Allan Hockley
as Sergeant (Picture courtesy of Mr. Ryan
Dudley)
He became
pilot on
a Fortress II. Since January 1944, this
squadron was part of Bomber Command's 100
Group. It was made up of planes used for
(counter-) electronic warfare. 214 Sqn flew
the American build Fortress II and flew in
support of bomber missions.
On 24th May
1944 the crew of Fortress II, SR384, BU-A
was sent on an operational flight to
Antwerp.
The crew consisted of:
P/O HOCKLEY.
A.J.N. (Australian - KIA)
F/S GLENN. T.D. (British)
F/S LYALL. R.T. (Australian - POW)
F/S GUNDY. R.T. (New Zealander)
SGT SIMPSON. R.V. (British - KIA)
SGT LOVATT. E. (British)
SGT HALLETT. (?).W. (British)
SGT McCUTCHAN. J.E. (Canadian)
SGT LLOYD. R.F. (British)
B 17
Fortress II. There is some question that
this picture could be SR384 or
HB767 BU-A (Able) (picture courtesy of P/O Bill Foskett
via
Kevin
Crawford)
Official records show that the Fortress
aircraft SR 384 piloted by P/O Alan Hockley
took off from Oulton at 23:38 on an
operational flight to Antwerp. Nothing more
was heard from the crew after take off and
the crew were presumed dead by air ministry
the next day, on 25 May 1944. In July 1944
the R.A.A.F. received a telegram from
International Red Cross Committee (IRCC)
quoting German information stating May 25
F/SGT Lyall captured, Raoul Trichon 'Tom'
Lyall. Four months after this initial
telegram the R.A.A.F. received another
telegram from the IRCC dated 27 November
1944 reading: "Berlin communicates following
deceased airmen:- 420197, Hockley; A.J.N.
Washed ashore 11/6 Harbor Yerseke buried
communal cemetery Yerseke grave 172".
Yerseke General Cemetery, (Zeeland) is
located on the island of Zuid Beveland some
13 km east from Goes.
Fortress II
SR384 was attacked by a German night
fighter, piloted by Oblt Hermann Leube of
4./NJG3. The Fortress crashed at 0057 hours
into the Oosterschelde.
Two bodies were recovered from the sea and
buried in Yerseke. The pilot, P/O Allan
Hockley washed ashore near the harbor of
Yerseke on 11 June. The body of the planes
rear gunner, 20 year old Raymond George
Victor Simpson, of King's Lynn, Norfolk was
also recovered. Both men are buried in
Yerseke General Cemetery. Family lore of
pilot Hockley says that the remainder of the
crew parachuted into a flooded area of
Holland being picked up by Gestapo shortly
after swimming to dry land.
F/Sgt Lyall
was captured and became a POW.
This was the first loss of Fortress crew and
aircraft for 214 Squadron since it became
part of 100 Group back in January 1944.
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