P/O WILLIAM GAYTER RAMWELL
RAF 192 Squadron
Specialist Electronic Operator
Missing/Died 19 March 1944 (age 21)
WW2 Air Crew Europe Star medal trio with
silver RAF Barrington-Kenett Medal dated1939
(Ramwell was 16 when he received this RAF sporting medal)
Barrington-Kennet Medal, 1939/45 Star,
Air Crew Europe Star & KGVI 1939/45 War Medal
The scarce WW2 Air Crew Europe Campaign Star.
Granted for Operational Flying from United KIngdom
bases over Europe between 3 September 1939 and 5 June 1944.
With the WW2 group is the type 5 Barrington-Kennet Medal with
Maker's name & Birmingham silver hallmarks on the edge.
The BARRINGTON-KENNETT TROPHY MEDALS were
awarded to mark individual achievement in the various Inter-Wing
sporting competitions held in the Summer & Winter terms at
R.A.F. HALTON near Wendover.
Would be apprentices entered the School between the ages of 15 and 18,
where they underwent three years training.
Medals are mostly inscribed A/A (Aircraft Apprentice)
A/A. RAMWELL W.G.
(Aircraft Apprentice)
Silver hallmarks for BIRMINGHAM 1938/39 impressed on the edge.
The design on the obverse depicts a WW1 SE5 Biplane.
In memory of one of the four Barrington-Kenett brothers
killed during the First World War.
Four years after RAMWELL was awarded this medal
he received his appointment as Pilot Officer
(28th December 1943 - Published in London gazette 11/2/44)
On 19 March 1944 Ramwell took off from RAF FOULSHAM
in Vickers Wellington X LN7 16 DT-H.
He was 21 years old and on board as a
Specialist Electronic Operator with 192 Squadron.
Royal Air Force 192 Squadron was stationed at
FOULSHAM from Nov 1943 - Aug 1945.
The unit's role was radar countermeasures (RCM) and this
entailed the identification of enemy radar patterns and wavelengths.
192 Sqn was originally formed as an Advanced Night Flying
Training unit. Members of this specialized RCM Sqn was
seen as the "Special Forces" of Bomber Command.
On the evening of 19 March whilst flying a sortie over
Northern Fance Ramwell's Wellington went missing.
Nothing was found and he was presumed killed.
From FLIGHTGLOBAL
From the OLD HALTONIANS ROLL OF HONOUR.
(Entry no. 38)
RAMWELL is also recorded on the website of
He is remembered at RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL.
The Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede commemorates by name over 20,000 airmen who were lost in the Second World War during operations from bases in the United Kingdom and North and Western Europe, and who have no known graves. They served in Bomber, Fighter, Coastal, Transport, Flying Training and Maintenance Commands.
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Wow! Where did you get all this info? He was my uncle. Apparently he forged his birth certificate to enlist, became a Mosquito pilot, was shot down twice, then transferred to 192 Squadron and got shot down again. They were a super-secret squadron researching early radar and the like, and pathfinders, too.
ReplyDeleteMy other uncle Peter, was in the bombers and got a DFC for his role in sinking the Tirpitz.
Regards
William Ramwell (william@ramwell.com)