Wimpey Nights - the life and times of Pilot Officer Gerry Stone RAF

Wimpey Nights - the life and times of Pilot Officer Gerry Stone RAF

Biography by Steve Bond. Include photograph of Gerry Stone in uniform at the beginning. There are several photographs throughout the document of aircrew and aircraft. Chapter 1 - enlistment and training. Covers joining up, training as wireless operator/air gunner where he flew in Vickers Valentia and Westland Wallace. Chapter 2 - Turret fighters. Posted to 64 Squadron and flew in Hawker Demon. as air gunner. Posted to bomber command in December 1938.
Chapter 3 - first bomber tour. Describes move to 115 Squadron initially flying in Harrow and then converting to Wellington. Goes on to describe his 26 operations in some detail. Mentions being shot at by Me 110, covers losses in some operations, forced landings, wounded crew members. Posted to OTU after 26 operations.
Chapter 4 - rested from operations. Spend nearly two years flying routine training on 20 OTU at RAF Lossiemouth. Participated in two more operations while at Lossiemouth to Cologne for which a detailed description is provided. Second was to Essen , also with derailed description.
Chapter 5 -second tour. Posted to 156 Squadron still with Wellington in June 1942. Describes his subsequent six operations including the 34th on 27 August 1942 when his aircraft was shot down by Me 110 flown by Hauptmann Wolfgang Thimmig. Notes that crew were buried in the Reichswald Forrest war cemetery at Kleve (photograph included). List the other members of the crew: Flt Sgt Michael Gordon Savage (930778), pilot age 20, from Eastbourne in Sussex
Sgt Gilbert Hebblethwaite (657350), 2nd pilot age 24, from Crosland Moor,
Huddersfield
P/O Peter Hayes RNZAF (404484), observer age 20, from Sydney, New South Wales
P/O Jack Leewarden (132751) WOp/AG age 25, from Hampstead Heath, London
Sgt Frederick Valentine Herbert Shepherd (629714), rear gunner.
Appendix A - Hauptmann Wolfgang Thimmig - provided biographic details and service history of the Luftwaffe night fighter pilot.

Twenty-two page printed document with photiographs

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