RAF Ibsley Memorial
Details:
On the south side very near the intersection.
A square plinth formed from Purbeck stone blocks with a sloping top to which is fixed an incised and colorful polished Granite tablet giving the history of RAF Ibsley and a map of the airfield. It rests on the concrete base of the airfield's old guardroom/ picket post. Three small metal plaques with white lettering are fixed to the front face of the plinth. A second marble tablet with incised white lettering is fixed on a sloping stone at the foot of the front face of the plinth. Two more sloping stones are on the left and right sides of the plinth bearing the Roll of Honor plaques. The whole memorial is surrounded by metal railings.
Ibsley was known as USAAF Station AAF-347 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and by which it was referred to instead of location. Its USAAF Station Code was "IB".
USAAF Station Units assigned to RAF Ibsley were:
- 327th Service Group
329th and 79th Service Squadrons; HHS 327th Service Group
- 21st Weather Squadron
- 32nd Mobile Reclamation and Repair Squadron
- 3rd Radio Squadron
- 40th Mobile Communications Squadron
- 83rd Airdrome Squadron
- 98th Station Complement Squadron
- Headquarters & Headquarters Squadron (70th Fighter Wing)
Regular Army Station Units included:
- 555th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion
- 692nd Quartermaster Battalion
- 926th Signal Battalion
- 1113th Signal Company
- 1180th Quartermaster Company
- 1292nd Military Police Company
- 1829th Ordnance Supply & Maintenance Company
- 2200th Quartermaster Truck Company
- 332nd Signal Company
- 807th Chemical Company (Air Operations)
- 878th Signal Depot Company
- 900th Signal Depot Company
1st Fighter Group
The first USAAF unit to use Ibsley was the Eighth Air Force 1st Fighter Group, equipped with Lockheed P-38 Lightnings. The 1st FG arrived from RAF Goxhill on 24 August 1942. Tactical squadrons of the group and squadron fuselage codes were:
- 27th Fighter Squadron (HV)
- 71st Fighter Squadron (LM)
- 94th Fighter Squadron (UN)
The stay of the 1st FG was short, being assigned to Twelfth Air Force for duty in the Mediterranean theater in support of the Operation Torch North African landings.
On 16 October 1943 RAF Ibsley was allocated to the Ninth Air Force.
48th Fighter Group
Republic P-47D-30-RA Thunderbolt Serial 44-33204 of the 493d Fighter Squadron
P-47Ds of the 48th Fighter Group at an advanced landing ground
With construction completed, on 29 March 1944 the Ninth Air Force 48th Fighter Group arrived at Ibsley from Waterboro AAF, South Carolina (32.921817°N 80.633297°W). The 48th flew the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and had the following fighter squadrons and fuselage codes:
- 492d Fighter Squadron (F4)
- 493d Fighter Squadron (I7)
- 494th Fighter Squadron (6M)
The 48th was a group of Ninth Air Force's 70th Fighter Wing, IX Tactical Air Command. Ibsley continued to be used by the 48th FG until 4 July when the last personnel left.
367th Fighter Group
Lockheed P-38 Lightning of the 394th Fighter Squadron wearing D-Day invasion markings, June 1944
Arriving on the heels of the departing 48th FG, the 367th Fighter Group arrived at Ibsley on 6 July 1944 from RAF Stoney Cross. The 367th flew Lockheed P-38 Lightnings. Tactical squadrons of the group and squadron fuselage codes were:
- 392d Fighter Squadron (H5)
- 393d Fighter Squadron (8L)
- 394th Fighter Squadron (4N)
The 367th was a group of Ninth Air Force's 70th Fighter Wing, IX Tactical Air Command. The 392d and 393d and 394th Fighter Squadrons went to Carentan (ALG A-10), Cretteville (ALG A-14) and Reuxeville (ALG A-6) respectively.
Source of information: www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk, Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register, en.wikipedia.org
Source of photos: www.waymarking.com
Monument Text:
Top side plaque:
R. A. .F | IBSLEY |
PLAN OF AIRFIELD AFTER EXTENSION 1942 | FIGHTER SQUADRONS STATIONED AT IBSLEY |
(-airfield plan-)
|
(On the right side of the airfiled plan)
ROYAL AIR FORCE
HURRICANE | ||
NO 32 |
| 1941 |
SPITFIRE | ||
NO 66 | TWICE DURING | 1942 – 43 |
NO 118 | TWICE DURING | 1941 – 43 |
NO 124 |
| 1943 |
NO 129 (MYSORE) |
| 1943 |
NO 165 (CEYLON) |
| 1943 |
NO 234 (MADRAS PRESIDENCY) |
| 1941 – 42 |
NO 302 (POZNAN POLISH) |
| 1941 |
NO 310 (CZECH) |
| 1943 – 44 |
NO 313 (CZECH) |
| 1943 – 44 |
NO 421 (RED INDIAN CANADIAN) |
| 1942 |
NO 453 (AUSTRALIAN) |
| 1943 |
NO 501 |
| 1941 – 42 |
NO 504 |
| 1942 – 43 |
NO 616 |
| 1943 |
|
|
|
HAWKER TYPHOON | ||
NO 257 (BURMA) |
| 1943 |
|
|
|
WHIRLWIND and TYPHOON | ||
NO 263 (ARGENTINA) |
| 1943 – 44 |
|
|
|
OTHER UNITS | ||
NO 7 FLYING INSTRUCTORS SCHOOL OXFORDS 1944 – 45 NO 1 GLIDER PICK UP TRAINING UNIT, DAKOTAS AND WACO/HADRIAN GLIDERS 1945 | ||
|
|
|
UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCE | ||
|
|
|
P38 LIGHTNINGS | ||
8th Air Force, 1st FIGHTER GROUP | 1942 | |
9th AIR FORCE, 367th FIGHTER GROUP | 1944 | |
|
| |
P47 THUNDERBOLTS | ||
48th and 371st FIGHTER GROUPS | 1944 | |
|
| |
MUSTANG FB VI’s | ||
9th AIR FORCE, 67th TACTICAL RECCE UNIT 1944
| ||
FLYING ACTIVITIES CEASED AT IBSLEY IN 1946 AFTER WHICH THE NO. 2 COMMUNAL SITE R.A.F. IBSLEY BECAME AN ACCOMMODATION BASE FOR R.A.F. SOPLEY UNTIL 1952.
THIS TABLET WAS PRESENTED BY R.A.F. IBSLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY GROUP AND DEDICATED TO ALL WHO SERVED HERE FROM 15. FEBRUARY 1941.
Front face plaques:
THIS TABLET WAS A GIFT TO R.A.F. IBSLEY HISTORICAL GROUP BY HORSE BANKS STONEMASONS WHO DESIGNED AND CREATED IT |
PANEL UNVEILED BY MRS. M.S.C. SIMMONDS M.T.C. DRIVER, R.A.F. IBSLEY 1941 4TH MAY 2009
|
|
PANEL UNVEILED BY CAPT. W.R. WALLING, PILOT, 9TH U.S.A.A.F., IBSLEY 1944 4TH MAY 2009
|
Plaque at the foot of the front face of the plinth:
This Plaque was unveiled by
W/Cdr. C.F. CURRANT,
D.S.O., D.F.C., D de G.,
No. 501 Squadron, 1941
Station Commander, Ibsley, 1942
and
F/O R.S. GEORGE,
No. 616 Squadron, 1943
On
24th April 2000
Plaque on the left side of the plinth:
RAF IBSLEY
ROLL OF HONOUR
TAKE THE FREEDOM THEY STROVE TO GIVE YOU AND BE FOREVER IN THEIR DEBT
ROYAL AIR FORCE
1941 | |||
Sgt. Sgt. Sgt. Sgt. P/O Sgt. Sgt. Sgt. Sgt. Sgt. Sgt. P/O F/S | V. V. C.W.H. A P.J.P. G.A. W.E. H H.A. R.F.C. J.H. F.A. R.B. | Skrivanek Kyselo Smith Beacham Anderson Painting Sapsed Alexander Newman Dean Walker Clarke Birtles | (Cz) (Cz)
D.F.M. |
1942 | |||
Sgt. Sgt. P/O AC2 Sgt. Sgt. P/O P/O Sgt. P/O F/L AC F/S F/L P/O P/O P/O Sgt. F/L P/O P/O Sgt. P/O P/O Sgt. Sgt. AC Sgt. Sgt. S/Ldr. Sgt. P/O Sgt S/Ldr. Sgt. | E.J. H.C. E.J. F.U.C. K.E. T.S. I.S. D.E. J. R.W.P. J.E. C.L. D.S. D.E. M.L. G.R. R.S. E.A.L. V.E. A.A. D.V. L.P. R. A. M. K. R. G. M.B. J.H.G. F.W. E.W. B. J.C. L.H. | Campbell Kerr Ames Jones Buettel Mathers Stone Pike Redfern McKenzie Hogg Bowey Thomas Mileham Simon Bland Woolass Fairman Watkins Svendsen Claxton Mooney Wheldon Palmer-Tompkinson Roscovsky Virtis Shepherd Fernand Green Walker Hough Gillespie Strachan Carver Jones |
(Aus) (Can)
(Aus)
(N.Z.)
(USA)
(USA)
(Can)
(Cz) (Cz)
(Free
(Can)
(Can) D.F.C. (Can) |
Plaque on the right side of the plinth:
1942 | |||
Sgt. 2nd Lt. F/S Lt. Lt. Sgt. Sgt. P/O Sgt. F/S Lt. Gnr. | A.E. Lt D. P.H. C. J. A.D.V. J.E. W.R. S.G. A. R.H. V.R.E. W.G. | Joyce Klink Stenger van Veen Morum Beasley Leitch Brannigan Lee Loyns Nissen Jackson |
(R.N.L.A.F.)
Houten
(S.A.)
(N.Z.)
(Can) (S.A.) (Army) |
1943 | |||
F/O F/O S.Ldr. Sgt. F/O F/L Sgt. Sgt. F/O F/S P/O F/S F/O F/S Sgt. F/O S/Ldr. F/S F/O P/O | P.J. A.J. L.W. J.S. P.B. G.B. G.F. W.J. R.J. W. A. J.H. F.T. R. P.W. V. J. T. J. J.B. | Blanchard Symonds Ivey Hetherington Wright McLachlan Locke Brookes Sim Brown Imbert Curry Thornley McKillop Shale Chocholin Himr Zrnik Stastny Cochrane |
D.F.C
(N.Z.) (Aus)
(Aus)
(Cz) (Cz) (Cz) (Cz)
|
United States Army Air Force
1942 | |||
Pvt. Lt. Lt. | V. W. W. | Barclay Pennington Young |
|
1944 | |||
Pvt. Lt. Lt. Lt. Lt. | W. C.J. A.B. W.L. B.W. | Hibberd Ball Cooksey Mushrush Hayden |
|
FOR YOUR TOMORROW WE GAVE OUR TODAY
POST WAR LOSSES | |||
Sgt. LAC AC | L. E. J. | Grnat Lurati Meldrum | (W.Ind) |
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
Commemorates:
People:
Units:
1st Fighter Group
2018th Engineer Fire Fighting Platoon
367th Fighter Group
371st Fighter Group
393rd Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group
394th Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group
48th Fighter Group
492nd Fighter Squadron
8th Air Force
94th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group
9th Air Force
US Army Air Corps
Wars:
WWII
Other images :
