DEREK, PETER & JADE HENDERSON's
FAMILY PHOTOGRAPH ARCHIVE
The Chattington/Cooling/Henderson/Skingley/Wells Lines - The War Years part 2

For Family Trees see:
The Cooling/Chattington/Henderson Courting Years
The Henderson/Wells Line The War Years part 1

 
1 Mary Chattington, Kath Cooling & George Henderson with Maurice & David Cooling
2 Eileen Chattington holding David & George with Maurice c1940


3 The wedding of Jack Skingley to Marjorie Henderson 18 November 1940
L-R Unknown couple, Jack, Marjorie, Harry Henderson & Betty Wells

 
4 Jack & Marjorie
5 PC Jack Skingley on duty
Jack Skingley joined the RAF in 1942 & died in a Lancaster bomber raid over Belgium on 21 July 1944


6 The wedding of George Henderson to Eileen Chattington 4 December 1940
L-R Unknown lady, Peggy & Harry Henderson, Rose Henderson, George & Eileen, Marjorie Skingley,
Kath, Bob & David Cooling, Mary Chattington & Maurice Cooling

 
7 Pocket bible given to George by Eileen on their wedding day inscribed by her
To my darling Husband With all my love
This bible stayed with him right through to his death bed

 
9 George & Eileen's wedding
10 Sergeant Harry Henderson
Hand tinted photographs


11 RAF Medium Bomber Squadron No. 18 (George Henderson 2nd from L standing)
As a trained mechanic, George served in the ground crews servicing the Bristol Blenheim twin enginned aircraft

No. 18 Squadron Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was formed at Northolt in Middlesex in 1915
from No. 4 Reserve Squadron, with the motto Animo et Fide (With courage and faith)



It has as its badge a Pegasus rampart, chosen to commemorate the fact that it was the first ever air squadron
to be in wireless communication with ground troops, during the Battle of the Somme 1916
In 1918, the RFC was merged with the Royal Navy Air Service to form the Royal Air Force (RAF)

The squadron served in France from September 1939 to May 1940 before retreating to England
May 1940 to September 1941 they engaged in attacks on the Channel ports, France & the Low Countries
October 1941 to January 1942 the squadron was based on Malta and, reduced to 5 aircraft, withdrew to Egypt
May 1942 the squadron was reformed in England with new aircraft & crew but many of the same ground crew
November 1942 to August 1943 they were engaged in the North Africa campaign accompanying the Allied armies
as they advanced from Algeria to Tunisia, during which time they were re-equipped with Boston aircraft
August 1943 to the end of the war they accompanied the Allied troops to Sicily and hence Italy,
attacking targets in northern Italy & the Balkans

   
12 detail from 11
13 George (R)

   
14 & 15 Professional portraits of George & Eileen
George was now a sergeant & Eileen served as a driver in the ambulance service in the war years


16 The squadron with Bristol Blenheim aircraft (George seated at R end of 2nd row from the front)

  
17 George (detail from 16)
18 George always enjoyed a joke

 
19 George in N Africa
20 George & tent mate

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