Photo from The Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia.

Above, left:- Colin Campbell KANE, "Paddy", 122503 RAFVR, Pilot (May 1943 – Jan 1944);
Centre:- W/Cdr William Taylor RUSSELL, 39341 RAF, Pilot and Commanding Officer of 462 Squadron (July 1943 – Feb 1944);
Right:- Edward Peter LANDON, "Pete", 49062 RAF, Pilot (Feb 1943 – Jan 1944).

462 Squadron was formed on 6 September 1942, in Middle East Command. The squadron was based in various locations in Egypt and Cyrenaica (Libya). It was disbanded on 01 March 1944.

Due to inquiries received and interest in 462 Squadron during its life in the Middle East Command, this page of photos has been created. Many of the people shown in the following group photos are not named, so if you can assist with identification and location, please make contact.

The photos were received from The Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia; the Australian War Memorial; and Thomas Latham Archives.

Link to identified crews of 462 Squadron in Middle East Command.

Link to Cemeteries and Memorials for 462 Squadron personnel who served in Middle East Command, with list of names.

 

Pages yet to be created for Pilot KANE and Crew.
If you can assist with photos or information, please make contact.

Thomas Latham Archives, with permission of Mark Sewell.

Above: Group of 462 Squadron personnel at Fayid, Egypt, late 1942.

Back row: 14 men, all unidentified.
Middle row: 15 men; 1. kneeling, no ID; 2 – 6 seated no ID; 7. Robert George Albert BURGESS 403601 RNZAF; 8 – 15 no ID.
Front row: 10 men; 1 – 7 no ID; 8. Thomas LATHAM 570482 RAF; 9 – 10 no ID.

In the middle row, numbers 8, 9, and 10 seem to be high ranking Officers, based on the stripes on their shoulder epaulettes.
BURGESS was the Observer for the KENNY Crew in late 1942, previously of 10 Squadron; and was identified by his son Martyn Burgess.
LATHAM was Flight Engineer for the KOFOED Crew in late 1942, and previously of 76 Squadron, and was identified by his grandson Mark Sewell. A smaller version of the original photo with aircraft, may be seen on the Kofoed Crew page.
The identification of both BURGESS and LATHAM confirm that the photo is after the merger of 10 Squadron and 76 Squadron, to create the new 462 Squadron in early September 1942. Only 38 men of various crew positions and different rank, so possibly one Flight (?).
All operationally expired aircrew were posted from 462 Squadron on 10 December 1942, and returned to the UK. The squadron was then temporarily non-operational, pending arrival of fresh air crew . Please make contact if you can assist with identification.

Photo from The Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia.

462 Squadron, Middle East Command, Halifax and personnel.

Those wearing wide brim 'slouch hats' are most likely Aussies in the RAAF.
Note the presence of the front turret, which dates the photo as being mid-1943 – on 30 April 1943 permission was granted for the removal of the Mid Upper and Front turrets of 462 Squadron's Halifax II aircraft. The last Op with Mid-Upper Gunner listed was on 12 June 1943.
Location – Solluch (January to mid-February 1943); or Gardabia Main (mid-February to early May 1943); or Hosc Raui May – Sept 1943); but probably not Terria (Oct – Dec 1943), but probably Hosc Raui.
Front row, number 6 from left, wearing Officer's cap, possibly W/Cdr William Taylor RUSSELL (462 Squadron Jul 1943 – Feb 1944; see also photo at top of page).
Front row, number 5 from left, hands on crossed leg, was named as S/Ldr W R KOFOED by the authors of book "To See the Dawn Again". Their photo caption also included "A Flight at Benghazi, June 1943" (perhaps meaning Hosc Raui?). However KOFOED's grand-daughter (and her father, KOFOED's son) have confirmed that it is not KOFOED (462 Squadron Sept-Oct 1942; and again Feb-Oct 1943).
Front row, number 5 from left, hands on crossed leg, possibly F/O or F/Lt William Charles Ernest CRAIG (462 Squadron Feb-Oct 1943). Please make contact if you can assist with identification.

 

Photo from The Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia.

462 Squadron, Middle East Command, Halifax and squadron personnel.
Those wearing wide brim 'slouch hats' are most likely Aussies in the RAAF.
The absence of a Front Turret dates this photo as being after mid-April 1943, or at least in the second half of 1943.
Location – either Hosc Raui (late May to September 1943); or Terria (October to December 1943).

Photo from the Australian War Memorial collection, ID MEA0514

AWM caption: crew and Halifax of 14 Squadron, 1942 - which should be 462 Squadron, 1943.

Above, L - R: 1. not named, 2. DOAK; 3. TURNER; 4. SCOTT; 5. KOFOED; 6. not named.

DOAK (Feb-Nov 1943) and TURNER (Feb-Aug 1943) were from the LANDON crew. SCOTT (Jan 1943 - KIA 18 Aug 1943) was from the BIRMINGHAM Crew; KOFOED (Feb-Oct 1943) second posting.

From these postings, the photos were taken sometime after Feb 1943 and before 18 August 1943; but not December 1943.

DOAK, TURNER, and SCOTT had never flown with the KOFOED Crew; so it appears that the photo was for publicity or morale purposes, with KOFOED at rank of S/Ldr, and extras called in order to make a "Crew", with Nav, and MU/AG or B/A not named.

Photo from the Australian War Memorial collection, ID MEC0534

AWM caption: Dec 1943, Terria, Halifax and crew of 462 Squadron.

After some research, the identification is as follows .......
Above, L - R: 1. not named,
2. Leonard Charles DOAK 408568 RAAF (Tail Gunner);
3. Charles Kenneth TURNER 954184 RAFVR (Wireless Operator);
4. Albert Arthur SCOTT 16890 RAAF (Flight Engineer);
5. William Robert KOFOED 404380 RNZAF (Pilot);
6. not named. (Please contact if you can identify 1 or 6)

Above, left and two below - all 4 photos from Laurence Craddock Le Guay collection at the AWM. Also included are individual portraits of each man, with 4 of the 6 identified in their photo (MEA0515 KOFOED; MEA0516 SCOTT; MEA0517 TURNER; MEA0518 DOAK; MEA0537 not named, 1, left; MEC0571 not named, 6, right). Location Gardabia Main or Hosc Raui

AWM identified F/Sgt G D TURNER 15340 UK; however pages of a photo album once belonging to F/Sgt Charles Kenneth TURNER 954184 RAFVR (later PO, FO, and F/Lt 178994) shows the same group photo MEA0514 (left), as well as the Le Guay portraits MEA0515 of KOFOED; and MEA0517 of TURNER.)

Photo from the Australian War Memorial collection, ID MEC0536

AWM caption: Dec 1943, Terria, Halifax and crew of 462 Squadron.

Above, L - R: 1. not named, 2. DOAK; 3. TURNER; 4. SCOTT; 5. KOFOED; 6. not named.

The Halifax in the distance has not been identified by Serial or Letter code, even at high magnification of all 3 photos; nor has the Halifax and rear turret used as photo background.

Photo from the Australian War Memorial collection, ID MEC0572

AWM caption: 1943, Terria, Halifax and crew of 462 Squadron.

Above, L - R: 1. not named, 2. SCOTT; 3. KOFOED; 4. TURNER;
5. DOAK; 6. not named.

The Halifax used as "photo frame" has not been identified by Serial or Letter code. Note also the vehicle visible in the background, to the right.

462 Squadron Football XI October 1942, Cup Winner’s showing 11 members of the team.
In October 1942, 462 Squadron was based at Fayid, Egypt.

Four of the men have an ‘x’ marked on, or beside them –
Back row: from the left – 1, and 4;
Front row: from the left – 1, and 3.
This could mean that those four were friends of the original owner of the photo album, OR were members of a particular crew or ground-staff group, OR perhaps were later Killed.
Five of the DECLERCK Crew were KIA on 23 Oct 1942, and three of the GOLDSTON Crew on 10/11 Nov 1942.
Please refer to 462 Squadron Middle East Crews.
Most of the air crews at that time were previously from 10 Squadron or 76 Squadron, Middle East. Ground staff were from 227 or 454 Squadrons.

Photo from J. KNOWLES, UK

Reverse side of photo "462 Squadron XI October 1942, Cup Winner’s

The photo is from an album purchased at a car boot sale by collector Jon KNOWLES, UK, who kindly made contact when he realised the significance of the photo. The album has many photos, which appeared to have been taken by an un-named serving member of RAF “57 Recovery and Salvage Unit”, based in the Middle East.
The location of exactly where the photo was taken is not known. It may have been at Fayid Base, or at a nearby football ground, or on another nearby Air Force base.

None of the eleven in the team have been identified. There were at least eleven crews at 462 Squadron, Fayid, in Oct 1942, as well as numerous ground-staff. Members of the football (soccer) team may have been of any occupation, any rank and any nationality (Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, British).
There was no mention of a Football Cup win in the Oct 1942 ORB. In 1943, sporting events were sometimes mentioned, but no team members names were recorded.

No photos of 462 Squadron operational crews for 1942 are available for comparison at this time. All Operational Crews were posted back to the UK as ‘Tour expired” in December 1942.

If you can identify anyone, please make contact.

Photo from The Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia.

462 Squadron Officers, and Mess staff.

Photo from The Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia.

462 Squadron Aircrew Soccer Team, ready for a Fancy Dress soccer match, undated, probably 1943.

Photo from The Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia.

462 Squadron Rugby Team, late 1943, perhaps before a match.

Photo from The Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia.

462 Squadron Rugby Team, late 1943, perhaps after a match.

Some of the same faces can be recognised in the photos above and left, but names are not yet known.

Photo from The Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia.

462 Squadron Aussie Rules Team, late 1943.

The same photo as above, also appears in "To See The Dawn Again" on page 48 with names listed as follows ..... (quote) .....
Rear: Hosking, Houston, Atcheson, Anderson, Baker, Greene, Cargeig (Captain).
Centre: Goode, Henshall, Gallaford, McPherson, Chaston, Brydson, Dalziel.
Front: Connell, Polson, Brodie, Doak (white shirt), Lout, Croote, McMahon, Skipworth.

Photo from The Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia.

462 Squadron Aussie Rules Team, late 1943.

Some of the same faces can be recognised in the photos above and on the left. There seems to be a mix of aircrew and ground crew – some of the names listed are included in Ops, but not others.
DOAK (of LANDON crew) is front row, centre, white shirt.

Photo from The Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia.

462 Squadron personnel in the Cast of "Aladdin" – December 1943.

Photo from The Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia.

462 Squadron personnel celebrating – December 1943.

A scan of the 1943 Christmas Menu for 462 Squadron at Terria, was added to the Hogan Crew page, for the website renewal on 06 November 2018. The family of the crew's Bomb Aimer James Angus Ward, have the original menu with the Christmas theme artwork. The Menu details have been transcribed, as have bombing targets listed.

A scan of the reverse of 1943 Christmas Menu (462 Squadron, Terria) was added to the Hogan Crew page, for the website renewal on 06 November 2018. There are over 30 original signatures of personnel from 462 Squadron, many of whom would be in the photo above. Names have been transcribed, with other identifying details.

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