R.A.F. IBSLEY ============= RAF Ibsley was located on the east side of the A338 Ringwood to Salisbury road between Ringwood and Fordingbridge. The following notes comprise an operational synopsis for this airfield and were to form the basis of a short book about the airfields of the New Forest - a project which was subsequently abandoned due to pressures of work several years ago. However, I have added some additional notes, predominantly about S/Ldr F.J. Howell, gleaned from material in Rodney Legg's recently published book, "Battle of Britain Dorset" - available from the Dorset Publishing Company (Tel: 01963 32583) or via good booksellers. Ibsley was regularly visited by distinguished guests including the Duke of Kent (twice), Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, and Air Vice Marshal Sholto Douglas. It was also the location used for the film "First of the Few". Today the majority of the airfield and its runways have been ravaged by Amey Roadstone's gravel extraction activities, though the old control tower still stands on private farmland, and sundry small buildings are still standing and used by farmers in the locality. I understand that some sort of preservation/historical society was formed in 1993 and that one of its aims was to ensure the continued existence of the control tower. Moyles Court, now an Indendent Boarding & Day Preparatory School, was the Station Headquarters, and Chatley Wood the Officers' Mess. As can be seen by the number of incomplete dates below, much detailed research remained to be done, but the notes are now offered primarily as a pointer to those engaged in genealogical or historical delving. PERSONAL NAMES MENTIONED: Allison, Dixon M. (U.S.A.) Kilian, R.C. Barclay, K.M. Kilmartin, J.I. (Irish) Birchfield, F.E.W. Lefevre, P.W. Blake, M.V. (New Zealand) Lewis, R. Brown, H.L.I. Lucas, P.B. Cremin, D.E. Malfroy, L.E. Crossley, M.N. Nelson, J.C. (U.S.A.) Currant, C.F. Russell, H.a'B. Fatjl, F. (Czech) Seghers, E.G.A. (Belgian) Foit, E. (Czech) Tobin, Eugene Quimby "Red" (U.S.A.) Fulford, Vamel, F. (Czech) Gleed, I.R. Villa, J.W. Gonay, H.A.C. (Belgian) Vybiral, A. (Czech) Haywood, G.S.K. Watts, L.W. Hill, Sydney Jenkyn Willis, S.C. Himr, J.J. (Czech) Witorzenc, S. (Polish) Howell, Frank Jonathan Wooten, E.W. (Dutch?) Johnston, H.A.S. Yule, R.D. SQUADRONS MENTIONED: R.A.F. 32, 46, 56, 66, 72, 92, 118, 124, 129, 165, 170, 175, 234, 257, 263, 302, 310, 312, 313, 421, 501, 504, 587, 605, 616 R.A.A.F. 453 U.S.A. 1st Fighter Group (Sqdns 71 & 94), 100th Fighter Wing, 48th Fighter Group (Sqdns 492, 493 & 494), 367th Fighter Group, 371st Fighter Group ----------------- From To 15/2/41 Ibsley opened as a satellite of Middle Wallop 16/2/41 17/4/41 32 Sqdn moved in with Hurricane 1's - engaged in convoy patrols NOTE: CO's of 32 Sqdn were:- S/Ldr M.N. Crossley DFC ??/8/40 - ??/??/?? and S/Ldr H. a'B. Russell ??/??/?? - ??/10/41 13/3/41 30 small bombs dropped by Luftwaffe 18/4/41 23/2/42 118 Sqdn moved in with Spitfires IIa's - engaged in defensive patrols over South Coast (Subsequently used Spitfire IIb's from July 1941 until Sept 1941 and Vb's from then on) Around this time 32 Sqdn moved to Pembrey. NOTE: CO's of 118 Sqdn were:- S/Ldr F.J. Howell DFC ??/2/41 - ??/10/41 Howell, a Londoner from Golders Green, had served with 609 Sqdn. On 18/7/40, the then Flt. Lt. Howell (then based at Warmwell) parachuted into the sea from Spitfire R6634 during a mid-afternoon dog-fight five miles from Swanage. A Royal Navy picked him up. On 15/8/40 following an encounter between Warmwell Spitfires and an estimated 100 enemy aircraft just south of Portland Bill, Howell claimed a Junkers JU88 kill. Again on 7/9/40 returned to Warmwell claiming that he had shot down a Messerschmidt Bf110 and on 13/9/40 claimed his 4th kill, a JU87 "Stuka" dive-bomber. On 15/9/40 Howell claimed a Dornier Do17 bomber shot down and a hlaf-share in another claimed by Pilot Officer "Red" Tobin. On 21/10/40 Howell shared with P.O. Sydney Jenkyn Hill (aged 23 of Ferndown, Dorset) the credit for the destruction of a Junkers JU88 bomber, 609 Sqdn's 100th kill. (Hill was killed by a Messerschmidt Bf109s on 18/6/41 & is buried in Folkestone New Cemetery). Howell was awarded the DFC on 25/10/40. He was posted to RAF Filton where he formed 118 Sqdn on 20/2/41 (according to Legg). He later moved to the Far East where he was catured by the Japanese after the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales on 10/12/41. S/Ldr Howell lost his life in an aerodrome accident on 9/5/48 when he was decapitated by the wing of a Vampire whilst filming his jets with a cine-camera. S/Ldr H. a'B. Russell DFC ??/10/41 - ??/1/42 (previously CO of 32 Sqdn - see above) 4/5/41 118 Sqdn accidentally shot down a Whitley from which the crew managed to bale out. ??/5/41 Damaged a Ju88 ??/6/41 Escorting Beauforts on anti-shipping strikes against destroyers off Cherbourg Also flew some night patrols 8/7/41 During one of these the CO shot down a He 111 17/7/41 P.O. Fulford shot down a Bf109 6/8/41 P.O. Fulford shot down another Bf109 5/8/41 25/1/42 501 Sqdn arrived - both 118 Sqdn & 501 Sqdn equipped with Spitfire IIa's and engaged in Rhubarbs, Ramrods, Roadsteads and convoy patrols NOTE: CO's of 501 Sqdn were:- S/Ldr C.F. Currant DFC ??/8/41 - ??/6/42 and S/Ldr J.W. Villa DFC & Bar ??/6/42 - ??/9/42 During the Battle of Britain, Currant served with 605 Sqdn and Villa served with 72 & 92 Sqdns. 11/10/41 1/11/411 302 Sqdn, the first of the Polish squadrons to be formed in this country, assisted with bomber escort work and convoy patrols using Spitfire IIa's and Vb's NOTE: CO was S/Ldr S. Witorzenc who served with 501 Sqdn during the Battle of Britain 5/11/41 24/12/41 234 Sqdn arrived - operated with others as a Wing under Wg Cmdr 'Widge' Gleed escorting bomb-carrying Hurricanes, 2 Group light bombers and the heavies of Bomber Command. 31/12/41 23/3/42 Return of 234 Sqdn. NOTE: CO's of 234 Sqdn were:- S/Ldr M.V. Blake ??/??/?? - ??/1/42 and S/Ldr F.E.W. Birchfield ??/1/42 - ??/10/42 Blake, a New Zealander, served previously with 238 Sqdn 7/2/42 3/7/42 Return of 501 Sqdn using Spitfire Vb's and, from May 1942, Vc's. 7/3/42 3/7/42 Return of 118 Sqdn with Spitfire Vb's. ??/3/42 10/10/42 175 Sqdn using Hurricane IIb's. 16/3/42 Long-range sweep of 300 miles resulted in shortage of fuel in bad weather - 28 Spitfires landed at Exeter, 4 landed at Bolt Head and 4 crash-landed with the loss of one pilot 9/4/42 118 Sqdn lost four aircraft and six pilots in a ferocious battle with Focke Wulf 190s. 27/4/42 3/7/42 66 Sqdn arrived and used Spitfire Vb's (and later Vc's) on sweeps, bomber escorts, Rhubarbs & occasional night patrols NOTE: CO's of 66 Sqdn were:- S/Ldr D.E. Cremin DFC ??/3/42 - ??/5/42 S/Ldr L.E. Malfroy DFC ??/5/42 - ??/6/42 S/Ldr R.D. Yule DFC ??/6/42 - ??/11/42 Yule served with 145 Sqdn during the Battle of Britain and was killed later in the war 15/5/42 Wing escorted 8 Hurri-bombers against three mine-sweepers off Cherbourg - one ship blew up, another burst into flames and the third was listing badly. Despite heavy flak, only 2 Spitfires damaged and all Hurricanes returned safely ??/6/42 Operations continued at reduced rate until Gleed was posted, the Wing dispersed and Ibsley was handed over to the USAAF ??/6/42 American advance party arrived 7/7/42 16/8/42 Return of 66 Sqdn under S/Ldr R.D. Yule DFC 7/7/42 16/8/42 Return of 118 Sqdn using Spitfire Vb's. The squadron now had a high proportion of Dutch and Free French pilots NOTE: CO of 118 Sqdn was S/Ldr E.W. Wooten DFC & Bar who served with 234 Sqdn during the Battle of Britain 7/7/42 24/8/42 Return of 501 Sqdn using Spitfire Vc's. 16/8/42 22/8/42 Short spell for 421 Sqdn using Spitfire Vb's on a broad range of operations including Circuses NOTE: CO was S/Ldr S.C. Willis 20/8/42 24/8/42 Brief return of 66 Sqdn. 27/8/42 14/11/42 1st Fighter Group (71 & 94 Sqdns) flew in their P38F Lightnings from Goxhill 29/8/42 94 Sqdn scrambled two aircraft to intercept a Luftwaffe bomber - no contact made 25/10/42 28/2/43 Detachment of 170 Sqdn using Mustang I's. 14/11/42 1st Fighter Group left for Tafaroui (Algeria) via Portreath (Cornwall) having flown 273 sorties & claimed one victory. Tragically two aircraft were lost in transit. 12/12/42 Ibsley transferred to 10 Group 23/12/42 66 & 118 Sqdns returned from Zeals using Spitfire Vb's on a broad range of operations including Circuses NOTE: CO of 118 Sqdn was S/Ldr E.W. Wooten DFC & Bar 30/12/42 30/6/43 504 Sqdn arrived - engaged in Circuses, Ramrods, Rhubarbs and top cover for B17 daylight raids over France using Spitfire Vb's & Vc's NOTE: CO's of 504 Sqdn were:- S/Ldr R. Lewis ??/2/42 - ??/1/43 S/Ldr J.I. Kilmartin DFC ??/1/43 - ??/3/43 S/Ldr R.C. Kilian ??/3/43 - ??/7/43 Kilmartin, an Irishman, served with 43 Sqdn during the Battle of Britain 3/1/43 Departure of 118 Sqdn ??/1/43 Severe gales had the southern half of the airfield under water despite the previous widening and straightening of drain culverts ??/1/43 ??/6/43 Detachment of 124 Sqdn using Spitfire Vb's, VI's & VII's based here - activities unknown NOTE: CO of 124 Sqdn was S/Ldr J.C. Nelson (U.S.) 8/1/43 12/8/43 Detachment of 257 Sqdn using Typhoon Ib's. 9/2/43 Departure of 66 Sqdn. 2/1/43 15/3/43 616 Sqdn arrived using Spitfire VI's and joined 504 Sqdn in their operations. They were impeded by lack of replacement aircraft during the winter NOTE: CO's of 616 Sqdn were:- S/Ldr H.L.I. Brown DFC ??/2/42 - ??/1/43 S/Ldr G.S.K. Haywood ??/1/43 - ??/4/43 S/Ldr P.W. Lefevre DFC ??/4/43 - ??/4/43 S/Ldr P.B. Lucas DFC ??/4/43 - ??/7/43 S/Ldr L.W. Watts DFC ??/7/43 - ??/7/44 Lefevre served with 46 Sqdn during the Battle of Britain but was killed some time later - at this station? 13/2/43 28/2/43 129 Sqdn joined the operations using Spitfire Vb's NOTE: CO of 129 Sqdn was S/Ldr H.A.C. Gonay Gonay, a Belgian, served with 235 Sqdn during the Battle of Britain but was killed sometime later - at this station? 13/3/43 28/6/43 Return of 129 Sqdn. 18/3/43 Return of 616 Sqdn using Spitfire VI's. ??/3/43 26/7/43 Detachment of 124 Sqdn using Spitfire VII's. ??/3/43 Took part in Army Co-operation exercise Spartan. Until June 1943 were escorting daylight raids over the Continent ??/3/43 616 Sqdn provided close escort on Churchill's return from Casablanca ??/?/43 616 Sqdn provided close escort for the King on his return from North Africa 30/6/43 30/7/43 Short stay by 165 Sqdns using Spitfire Vb's & Vc's on bomber and fighter-bomber escorts NOTE: CO's of 165 Sqdn were:- S/Ldr E.G.A. Seghers DFC ??/3/43 - ??/6/43 and S/Ldr H.A.S. Johnston DFC ??/6/43 - ??/1/44 Seghers, a Belgian, served with 46 & 32 Sqdns during the Battle of Britain but was killed some time later - at this station? 28/6/43 20/8/43 Arrival of 453 Sqdn (R.A.A.F.) using Spitfire Vb's, Vc's and IXb's on sweeps and escorts, mainly on anti-shipping strikes over the Channel Islands and Northern France and withdrawal escorts for Fortress attacks deeper into France. They also used the eastern airfields as refuelling bases to take part in raids over Belgium and Holland. NOTE: CO was S/Ldr K.M. Barclay 17/9/43 Departure of 616 Sqdn. 19/9/43 2/12/43 310 Sqdn established as the first squadron formed from Czech refugees flying Spitfire Vb's &Vc's on bomber escorts over France NOTE: CO of 310 Sqdn was S/Ldr E. Foit 21/9/43 2/12/43 Joined by 312 Sqdn - the second Czech squadron NOTE: CO's of 312 Sqdn were:- S/Ldr A. Vybiral ??/1/43 (?) - ??/11/43 S/Ldr F. Vamel DFC ??/11/43 - ??/5/44 18/9/43 6/1/44 Joined by 313 Sqdn to form the Czech Wing. Took part in bomber escorts with many raids against V1 launching sites in France. When the Spitfire IX's arrived in the New Year they were converted for bombing. Bombing practice began in February though bombing sorties did not begin until April NOTE: CO's of 313 Sqdn were:- S/Ldr J.J. Himr ??/6/42 (?) - 24/9/43 S/Ldr F. Fatjl DFC ??/9/43 - ??/2/44 Himr served with 56 Sqdn during the Battle of Britain and was killed whilst commanding the squadron - see below 21/9/43 Skirmish with Bf 110's - otherwise little action 24/9/43 During a Mitchell escort, the squadron encountered a force of Bf110's, destroying one and claiming a further one as a probable, but losing two including the CO, S/Ldr J.J. Himr 5/12/43 5/1/44 263 Sqdn arrived to convert to Typhoon Ib's - non-operational 20/1/44 20/2/44 Return of 313 Sqdn with Spitfire Vc's & IX's. ??/1/44 (?) All RAF units left - control returned to USAAF 13/1/44 HQ of 100th Fighter Wing (IXth Air Force) moved in - aircraft dispersals and airfield defences strengthened 29/3/44 48th Fighter Group (492, 493 & 494 Sqdns) arrived from USA 29/4/44 48th Fighter Group flew their first P47 mission over France under the command of Col. Dixon M. Allison. There were now almost 3000 Americans at Ibsley, many under canvas. ??/4/44 ??/5/44 371st Fighter Group on temporary stay caused by the state of the base at Bisterne ??/4/44 ??/5/44 Intensive training on Ashley Walk bombing range followed by pre-D-Day sweeps attacking marshalling yards, airfields, coastal batteries and radar stations 6/4/44 Convoy and beach cover for D-Day reverting to sweeps afterwards. During June 1944, the 48th Fighter Group flew 68 missions involving 1956 individual sorties. 17/4/44 A Lightning failed to take off and burst into flames. The pilot escaped but three firemen were killed when the bomb load exploded. ??/5/44 Two Lightnings were destroyed in a mid-air collision over Fordingbridge. ??/5/44 4/7/44 As Advance Landing Grounds on the Continent became available, the squadrons moved in, the last leaving Ibsley on 4th July 1944 ??/7/44 ??/7/44 A liaison squadron based for about a week ??/7/44 22/7/44 367th Fighter Group arrived from Stoney Cross leaving for Beuzeville, France, after a short stay ??/10/44 End of American occupation. Oxfords of No. 7 Flying Instructors' School move in from Upavon for short stay 1/10/44 ??/??/?? Detachment of 587 Sqdn using Hurricane IIc's. 6/12/44 48th Fighter Group earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for its ground support missions. 9/3/45 Transferred from 11 Group to 46 Group, Transport Command. No operational units based here - used as a satellite by Stoney Cross & Holmsley South ??/??/?? ??/10/45 Used by the Glider Pick-up Training Flight which arrived from Zeals with Dakotas and Hadrians. They moved to Ramsbury in October 15/8/45 Victory Dance held ??/??/?? ??/??/?? Used by 160 Staging Post, a ground unit, whilst awaiting a move to Guernsey ??/??/?? ??/??/?? 200 & 201 Signals Units assembled in readiness for Tiger Force ??/10/45 Transferred to 47 Group though last flying unit already gone. Base personnel now down to 350. ??/1/46 Work started on new Station HQ 22/2/46 Moyles Court released from requisition. ??/3/46 Grass between runways ploughed up, Nissen huts sold off to local purchasers. Some of the Blister hangars used by a detachment of 49 MU for storage. Staff dispersed to Holmesley South, Stoney Cross & Netheravon. ??/??/47 Ibsley became an inactive site. Ellingham to Rockford Common road reopened ??/??/7? Amey Roadstone began gravel extraction SOURCES: Fighter Squadrons of the R.A.F. The Narrow Margin Action Stations Vol. 5 Battle of Britain Dorset: Rodney Legg (Dorset Publishing Co) [ISBN 0948699434], 1995 PHOTOS: page 250 of Fighter Squadrons of the R.A.F. page 461 of Fighter Squadrons of the R.A.F. ---------------------------------------------- Maurice Sheppard, Poole, Dorset. January 1995 -------------------------------------------- --