Shot down over Greek island - more info wanted.

[nannodnai]

Hope this is the right place to ask this. I've been asked by a friend how to get information about two british pilots who are believed to have been shot down, and killed, by a german plane, over the greek island of Ikaria (due west of Samos in eastern Aegean), probably in 1944 0r 1945.
No names known, no aircraft type known. We have just been told this by an elderly resident (happened when he was a young lad ! ), and are interested in finding out a bit more. I know it's a lot to ask,

but has anybody any ideas at all on where to start seeking this kind of information ? ? Thanks a lot in advance.

[sycamore]

You could try the `key publishing` website.

[Atcham Tower]

Probably a Beaufighter but a lot were lost over the Aegean. Try Key or the RAF Commands forum

[nannodnai]

Thanks a lot for those suggestions, guys. I've just posted the same question on the "Key Publishing" forum.

Has anybody any idea if the RAF kept records of aircraft shot down in the war, and whether that information is available now ? Where would one start looking, or whom should one contact initially ?

Thanks again for all advice.

[Geezers of Nazareth]

Well ... they 'sort of do' and 'sort of dont'.

The Air Historical Branch (AHB) have record cards for each individual aircraft the the RAF has ever operated, giving details of when it was received from the manufacturer (or other source), which unit it was with, when/where it went for mods, when it came back, and damage (and which cat.), and its eventual removal from the Force. (in the 1980s I did research into Canberra and Hunter loses using the cards, and all I really got was a long list of aircraft serial numbers and dates, but it allowed me to continue searching elsewhere).

They _will_ have a card for the aircraft that you are looking for, but you need to know exactly which aircraft it is first!

As far as I'm aware they don't keep a separate list of 'losses'.

When I was at the AHB it was in Old Holborn in London, but I believe (and happy to be corrected) that they are now at RAF Northolt. I was also told that they have microfiche copies of the cards at the RAF Museum at Hendon.



As for a place to start your investigations ... I would suggest that you start with local newspaper archives on the Greek Island, or maybe the Greek mainland. It would also seem likely that they would have been buried on the island, so maybe have a look through the graveyards in the local churches, look for headstones with the RAF 'wings' on them, and maybe you will find a name. There may also be some kind of memorial to the incident? Do the Greek churches have any local records for burials covereing the period in question? In all the above you're looking to find a name or names ... and you may get multiple sets of names (!).

You could try the Imperial War Graves Commision to see if they have any record of the names you are looking for, or possibly a record of graves
on the Island.

[Avitor]

On a similar theme, I visit Corfu every year and reside in the hills on the west coast overlooking the sea, I look at the tiny sailing craft with their white sails and at the island of Erricusa, beyond which a US Liberator, on the way to bomb the oil storage tanks in the Baltic, went in, taking with it the crew and the lead navigator .
From that point onward, the raid went horrible wrong and huge losses were sustained.
I find it easy to ponder and say a little prayer for those chaps....still out there.

[nannodnai]

Thanks for all those suggestions, chaps. The research is really going quite well now ! We think we have narrowed it down to a Beaufighter (as suggested above ) of 252 squadron, probable registration LZ 287.
The date was 9 Feb 1944. Pilot was Flt Lt Reginald Meyer, and his navigator was Flt Sgt Peter Grieve. Both were about 27 years old at the time they were killed in action.

Most incredible of all, though, is that I MAY (still waiting for confirmation) have identified the pilot's son, who was born in Feb 1944, literally just days after Flt Lt Meyer was killed. How sad is that ? Have written to him, will report if any more information is forthcoming from that source.

Thanks again for all suggestions.