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Paul Desmond Marsh-Collis 772100 Des Marsh-Collis, born in Nairobi in 1925, joined the RAF in India at some date after November 1939. He kept not only a wonderful photograph album of his war service in India and Thailand, but a copy of a history of 211 Squadron’s operations from 1943 to December 1945. Making his home in the United Kingdom post-war, he and Eveline (née Sheerin) married in 1951. They were to have four daughters. Des died in February 1997. In 2001, Eveline Marsh-Collis most kindly provided a copy of her late husband’s photo album and a typed transcript of the Squadron report, with much help from daughters Jane and Imelda and son-in-law Aidan Simons. In one of those wonderful events that bejewels the modern assemblage of 211 Squadron history, the source of the history so carefully preserved over the years by Des and his family came to light in late 2003: when Peter Spooner came upon the 211 Squadron website, he recognised the report as his own. With the grace and generosity so characteristic of Squadron members and their families, this part of the Squadron story has not only been put to rights, it has been amply embellished, thanks to the help of both families. The story of the original compiling of the history is recounted by the late Peter Spooner on his own page. His history of 211 Squadron’s operations forms the India and Burma page. The war-time album of Des Marsh-Collis
The Blenheim Mark IV in the background and the Mercury on the engine stand have apparently been reduced to “instructional” status. Bomb-bay doors off, leading edges likewise, and most of the canopy glazing apparently gone.
[Des, relaxed and in freshly pressed best tropicals]
Des may be in the 5th row, in forage cap and arms folded, immediately to the right of the nose (Port side). Les Ramsay and Herbert Winnington also kept copies of this photograph and the shots of the Victory Parade inspection below.
The 19 January 1946 Victory celebrations were well recorded by other Squadron members including Ron Kemp, Les Ramsay and Monty Walters, Tom Taylor taking part in the 12 aircraft formation flypast.
[The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter Mark X maintained by Des and his oppo Yorky. M-Mother (more properly, M-Mike at this date) was flown by Alan (Alfie) Wythe DFM with T Wilson as Navigator. There is no serial number visible on the print in Des’ album copy. While the Operations Record Book Form 541 for the Burma period refers to aircraft on operations only by individual letter, not by serial number, it is possible to match daily entries with available individual aircrew Log Books. A search of those to hand (JS Mitchell DFC and EL Wood) shows M Mother to have been Beaufighter X NV526. A colour view of this aircraft (with a spurious serial no) was the subject of an IPMS magazine piece in 1998.
RF729-M is a Mosquito FB MkVI, not a Beaufighter, but it’s still M-Mike! Sources www.211squadron.org © D Clark & others 1998—2024 |
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