Website Notes

WEBSITE NOTES

It would be fair to say that the "Association's" website arrived at an "eleventh hour" for some and too late for many, if it had been possible to have published it only some ten to fifteen years earlier its original content would no doubt have been greater. Regrettably though, this was not to be and subsequently the memories and recollections of many surviving 198 personnel from a decade or so earlier were totally lost to history. During the course of the "Association's" website publication it benefitted from the contributions of sixteen former Squadron personnel, sadly however, by the end of July 2009, there were, as far as was known at the time, one living in Canada, (Peter Roper) two in the UK, (Richard Armstrong and Gerald Coleshill) two in Australia, (Edward Kirk and Alan Houston) and one in New Zealand, (John McIndoe) although it should be noted there had not been any contact with these surviving veterans for some time.

During 2005, to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the Squadron's disbandment and the end of World War 2, an attempt was made through a television news report to find further 198 veterans. An item was duly filmed in August that year but regrettably the transmission which took place on September 9th under the title of "Finding The Few" failed to produce any further leads although it did subsequently attract the recollections and memories of several Hawker Typhoon pilots who had flown with other squadrons.

Personnel from eight different nationalities served with 198 during World War 2, these were: Australia - Belgium - Canada - Czechoslovakia - France - New Zealand - Trinidad & Tobago - and the United Kingdom. Overall a total of forty seven pilots were killed of which nine have no known grave and a further fourteen pilots were taken Prisoner Of War.

After the war W/Co Johnny Baldwin was posted as "Missing", (presumed dead) while on an operational flight in Korea during March 1952. F/O Douglas "Douggie" Ford died in a flying accident while Squadron Leader of 245 Squadron RAF during November 1953. Since then, as far as the "Association" was advised, the following personnel had passed away:

Jiri Manak ? - Howard Morley ? - Charles Prosser ? - Edward Cosher ? - Alfred Britton ? - Peter Millard ?
Richard L. Chantler 1987 - Ernie Linter 1993 - Ken Bowman 1995 - Yves Ezanno 1996 - Denis Sweeting 1996
Denis Colebrook 1996 - Geof "Judge" Hardy 2000 - Alex Sibbald 2002 - Ishmael Palmer 2002
George Sheppard 2002 - George Lane 2006 - Frank "Bruce" Lawless 2006 - Charles R. Rouse 2007
Frank G. Williams 2007 - Charles "Chuck" Rainsforth 2007 - Byron C. Lumsden 2008
Raymond "Cheval" Lallemant 2008 - Anthony R. Hallett 2009 - Arthur L. Bryant 2009 - James A. Colvin 2009