Reenlisting on 24 March 1939 Tom is posted quite close to home, so attends the family quite often. He arranges for their move to Abingdon at the time of The Blitz. Because of his experience and ability he is promoted to Sergeant on 1.5.40 and Flight Sergeant on 1.6.41. While in Sicily he is promoted to the highest rank of the lower ranks – Warrant Officer. So throughout the war his remittances to his wife are increasing.

87 Squadron Royal Air Force

In November 1942, 87 Squadron was sent to Gibraltar for the invasion of North Africa, and then as fighter cover for the 1^st Army throughout the Tunisian Campaign. It remained in North Africa for defensive purposes until moved to Sicily in September 1943. In January 1944, 87 Squadron began to take part in sweeps over the Balkans from Italy where detachments were based until the Squadron moved completely in June. In August 1944 fighter-bomber missions began and continued until the end of the war.

Tom Whiteley left the UK in November 1942 and never returned.

[During 1943 and 1944 he writes at least one letter home a week. Mostly they are the blue Air Mail type which could be censored, so they contain mainly complaints about conditions and responses to letters sent to him by his wife. The letters from home have not survived. Occasionally a normal 'green' envelope contains letters which were not censorable. They are more revealing but are still mostly family matters.  

The following added on 17.2.2009

Tom Whiteley’s letters to home.

As Tom explains to his wife, for security reasons he cannot write about operations or give any clues to whereabouts.

Consequently his most consistent contents are family matters especially finance or the lack of it; worry over The Blitz, the bombs, and last of all the V2s; the health of his family and how the two daughters are coping; and the continuing worry over the mail deliveries.

The mail was a running sore because it was so erratic, and when he sent parcels home whether they arrived safely. Most of the men felt the same – it was their only contact with ordinary life at home. Problems were magnified because the turnaround was about three weeks at best, six weeks at worst. At one stage they received no mail for two months. And that was if you stayed with the squadron. Visits to hospital and for special duties increased the chance of mail being held up or going astray.

Tom sometimes became quite neurotic about not receiving enough letters at regular intervals. The worst times were when in a desert outpost or on detachment. The North Africa Campaign began for 87 Squadron in mid-December 1942 and ended in early October 1943 when they moved to Sicily. The move to Italy took place mid-June 1944. It was then that mail became much more regular. But whatever the conditions or circumstances he always wrote one letter a week.

But it was not until they reached Fano on the 4^th September, that they had brick-built accommodation. Yes, you’ve guessed it. For the best part of 20 months they had slept in tents on the sand or in the mud. A low point was reached in Sicily. During one particularly bad storm the camp suffered a deluge. Everything they stood in and all their possessions were soaked.

But there can be no doubt from Tom’s letters that I have left the worst thing to last. The insects. The heat; 120F at the highest. The sand which got in everything. But most of all the insects – the mosquitoes never left them alone. The flies bit like ‘bulldogs’. During the hours of darkness there was only one occupation if you were not on duty. You lay under your mosquito net in the tent, trying to do whatever you could by the light of candles or storm lamps. His greatest pleasure in life was swatting flies. That was the only way to relieve the pressure on one’s mental state. I nearly forgot to mention that long, solid sleep was a luxury for another reason. When ‘Jerry’ came to visit, as he put it, you dived into a funkhole for protection. And that was most nights at one stage in the desert.

For good measure there were bouts of malaria and jaundice going through the Squadron. Tom had two short spells in hospital for a broken finger and broken ribs.

What kept them all sane? It seems there were two main things apart from mail from home. They were sheer British fighting team spirit with a common cause, and the demands of extreme hard work. As a Flight Sergeant and Warrant Officer with a depth and width of experience, the demands were exceptional. Not only was he sent away for special duties for the Squadron, but many of the men regarded him as the ‘Father’ of the Squadron, and they would go to him for all sorts of advice. As if he hadn’t enough problems of his own!

[ I have been extremely fortunate that a typescript of an Officer’s private diary has been made available to me. This does show operational detail, and explains just how exhausting each move was.

His entry for 12^th October reads:

The whole Squadron was shocked to hear early that morning that W/O Whiteley had died suddenly during the night on his way to hospital. Many could not believe it, as only the previous evening he had taken part in a Whist Drive in the Sergeant’s Mess. W/O Whiteley was buried at Fano on Friday 14^th; his M. T. Section acting as bearers, and while operations prevented many from attending, the Squadron was well represented. W/O Whiteley was quite a personality, a father to many and played a great part in improving conditions in the Squadron, and it is hard to find words to pay tribute to “Chiefy”. ]

17.2.2009 update ends

On the 11^th October Tom was inspecting the camp as Orderly Officer in the early night when he complained of feeling unwell and asked to be taken to bed. His condition rapidly worsened, the Medical Officer was called and ordered an urgent ambulance to take Tom to hospital, but he died en route at 11.30 despite all the efforts of the M.O. From feeling unwell to dying took about half an hour. He had had a heart attack brought on by atheroma of the cardiac arteries. Had the six hours in the Atlantic finally taken its toll? Or had the merciless conditions they lived under brought it on sooner?

.

THE CIVILIAN CEMETERY AT FANO WHERE TEMPORARY BURIALS TOOK PLACE BEFORE BEING MOVED ABOUT TWO YEARS LATER TO ANCONA.

THE COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVE CEMETERY AT ANCONA

.

Three letters were sent to his widow at the time of the funeral. They cannot be quoted in full. They are of great sadness.

From a member of his M. T. Section, LAC H Gordon Twitchin:

‘This M. T. Section was extremely fond of its “Chiefy”, as we affectionately called him’; ‘the soccer team remember his advice and keenness’; ‘a Flight member recalls his swimming tips in Africa’; ‘the Officers remember that where others had failed, he would bring back wine or eggs, or parts for a truck’; ‘how much everyone of us held him in esteem’.

From the Rev. W Mills, an Englishman serving as a Captain in a unit of the South African Air Force [part of the Wing that 87 Sqdn was in]:

‘It was a perfect day, with a perfect setting. Overhead a blue sky, and a warm sun; around us the green fields and many familiar trees. We might have been in England! It is a civilian cemetery [in Fano], and one of the neatest and cleanest that I have ever seen. One corner of it had been reserved as a military portion, and there, ready for us, was a new grave. At its head, lying on the ground, was a white cross, and painted on it in black letters your husband’s number, rank, and name, and his Squadron number. A large number of men from his Squadron attended, including the Commanding Officer. The service was quite simple – the Prayer Book Service – but made very impressive by the reverence of that group of men as they stood in silence around the grave.’

From the Commanding Officer Sqdn Leader G W Garton DFC:

[He explains that the British War Graves Commission insist on a simple wooden cross for all interments, knowing that later the contents will be moved to a military cemetery.]

‘we have been lucky at last to accommodate everyone in brick buildings’ and ‘living in tents is not a pleasant experience in winter months’; ‘he was grand in helping the airmen in all their sporting activities’; and ‘the name of Tom Whiteley will long be remembered in this Squadron, and he is often talked about rather as though he were having a long leave.’

The family would like to think that the last 23 months of his life were his greatest achievement. These were his finest hours.

The World War II medals are shown in sequence as worn towards the left shoulder. They are:

1939-45 Star. The colours represent RN, MN, RAF, and The Army.

Africa Star. The pale buff is for sand, the others the Services. The clasp is for service in North Africa 1942-43. Other clasps awarded were for 8^th Army and 1^st Army.

Italy Star. For Service in Italy. Colours are the Italian Flag colours.

 

Defence Medal. Awarded to everyone in the military services.

Flame on green, with two black stripes for the blackout.

War Medal 1939-45. National Colours. Awarded to everyone in the military services.

World War I medals have the person’s number, rank, initials, surname, and Service inscribed around the edge.

 

British War Medal: St George, with the King’s head on the other side.

 

Allied Victory Medal: ‘The Great War for Civilisation 1914-1919, and the figure of Victory holding a palm branch on the other side.

WORLD WAR II LISTS

Thomas Arthur Whiteley

Service Number   23247        (This was issued in 1916 and reused in 1939.)

Re-enlisted in E Reserve: 24 Mar 39

 

 

POSTINGS:

Re-enlisted in E-Reserve	24 Mar 39
Gosport Pool	31 Aug 39
Station Headquarters Northolt	31 Aug 39
No. 2 Camouflage Flight, Heston	8 Dec 39
902 Squadron Balloon Barrage	6 Jan 40
965 Squadron Balloon Barrage	12 Aug 40
87 Squadron	15 Sep 42
Eastern Air Command Africa	24 Nov 42
87 Squadron	7 Dec 42
Died on Active Service	11 Oct 44

MUSTERINGS:

Driver Petrol Group V	24 Mar 39
Driver Mechanical Transport	10 Oct 40

Copyright © Ken Kirkman 2009-2010