Reginald Neville Stidolph was born on 3^rd August 1915 in Salisbury, Rhodesia, the son of Alan and Josephine Stidolph.  He was educated at Avondale junior School, and Chaplin and Plumtree senior schools.  His mother, grandparents and great grandparents were of pioneering stock, travelling the six month journey by ox wagon from South Africa to early Rhodesia in 1892 on the Moodie Trek. 

Family lore was that Reg wanted to be a pilot from the age of 10, and that he was awarded a scholarship to Cranwell to join the RAF.  However, he was unable to take it up as his father opposed it and wanted him to have a “steady job” in the Civil Service.  He worked in Customs Service for a short while but hated it and went to UK to join the RAF anyway, commencing at the age of 20 in November 1935.

His record of service below has been gleaned by his son Patrick from five of his six flying log books.  One log book, from July 1962 to May 1966, is missing.

• He completed 23,817 hours of flying over more than 41 years, including over 20,000 hours in command, being awarded a Master Pilots Certificate.
• He flew 48 types of aircraft for eight organisations on three continents in 44 countries. He has landed on over 350 different airfields.
• He attained the rank of Wing Commander in the RAF and was awarded the DFC.  He flew 60 operations during the war in Germany, Burma and the Middle East.

Of relevance to this website is his service from September 1943 to June 1944 when was posted as Wing Commander to command No 61 (Heavy Bomber) Squadron. 

1          ROYAL AIR FORCE 1935 to 1946

In December 1937 he was posted to RAF Calshot, a Naval air station in Hampshire, for a floatplane conversion course followed by training at Gosport, near Portsmouth, from Jan to April 1938 on Swordfish float and landplane aircraft.  In May 1938 he went to No 822 (T.S.A) Squadron, “B” flight, at Donibristle in Scotland, for 4 more months of seaplane training on Swordfish.  This training, as a specialist in torpedo work with seaplanes, included torpedo attacks, dive bombing and a total of 35 deck landings (on HMS Stronghold).  On completion, he was promoted to Flying Officer.                                                  

The period September-October 1938 was spent with Fleet Air Arm at Gosport, flying Shark, Tutor, Magister, Osprey and Avro 504 aircraft. From the end of October 1938 to January 1939, he was attached to Cooperation Flight at Mount Batten, Plymouth, as Flying Officer in command, providing air experience for Royal Navy officers.  In Feb 1939, he was posted to 811 (Torpedo Spotter Reconnaissance) Squadron on HMS Courageous and at Donibristle and Eastchurch, as flight leader commanding “D” Flight, flying Swordfish and Magister aircraft.  At the end of this period he was rated above average as a pilot and promoted to Flight Lieutenant.

1.1 Training            November 1935 to April 1939

Reg commenced training with Air Service Training Ltd in November 1935 at Hamble, near Southampton, completing his initial Avro Cadet training of 50 hours over two months.

He then was sent to No 10 Flying Training School at Ternhill in Shropshire where he continued training on Avro Hart and Audax aircraft.  This covered all aspects of handling the aircraft, including action in the event of fire and cross country tests. In April 1936, he graduated as a Pilot Officer, rated above average.

In May 1936, he progressed to two months advanced training at Ternhill, covering pinpoint photography, reconnaissance and front gun sighting.  In July 1936, he was sent for a month to the No 3 Armament Training camp at Sutton Bridge, Cambridgeshire, for Vickers air firing training in Audax aircraft.

In March 1937, he was transferred to “A” Flight, No 34 (Bomber) Squadron at Lympne in Kent where he continued training until November on Hind aircraft, covering camera obscura, bombing practice, war load tests, formation raids, gun tests, cross country, night flying, low lying and high level attacks, squadron formation and London air defence exercises.  He graduated above average.

1.3       Burma, China, India             December 1941-January 1943

Japan entered the war following the attack on Pearl Harbour on December 9^th 1941 and began an assault on Singapore, Burma and Malaysia.  General Wavell had been replaced as Commander of British forces in the Middle East in July 1941 and transferred to India, where he was Commander-in-Chief when the assault began.  A report by Air Vice Marshal D.F. Stevenson on Air Operations in Burma and the Bay of Bengal between 1^st January and 22^nd May 1942, submitted by Wavell to the Chiefs of Staff in London, gives a good insight into events involving 113 Squadron in this period.  This report was published in The London Gazette on 5^th March 1948.  The report emphasises the remarkable work performed by a small air force in defence of Rangoon.

The struggle for air superiority over Rangoon commenced on 23^rd December 1941.  Stevenson was appointed to take command of air forces in Burma with the object of making a front in Burma should the Japanese campaign against Malaya prove successful.  On his arrival at the end of December, he found that the air garrison consisted of one squadron of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) operating P40 fighter aircraft and the No 67 R.A.F. Buffalo Squadron.  The AVG were based at Kunming in China and had been sent by the Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek for the defence of the Port of Rangoon, the only port through which supplies for China could be passed.

From south to north, the main line of airfields in Burma went from Victoria Point in the south to Moulmein, to Rangoon (Mingaladon) and then up the valley of the Sittang through Toungoo, to the east through Heho and Namsang, up to Lashio in the north, a distance of some 1,300 km.  This was the line of aerodromes facing the enemy force based in Thailand, separated by mountainous country with almost no communications, so that warning of enemy approach was impossible.

Despite being promised seven squadrons in additional support, the only equipped squadron to arrive was Reg’s 113 RAF Squadron of Blenheims, sent from the Middle East and supported by Lysander  reconnaissance aircraft of the Indian Air Force.  He left the Middle East on 30 December 1941, flying via Habbaniyah, Bahrein, Sharga, Karachi, Allahabad and Calcutta to Rangoon where he arrived on 5^th January 1942, followed by visits to airfields at Toungoo and Lashio.  This arrival of the Blenheims enabled the RAF to hit back at Japanese bases in Thailand.  On the night of their arrival from the Middle East, a fleet of aircraft took off to bomb docks at Bangkok, but operations did not begin in earnest until 10 days later, after a refit at Lashio.   On 28-29th January, Reg flew Air Vice Marshall Stevenson to Kunming in China, for a meeting with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek and Colonel Chennault (commander of the AVG), returning on the 31^st to Toungoo.  According to Reg’s wife Monica, he had dinner at Kunming with Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. 

Reg’s raids are tabled below, operating from airfields at Toungoo, Rangoon, Zayatkwin and Magwe.  To put these events into context, the Japanese launched their Burma campaign on 12^th January, outnumbering the combined Allied air forces nearly five to one.  Their land assault overwhelmed Tavoy and Mergui, then captured Kawkereik on 20^th January, and seized Moulmein on 31^st January. By mid-February, they had reached the Sittang River and crossed it on 3^rd March, forcing a decisive battle for Rangoon which fell on 9^th March.  The RAF was forced to evacuate to India in Mid-March.  Reg flew out from Magwe on the 12^th, via Akyab to Calcutta.  He featured in a newsreel by British Paramount News on the retreat from Burma, which showed bomb-damaged Rangoon, refugees leaving by Irrawaddy steamer, and Bristol Blenheim Mk IVs of RAF 113 Squadron at Magwe.

January 23 1942             Raid to Bangkok.  Returned owing to excessive fuel consumption

January 25             Bombing Japanese positions in Kawkereik, escorted by 6 P40s

February 4               Recce for suspected Japanese ship off Andaman Islands

February 5               Low level bombing Pa-an, escorted by 6 Hurricanes

February 5               Bombing Paian from 2000 feet

February 14             Flight raid with 6 aircraft on Japanese stores dump near Pa-an; escort 6 Hurricanes & 6 P40.  Slight ack ack.

February 14             Flight raid Martaban railway sheds and docks; hits observed.  Escorted by 6 Hurricanes & 6 P 40s.

February 15             Flight raid with 5 aircraft on Thaton railway station.  Hits on junction.  No escort. Slight ack ack.

February 16             Flight raid with 6 aircraft bombing Moulmein.  Escorted by 6 hurricanes & 6 P 40s.  Hits in area.

February 16             Flight raid with 3 aircraft dive bombing river steamer in Moulmein harbour.  Light & medium accurate ack ack fire

February 22             Flight raid dive bombing Kyaikto.  No ack ack

February 28             Flight raid 2000 ft bombing Shwegyn.  No escort.  No ack ack

March 2              Recce of battle area at Waw-Pegu

March 4              Bombing road block Pyinbon.  Hits. No escort.

March 5              Low level attack with 5 aircraft on Waw.  Escorted by 3 Hurricanes.

March 6              Salvaging crashed aircraft from Rangoon; evacuating Highland Queen

For the next nine months, to January 1943, Reg operated out of India.  For the first three months he was Officer Commanding RAF Station at Chittagong, followed by six months at Headquarters 221 Group where he moved between various air bases at Asonsol, Kanchrapara, Chittagong, Dum Dum, Cuttack, Vizayapatam, Trichinopoly and Allahabad. He has a plaque for Squadron 34 which was presumably from this period although there is no mention in his log book.  No 34 squadron re-formed in Chakrata in northern India at the start of April 1942 with Blenheim IVs.  These aircraft carried out bombing raids on Japanese bases in Burma until April 1943.

1.4       England, Germany   Feb 1943 to June 1946

In January 1943, Reg returned to England from India by ship, stopping off in Durban for a trip home to Southern Rhodesia before arriving back in England at the end of March.  He then spent two months at No 1 P.D.C. (Port Defence), West Kirby near Liverpool.  This period was spent on renewed training.  In June, he was attached to 1501 B.A.T. flight (Blind Approach Training) at Stanton Harcourt for training on Oxford aircraft.  In July he was posted to No 18 O.T.U. (Operational Training Unit) Finningley for training on Wellington III and X bombers, qualifying for both day and night flying on 18^th July.  In August-September, at No 1564 Con Unit, Wigsley, he qualified to fly Lancaster bombers, rating above average.

Jan 5/6  1944                           Ops Stettin.  Bomb load 4 tons.  Attacked by Me 210.  POE  set on fire and fin rudder damaged.  E.A. destroyed. Landed “Matlask” with 10 gal petrol. 

This operation is described by Halpenny (1984).  A total of 358 aircraft were despatched to bomb Stettin and 348 attacked the target.  Fifteen aircraft failed to return.  Soon after dropping his bombs, Reg’s Lancaster was attacked by a Messerschmitt 210 from astern, setting the port outer engine on fire and destroying half the tailplane.  The enemy aircraft was gunned down, the fire was brought under control, and the aircraft brought home using just the two inner engines on full power, taking six hours to return instead of four.  They made for a small grass landing field just across the English coast, landing with only 10 gallons of fuel in the tank.  For the confirmed destruction of the enemy fighter at 0357 hours and for returning despite extensive damage, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

February 15             Ops Berlin.  Bomb load 5 tons H.E & Inc.  Intercepted by Me 109 south of Osnabruck

February 20             Ops Stuttgart: abandoned due to oxygen failure.

 His son Paul was born on the 20^th, just prior to the raid.

April 18             Ops Juvisy (Paris) marshalling yards. 14x1000 lb bombs.                  

April 20             Ops La Chapelle (Paris) marshalling yards.

May 6                Ops Airfield buildings at Tours.

June 1944 to February 1946

In June 1944, he was posted to No 511 (Transport) Squadron at Lyneham where he undertook training on York aircraft.  Between July and September, he piloted these aircraft frequently to Gibraltar, Algeria, Morocco, France and Belgium, as well as performing numerous trials and air tests.  He also flew Liberators and C 87s.     

For the next year, he moved between four different localities.  In the initial six months, at C.I 1332 H.C.U, he flew a variety of aircraft - Anson, C87, York, Oxford, Wellington and Liberator.    This was followed by a month at O.A.T.S (Officers Advanced Training School) in Cranwell.  

Senior commanders course, Cranwell, 1944