159 Squadron RAF
- 159 Squadron was originally formed at Molesworth in England on Jan. 2, 1942.
- The ground crew were posted to the Middle East on Feb. 12, 1942 (without aircraft) and then posted to India on May 10, 1942, (still without aircraft).
- The squadron's aircraft were flown to Palestine in July 1942, from whence they carried out raids on North Africa, Italy and Greece before leaving for India on Sept. 30, 1942.
- The first operation from India was on Nov. 17, 1942.
- The squadron operated in SEAC for the balance of the war, flying bombing, mining, and reconnaissance operations over Burma, Siam, Malaya, Indo-China and the Dutch East Indies
- At the war's end the squadron converted to transport duties
- The squadron was disbanded on Jun. 1, 1946.
- The squadron only flew Liberator aircraft; Mk's II, III, V, VI, VII.
Details on 159 Squadron's "Special Flight"
Liberators listed as serving with 159 Squadron
Includes the "fates" of the aircraft.
Details of 159 Squadron's Operations
Crews of 159 Squadron: January, 1944 to March, 1945.
"Nose Art" on 159's Liberators
The following files are transcripts of F/O C. Bowden's (RAAF) and F/S C. Fristrom's (RAAF) log books for their flights as co-pilot and pilot with 159 Squadron.
- F/O C. Bowden and F/S C. Fristrom graciously provided a photocopies of their logs and permission to reproduce them.
- Aircraft designations and spelling is as listed in the log book.
The files may also be downloaded in Microsoft Word 6 format |
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F/S
Fristrom with ground crew in front of Liberator (63k)
The Log Book of F/O A. H. Fryer
The Grandson of F/O Fryer has generously shared his log book. F/O Fryer served as a Bomb Aimer on 159 Squadron from Jan. 1945 until Sept. 1946. Initial only the post war entries have been transcribed. These entries illustrate the continued use of the Liberator by 159 Squadron after VJ day. Among other activities was the "rice dropping" sorties, giving humanitarian aid to the local populations.
Air Gunner T. F. Ewatski's story, by Stella Hyniuk
WO T. F. Ewatski RCAF was an air gunner on 159 Squadron. Prof. S.
Hyrniuk produced a short book on some of his experiences. With the author's
permission, the book has been reproduced on this site.
A. S. "Sam" Bourque's experiences on 159
George Barker-Read's story of producing the Christmas 1944 show.
George Barker-Read's brief story of his service in the RAF from 1942 until 1946.
The Log Book of Bill Cosway
Canadian Bill Cosway flew 20 ops as a 355 Squadron navigator, followed by 18 ops with 159 Squadron after it had been chosen to be South East Asia Command's Pathfinder (PFF) squadron. Bill's crew and other skilled crews were posted to 159 from other squadrons specifically to bolster its PFF capabilities. Bill is very proud to have contributed as a PFF navigator. Thanks to the efforts of Matt Poole, Bill's logbook has been transcribed, with notes by Matt.
Don Lomas' Diaries
.Don Lomas was a wireless operator/air gunner on BZ926 P/Pegasus, which was shot down over Rangoon Feb. 29, 1944. Don was captured and he survived imprisonment in Rangoon Jail. From April 24 to July 14, 1945, Don had kept a diary for some of this period, and a diary for the period in 1944 prior to Feb. 29th. They have been transcribed by Matt Poole, who has added photographs and other information.
On 15 October 2008, Don passed away peacefully, age 92, in a nursing home near his home in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, England. He was very pleased that his diary has been presented to the world.
Don's Diary for January 1, 1944 to February 28, 1944
(Revised Version June 2009)
(low resolution, 1.5Meg file) (high resolution, 4.8Meg file)
Don's Diary for April 24, 1945 to July 14, 1945
(low resolution, 600K file) (high resolution, 3Meg file)
Liberator Serials from Logbooks, by Matt Poole
This document records serials and code numbers, plus an analysis on a aircraft by aircraft basis.
At this time it is based on the analysis of 40+ logs of those who served on Liberators,
many having served some time on 159 Squadron..
If you have any comments, please e-mail me: robert(at)rquirk.com (please replace the (at) by @)
Last updated June 12, 2009