Mohawks!” The truck comes to a screeching halt and the men dive under it as quickly as the enemy comes tearing down in a shoot-up. “Bullets ripped the shirt off my back and smashed through my fingers, slicing the guy in front of me. We were banged up but no one was killed.”
Source: Mosher, Sara V. "Remember Me: No. (110) Hyderabad Squadron Royal Air Force". Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 2011.