Gerard Anthony Guinane                                                                       Updated: 26 NOV 2021

Airman: o888147.htm Surname: Guinane Init: G A Rank: Sgt Service: RAF Sqdn: 58

P_link: p427.htm Plane: HAL JP336 Operation: Anti ship Crash_site: Kattegat

Crash_d: d240445 Buried_d: o888 C_link: o888.htm At_Next: POW

  HAL JP336 var nødt til at nødlande på havet (måske omkring her nordøst for Gjerrild på Djursland) den 24. april 1945.

"Den 23. april 1945 kl. 20.15 lettede F/O Lawrence Barclay Davey fra Stornoway i HAL JP336. Ved midnat opdagede flyet en tysk konvoj fra Norge, og under det første angreb blev flyet svært beskadiget af flak. Davey forsøgte at nå land, men ca. 1 sømil (måske omkring her) nordøst for Gjerrild på Djursland (Gjerrild Fyr her) måtte flyet lande på vandet, hvor det holdt sig flydende i brændende tilstand i en halv time. Fra land blev branden observeret, men ingen sejlede til undsætning.
Da F/O Davey kom fri af flyet, kunne han høre anden-piloten F/Sgt Thomas Ernest Parker Rosenthal råbe om hjælp inde i den brændende maskine. Davey krøb ind i
vraget og fik hjulpet Rosenthal ud. Telegrafisterne F/O John Vilhjalmur Johnson og Sgt Gerard Anthony Guinane var også kommet fri af flyet, og i fællesskab fik de
pustet deres gummibåd op og roede rundt for at finde de 5 øvrige besætningsmedlemmer, men forgæves.

De kunne se den danske kyst, men vinden kom fra vest, og strømmen førte dem hurtigt til havs. Den efterfølgende nat døde F/Sgt Rosenthal, og da gummibåden var
utæt, måtte han begraves til havs. Senere drev Rosenthal dog i land ved Svarthall (måske omkring her), og den 26. juli 1945 blev han begravet på Varberg kirkegård i Sverige. Efter 36 timer blev de nødstedte omsider opdaget af en tysk observationspost på Anholt (her), og to udsendte danske fiskekuttere "Vera" og "Hafnia" samlede
de 3 flyvere op, og bragte dem ind til Anholt. Via Grenå (her) blev de overført til Århus Kommunehospital, hvor de i dagene efter befrielsen nød stor opmærksomhed."
(FT 91-10-54)

Fra HAL JP336 er 3 flyvere begravet i Odder og deres navne er blandt 47 navne i St. Clement Danes og i Horsens. Halifax maleri.
Se Halifax Print * Halifax Mk III på YAM 2019 * folk bag en Halifax klar til en mission.
1 blev begravet i Sverige, 2 har ingen kendt grav og 3 blev
ført til Tyske krigsfangelejre. 9 flyvere.

 HAL JP336 had to ditch in the Kattegat (maybe about here northeast of Gjerrild in Djursland) on 24 April 1945.

"F/O Lawrence Barclay Davey took off from Stornoway in HAL JP336 on 23 April 1945 at 20:15. At midnight the plane spotted a German convoy from Norway, and the
plane was heavily damaged by flak during the first attack. Davey tried to reach land, but the plane had to ditch about 1 nautical mile (maybe about here) northeast of
Gjerrild in Djursland (Gjerrild Lighthouse here). It floated, burning, for half an hour. The fire was seen from land, but nobody sailed out to their rescue. When F/O Davey
got off the plane, he heard Co-Pilot F/Sgt Thomas Ernest Parker Rosenthal shouting for help from within the burning plane. Davey crawled into the wreck and helped Rosenthal out. The Wireless Operators F/O John Vilhjalmur Johnson and Sgt Gerard Anthony Guinane had also come off the plane and together they inflated their
dinghy and rowed around to find the other 5 crew members, but in vain.

They could see the coast of Denmark, but the wind came from the west and the current quickly took them off the coast. F/Sgt Rosenthal died in the following night,
and as the dinghy leaked he had to be buried at sea. However, Rosenthal later drifted ashore at Svarthall (maybe about here), and he was buried in Varberg
Churchyard in Sweden on 26 July 1945. After 36 hours the airmen in distress were finally spotted by a German observation post on Anholt (here) and two Danish
fishing boats "Vera" and "Hafnia" were sent out to pick up the 3 airmen. They were then taken to Anholt. Via Grenå (here) they were transferred to Århus Municipal Hospital. In the days after the liberation they were met with great attention here." (FT 91-10-54)

3 airmen from HAL JP336 are buried in Odder, 1 in Sweden, 2 have no known graves and 3 were taken to German POW-Camps.

See No. 58 Squadron RAF * RAF Coastal Command *  This Halifax from No. 18 Group RAF took off from RAF Stornoway. Halifax painting
Halifax-Wikipedia*Halifax Print*Halifax-BC Museum.Canada * Halifax-RAF Museum * Halifax-The Yorkshire Air Museum * Halifax Mk III at YAM 2019*LAN-HAL.
Robin Hudson of RAFA Stornoway sent details of airmen from HAL JP333 * HAL JP302 * HAL JP173 * HAL PN402 * HAL JP299. Also HAL HX224 * HAL JP336
HAL HR686 and HAL JP330 took off from RAF Stornoway. See Lost Airmen from RAF Stornoway.  9 airmen.