1 SQUADRON - Fighter, Hawker Hurricane Mk I
AASF - 67 (Fighter) Wing (N° 1, N° 17, N° 73, N° 501, N° 242 Sqdns)
By the outbreak of the Second World War the Squadron had worked up sufficiently to deploy to France as part of 67 Wing of the Advanced Air Striking Force. In October 1939 it flew over enemy territory for the first time and on the 30th of that month claimed its first victory, a Dornier DO17. Further occasional combat took place and the successes mounted.
However, the situation developed significantly in April 1940, and 10th May was the date on which No 1 (Fighter) Squadron became fully operation in every sense of the word. Fighting was intense and a week later the Squadron was bombed out of its base at Berry-au-Bac; then began a series of retreats ending finally in a return to the UK. The Squadron was back at Tangmere by 23rd June and operational the following month.
As German forces advanced on Paris, following the conclusion of the Dunkirk evacuation, the position of the French became ever more critical. On 14 June the squadron moved to Boos, on the Seine, covering evacuations from this port. Three days later it flew south into Brittany on similar duties. From here the remaining pilots flew home to England on 18 June, the ground crews coming out by sea.
What, then, had 1 Squadron achieved during this period of hectic operations and disastrous retreat in the battle for France?
Between 10 and 19 May at least 86 more victories had been claimed, at a cost of 17 Hurricanes, but with only two pilots killed and two seriously wounded. From then until the evacuation to England not a single further loss of either aircraft or pilot was suffered, although claims for 16 more opposing aircraft were submitted, to bring the total since the outbreak of war to at least 125 (17 of which remained unconfirmed).
Total losses in combat since September 1939 amounted to 22 aircraft crashed or force-landed, two pilots killed, one missing and two wounded. By the end of June 1940, ten Distinguished Flying Crosses (DFCs) had been awarded to officers of the squadron, and three Distinguished Flying Medals (DFMs) had been received by NCO pilots.
During the last days (France, June 1940) the airfield at Nantes was crowded with a strange assortment of machines as civil and communication aircraft were pressed into service to aid the evacuation. There were similar scenes at other points. Many men also left from the western ports where the German air attacks on the transports were heavy. Fighter patrols gave what protection they could and were able to drive off many attacks, but one disaster occurred at St. Nazaire on 17 June when the liner Lancastria was dive-bombed and sunk and upwards of 3000 perished. A British pilot from No.1 Squadron reported the destruction of the bomber which hit the ship. The fighter pilots were, in fact, the last to leave, with the enemy vanguard almost within striking distance. On completion of the final evacuation at Cherbourg, the last Hurricane to fly over the town and harbour was, appropriately enough, piloted by Air Vice-Marshal Park.
23/05/1940:
;b]F/L F*.E. Warcup[/b], F/O D.S. Thorn and F/S A.V. Clowes share in the destruction of a He111. Time and location unknown.
14/06/1940: Shipping escort patrol, St. Nazaire, F
Sgt A.V. Clowes is credited with a He111 destroyed. Time unknown.
Type: Hurricane Mk 1
Serial number: ?, JX-?
Operation: Shipping escort patrol
Lost: 14/06/1940
Flight Lieutenant F*. Warcup baled out and captured. Aircraft a write-off.
* Should read "P".
Philip Edmund Warcup was a POW initially in Stalag Luft I and subsequently in Stalag Luft III until the end of the War.
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Born in 1915 the son of an oil executive living on the Wirral, Warcup was at grammar school when his father died when he was aged 15. He left school and became a
Halton Apprentice on completion of which he went to Cranwell.
At Cranwell he excelled at sport, as one would expect for a tall, well built young man, representing the College in both football and cricket.
He trained to fly Spitfires and became a flight commander and led the aerobatic team of 54 Sqn, before being posted to France to bolster up the air cover during the embarkation of British armed forces and others from France.
Upon being repatriated he was immediately moved up the promotions list to Temp Wing Commander. He had not of course flown for 5 years and filled a number of staff roles.
In July 1954 he was promoted to the rank of Group Captain.
In 1957 he was appointed staish at RAF K.L.
At the end of that tour, he spent a year on the Imperial Defence Course at the completion of which he was promoted to Air Commodore and posted as Assistant Commandant at RAF Staff College, Bracknell.
In the early 1960's the USA were anxious to learn all they could as to why the UK had won against the communists in Malaysia whilst the USA was losing against the communists in Vietnam. In January 1963 Warcup chaired a symposium held in the USA of senior military personnel from the UK, Australia and USA.
This the link to the paper which was produced.
https://www.rand.org/content/dam/ran...005/RM3651.pdf
Philip Warcup was a very effective and popular station commander in KL, he was clearly marked out to move much higher up the flag pole.
But guess what -- before the end of 1963 he had retired. I think I know why, but I will not post about it.
Why do I post about him?
I explain tomorrow. (It is just a pity I do not have the colour slides uploaded to my computer.)