by Bryan Long
Hi Janine,
My name is Bryan Long. I live in New Zealand. Currently I am riting an article about a distant (3rd, I think) cousin who flew in 192 Squadron during WWII. His name was Edward Roy Taylor DFC. He flew 44 sorties during 1944 and 1945. I was doing research and stumbled across an article about your book in the ‘Eastern Daily Press’, recognising photos from his photo album! In the photo (shown below) he is second from left, awarded the DFC in 1945.
I’m just wondering if you’ve heard of him at all, and if so, what information you may have on him? Through his family here, I have his Logbooks and photo album, also approx. 20 of his flight maps. Do you have Squadron Records at all … look forward to hearing from you or indeed anyone who knows more about my cousin?
Edward Roy Taylor DFC
Edward Roy Taylor seen 2nd left - Does anyone know the names of others shown in this picture?
Research
Edward Roy Taylor, known as ‘Ted’, was born on 26 June 1914 in Auckland, the youngest of 6 children. He was renowned for his sense of humour. His only known aircraft incident was when he crashed while taking off. He managed to extract himself from the plane and started walking back to base. On his way back, the ambulance crew passed him, asking if he knew if the pilot was okay. His response was: ‘As far as I know’. He kept on walking and the ambulance headed off to the wreck. When it was later discovered that he had been the pilot, he was reprimanded. In another instance, while flying circuits waiting for a fog to clear in order to land, he was heard over the radio singing:
‘When I was just a wee-wee tot, they took me off my wee-wee cot and put me on my wee-wee pot, to see if I could wee or not …’
This potentially happened on 21 December 1944, the Squadron Records state:
‘This aircraft landed in conditions of very bad visibility with the aid of the Fog Dispersal installation, (FIDO)’.
Apparently, the Controller was not too impressed with his rendition!
In October 1941, Ted started training at Whenuapai airbase in Auckland, New Zealand, joining No.4 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS). He would spend the next 5 weeks here, learning to fly in the de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth. He had his first solo flight with just under 10 hours flying.
Ted moved around a few more Flight Training Schools both in New Zealand and England.
In July 1942, he started at No.10 Flight Instructor School. By the time he started at FIS, he had 222 hours of flying under his belt. He was here just under 2 months before, on 24 September that year, being transferred to the Elementary Flying Training School at RAF Booker in Buckinghamshire. Here, he would spend the next 20 months as an Instructor flying Tiger Moths and Miles Magisters.
While at RAF Booker, he went on only one operational flight. On 2 August 1943, he was attached to 77 Squadron, flying as 2nd Pilot in a Halifax, serial no. JD371. They flew to Hamburg to bomb a target from 18,000ft to drop leaflets. The Records state that flak was moderate to heavy and there were bad meteorological conditions. It was noted that bombs fell short of their intended target. Sadly, on 28 August 1943, the crew of JD371 was shot down over Belgium, with 5 crewmen killed.
By 24 August 1944, Ted had clocked up 1343 hours. He transferred to 1655 Mosquito Training Squadron at RAF Warboys in Cambridgeshire. On 5 October 1944, after 55 hours training in the Mosquito, he transferred to 192 Squadron at RAF Foulsham in Norfolk.
192 Squadron was part of RAF 100 Group – a Special Duties Group tasked with the development, testing and operational use of electronic warfare. They flew missions recording German radio transmissions, blocking Radar using ‘Window’ (small strips of tin foil). They even had Germanspeaking airmen able to put out false transmissions. Adolf Galland had this to say about 100 Group:
‘The combination of the Pathfinders’ operations, the activities of No. 100 Group, the British advantage in Radar, jamming and Window techniques, combined with Intelligent attacking tactics, as well as the discipline and bravery of RAF Crews, have been remarkable. We had our (sic) severe problems trying to defend Germany in the air …’
RAF 100 Group was so secret that even bomber crews they flew in support of did not know of their existence. There is still information today on some of their missions that remains classified, subject to the 100 Year Rule.
With 192 Squadron, Ted flew three different models of Mosquito – the FB.IV Fighter Bomber, the B.IV Unarmed Bomber, and the PR.XVI Photo Reconnaissance. In all, he flew 13 different aircraft. By the end of the war, only 10 aircraft remained:
•Mosquito DK292 went missing on 26/27 November 1944, killing Pilot Flt/Lt Jack Fisher and Flt/Lt Henry ‘Vic’ Vinnell.
•One of the Mosquitoes were sent to the French Air Force in 1946.
•The rest were ‘struck off charge’ between 1945 and 1951.
1944 saw the Germans start using V2 rockets. The Allies believed V2s were radio guided. As a countermeasure, the Allies flew what were code-named ‘Big Ben Patrols’. These patrols carried equipment the Allies thought would interfere with the radio signal of the V2 rocket, taking it off course. It was not until 1976 that they discovered V2 rockets were not radio-guided at all. Ted flew several ‘Big Ben Patrols’ from January to March 1945. I’m not sure if he operated Big Ben or was recording transmissions to V2 rockets. One of his Logs for a ‘Big Ben Patrol’ says he was ‘… searching the 27-65 Mc/s band for signals thought to be associated with the control of Enemy V2s’.
Most of Ted’s missions were concerned with recording Enemy R/T and W/T. He did a few flights investigating different Radars and transmissions such as Freya, FuG 217, and Centimeter. On twelve of his missions, he also operated PIPERACK, code-name for an airborne jamming transmitter carried by an aircraft to produce a cone of jamming behind it, within which the following bomber stream could shelter. He was operating PIPERACK on the night of 23 March 1945 or the bomber force that bombed Wesel in Germany. This attack was in preparation for ‘Operation Plunder’, Monty’s Operation to cross the Rhine.
Ted flew a total of 43 sorties, with a total of 154.35 hours while a part of 192 Squadron, spending an average of 3.5 hours on each mission. He has a Commendation in his Logbook from the AOC of 100 Group that reads:
‘For Meritorious Service and good airmanship, that in a full operational tour has been completed without having been involved in any accident or ever having an unnecessary cancellation or abandonment of an operational sortie.’
He was awarded the DFC in 1945. The Citation reads:
‘This Officer as Pilot has completed numerous operations against the enemy in the course of which he has invariably displayed the utmost fortitude, courage and devotion to duty.’
As I spent more and more time researching 192 Squadron and the missions that Ted flew, I feel privileged to be linked to this man. I have found myself wishing I could have met him. I have smiled as I spot him in a photo. I imagine, as all Veterans tend to believe, that he would never call himself a hero … but he is! He faced possible death each time he flew over enemy-occupied territory. What was their mission? - to protect the bomber crews. They flew above the bombers to provide protection by means of electronic warfare and have been called: ‘Guardian Angels of the Skies’. Ted lived to the age of 91, passing away in 2005, leaving behind a wife in New Zealand.
I would like to acknowledge Janine Harrington, author & Secretary of RAF 100 Group Association, for her assistance with some of this information. She does an amazing job in continuing to campaign for the recognition of those who served under RAF 100 Group, Bomber Command.
Ted Taylor's DFC
Edward Roy Taylor: Personal Diary Entries - Transcribed by Janine Harrington
‘… was wet, but it cleared during the morning a little and has been showering all day. Tonight, it is quite wintry again. Had a great Show tonight in the Warboys Club. Lofty and Shorty a jolly good combination. I felt much happiness and more confident of myself. The Lord has been good and is certainly looking after me. I feel now maybe I will get home again after all. I was a bit … before.
Sat 9th September: Another one-and-a-half-hour dual today … a few events, etc. Flt/O Lyatt shot up his girlfriend’s place at St Ives. Steep turns at 50 feet … shook me rigid??? Icy cold today. Warm in the aircraft though. Went to a film tonight ‘No Time for Love’. Claudette Colbert.
Sunday 10th September: Boy, did I shake myself tonight. Went solo after two circuits. Did few landings solo. Quite good too but jolly pleased to finish and walk away in one piece. Did my solo in a Fighter Bomber this morning … on first take-off but managed to throttle back and start again. On Ob, machine swung on landing and wrote itself off just after I had finished. Boy, just as well I had! Now that means I have finished the flying here. Only about seven and a half hours. It’s not sufficient, but with Divine’s help we can cope ok.
Monday 11th: Lectures all day. Had most of it before. Lovely day but quite cold during the night and early morning. Did a bit of swat tonight for the quiz tomorrow. Reckon I shall have to pay up a bit as we forfeit 2d. for each question we miss. Lots of mosquitoes about now, but the silly things are easy to catch, not like the bally things at home.
Tuesday 26th Dec: For security reasons I have not been writing this up lately. Visited Wyton with my navigator Bert Golburn who turned out to be unsuitable for high level stuff. Then off to Foulsham and operations. First trip a shaky do with the oxygen going u/s over Duisburg … took off in fog and landed on FIDO being first Mossie crew from here to do so. Great bunch of boys in the flight. Jimmy Allen, Johnny Cartwright, Ernie Bishop … F/O George, Maidment, Down, Robinson, Vinnell, Jack Fisher, Kett, Hicks, Gomersall, Stead, Phillips.’
Can anyone name people shown in this photograph of 192 Squadron?
This article is from the Summer 2019 issue of Confound and Destroy
