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We closed to 700 feet and I recognized the target as a Heinkel 111. He was on a course of 330°, speed around 200 m.p.h. and his height was 250 feet. I asked Graham to look and confirm my identification. He agreed with me and we commented on how we could clearly see the unusual design of the joint where the rear edge of the wings met the body. Just as the instructor in aircraft identification class had stressed! We closed to 200 yards and I gave a three-second burst from dead astern. I saw strikes on the tailplane and pieces started breaking off and floating past us. Fire started at the starboard wing root and smoke began to pour from the starboard engine. The HE 111 had a top waist turret but they did not return our fire, probably because of the damage that we had already done to them. We broke away to port and watched the enemy glide down and strike the sea with a momentary burst of flame and then the water engulfed the wreckage. We did not observe any survivors as it disappeared. The time was 10:30 p.m. For the next 35 minutes we patrolled under the direction of Trademark with no further incidents and at 11:05 p.m. we were told to return to base. We faintly heard our replacement calling as they came into the area. The weather was still very threatening as we turned onto 180° and started our journey back to base. The flight back was uneventful, with the weather improving the further south we went. When we approached Gambut, the visibility was 15 to 20 miles with a full moon and we could have almost landed without the aid of flares. We touched down at 12:40 a.m. having been airborne for 4hrs. 35 mins. Later on that morning we learned that Hammond and Harris had destroyed a JU 88, and Bays and Battiste had got a JU 52 and a DO 24. They were the last plane to return from the previous evening's operations, landing at 8:25 am. The Squadron count had increased to 15 destroyed, 1 probable and 3 damaged. Graham and I were not scheduled to go on operations the coming evening of October 2nd. There were six planes being prepared, the first to take off at 5:55 p.m. Our C.O. Robbie Robertson had flown in from Idku and was going for the first time. In the evening, we went to the dispersal area and watched the first few planes takeoff. First off were Chapman and Briginshaw and we decided to wait for their return. They landed back at Gambut at 11:25 p.m., having damaged a DO-24. This turned out to be the only claim that night. The last plane to land came in at 7:45 a.m.on the morning of Oct. 3rd. The Squadron score now stood at 15 destroyed, 1 probable and 4 damaged. On the night of October 3rd, five aircraft were due to go on operations. Sqn/Leader Robertson scheduled himself to fly again, even though he had not returned from the previous night until 4:15 a.m. Our Flight Commander, Joe Irwin would also be in the air again. The first plane took off at 5:00 p.m., and we were to be the last off. We took off at 12:29 a.m. and two planes had already returned by that time, one of them being Robbie Robertson, who, once again, had not had any luck. We contacted the Ulster Queen at 1:55 a.m. and then patrolled on an east and west pattern at 500 feet from 2:15 a.m. until 3:30 a.m. without any sign of the enemy. At the end of our allotted time Trademark called and wished us goodnight. I did not realize that it would be the last time that anyone from our Squadron would be talking to them because it was not until later that we learned that the Ulster Queen would be leaving the Aegean. They had done a wonderful job and it was a tribute to the Royal Navy for having kept them safe, especially during the daylight hours. As they had played such a key role in all that we had accomplished, it would have been nice to meet them personally and compare stories. We decided we would make our return by flying over Crete, the way we had the first night… but without the urgency of having to gain height quickly as on that occasion. It was a beautiful clear night and I didn't know at the time that it would be the last time I would see the island of Crete until many years after the war. We arrived back to Gambut without incident and landed at 5:14 a.m. We learned that all our aircraft had returned safely without encountering the enemy except Flt./Lt. Irwin and P/O Watson. They had shot down a JU 52 landplane. On October 4th, the Ulster Queen was withdrawn from the target area. At this point, the No 46 Squadron Gambut Detachment final score was 16 destroyed, 1 probable and 4 damaged. From then on, until the 10th, two planes were deployed every night. Unfortunately, without the support of Ground Control, the chance of locating enemy planes was very small. On the last two nights a Royal Naval vessel, HMS Colombo was used as a Control, but still without success. The moon was waning and there was barely enough moonlight to sustain two intruder patrols each night. The aircrews were gradually being returned to Idku… the operation was coming to an end. Graham and I flew a plane back to Idku on October 5th. We were taking an army officer with us who needed to get to Alexandria in a hurry. There was no room for a passenger to sit in a Beaufighter, so he had to stand behind me in the escape hatch and hang on to the rails that I used to swing myself into the pilot’s seat. We took off, circled around, and came across the airfield very low to buzz our dispersal area. The idea was to pull up steeply and try to blow the tents down with the slipstream. As we did this, I looked around to see how the army officer was faring and found he was sitting on the floor of the escape hatch unable to stand -- the “G” force had driven him to his knees! Probably the last time he hitched a ride in a Beaufighter!
IDKU
The trip to Idku was uneventful and when we arrived, I again buzzed the airfield. It was traditional at this time to do a victory roll over ones base. However, we couldn't do slow rolls in a Beaufighter but we were part of Fighter Command and we made our statement by buzzing the airfield! As I sat in the silence waiting for the hatch to be opened, I realized that a lot had changed since we left here a few days ago. Ground staff and aircrew had proved we were an efficient night fighter squadron, (which we always hoped we were, but never knew for sure), four of us had been given a decoration by His Majesty, and most important, we had survived to tell the tale. The next few days, after all the squadron had returned, were a constant round of parties. There was one in the Sergeants Mess, the Officers Mess, the Airman’s Mess, and the Hurricane Squadron that shared our airfield, not to be outdone, also threw a party for us! The press and photographers visited us. All kinds of line shooting pictures were taken, to the embarrassment of all concerned. The highlight for me was when Air Marshall Sir Keith Park, Air Officer Commander-in-Chief, Middle East visited us to offer his congratulations. He had commanded one of the sectors during the Battle of Britain 1940, and was a big hero of mine from when I was teenager. One of the pictures taken during this euphoric period found it's way into a British national newspaper. It was of Graham and me and described our recent exploits, the fact that we had been decorated, and was complete with our home addresses. This was how my family learned what had happened, a fact I was not aware of, until I returned home a few months later. There was no way I could let them know because all of our letters to home were censored. It was a big surprise to me when they knew all about it.
The final result of the Gambut Detachment was as follows: * Butler/Graham, 5 enemy aircraft destroyed. * Hammond/Harrison, 3 enemy aircraft destroyed, 1 damaged. * Bays/Battiste, 2 enemy aircraft destroyed, 1 damaged. * Phelan/Baldwin, 2 enemy aircraft destroyed. * Chapman/Briginshaw, 1 enemy aircraft destroyed, 2 damaged. * Irwin/Watson, 1 enemy aircraft destroyed * Bradley/Forrester, 1 enemy aircraft destroyed. * Kirk/Carr, 1 enemy aircraft destroyed. * Griffin/Green, 1 enemy probably destroyed. Total destruction to the enemy: 16 aircraft destroyed, 1 probably destroyed and 4 damaged. Ray Graham, Denis Hammond and I, as Warrant Officers, were each awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Flt./Sgt. Harrison was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal. W/O Knight and Flt./Sgt. Harwood of 108 Squadron were killed in action.
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