Website Notes

WEBSITE NOTES

It would be fair to say that this website arrived at an "eleventh hour" for some and too late for many, if it had been possible to have published it only some ten to fifteen years earlier its original content would no doubt have been greater. Regrettably though, this was not to be and subsequently the memories and recollections of many surviving 198 personnel from a decade or so ago have since become totally lost to history. During the course of this website's publication it has benefitted from the contributions of fourteen former Squadron personnel, sadly however, as at February 2008, there is now, as far as we know, one living in Canada, (Peter Roper) - four in the UK, (Richard Armstrong, Tony Hallett, Arthur Bryant, Gerald Coleshill) - and one in Australia, (Edward Kirk)

During 2005, to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the Squadron's disbandment and the end of World War 2, an attempt was made through TV to find further 198 veterans. An item was duly filmed in August in conjunction with Tony Hallett but regrettably the transmission which took place on September 9th under the title of "Finding The Few" failed to produce any further leads although it did subsequently attract the recollections and memories of several Hawker Typhoon pilots who had flown with other squadrons.
Personnel from eight different nationalities served with 198 during World War 2, these were: Australia - Belgium - Canada - Czechoslovakia - France - New Zealand - Trinidad & Tobago - and the United Kingdom. Overall a total of forty seven pilots were killed of which nine have no known grave and a further fourteen pilots were taken Prisoner Of War.

After the war W/Co Johnny Baldwin was posted as "Missing", (presumed dead) while on an operational flight in Korea during March 1952. F/O Douglas "Douggie" Ford died in a flying accident while Squadron Leader of 245 Squadron RAF during November 1953. Since then, as far as we have been advised, the following personnel have regrettably passed away:
Alex Sibbald 2002 - Yves Ezanno 1996 - Denis Sweeting 1996 - Ernie Linter 1993 - Jiri Manak ? - Geof "Judge" Hardy 2000 - Ken Bowman 1995 - Howard Morley ? - Charles Prosser ? - Frank "Bruce"Lawless 2006 - Alfred Britton ? -
Denis Colebrook 1996 - Ishmael Palmer ? - George Sheppard 2002 - George Lane 2006 - Peter Millard ? - R. L. Chantler 1987 - Edward Cosher ? - Charles R. Rouse 2007 - Frank G. Williams 2007 - Charles "Chuck" Rainsforth 2007 -
Byron C. Lumsden 2008 - Raymond "Cheval" Lallemant 2008.

All are sadly missed.