F/L Henry Percy Duval MiD 63092 RAF

[Paul Squires]

Hi All,

Here's a tough one, with many possible errors.

F/L Duval MiD RAF (Can.) was lost from 403 Squadron April 27, 1942, when he collided with the Squadron CO S/L C.N.S. Campbell DFC RAF over France. S/L Campbell was taken PoW.

They Shall Grow Not Old references that F/L Duval had flown in the Battle of Britain, and had been shot down and evaded near Dunkirk in May 1940 with 65 Squadron. However his name does not appear in the list of Battle of Britain pilots.

Another reference has him shot down and evading in July of 1941 (I can't find this one at present).

The Canadian Virtual War Memorial site, however, has a brief news cutting (via the McGill Archives) from the Montreal Gazette dated September 10, 1941, noting the return of then P/O Duval, previously reported missing, which would tie in with the evasion in July 1941 reference. It goes on to note that P/O Duval was residing in Paris, France when France fell, and had made his way to England and enlisted in the RAF in July, 1940. That would explain why he is not in the BoB pilots list, and perhaps this escape was conflated with the actual evasion to create an error in TSGNO.

It might also explain his MiD. I have not been able to find a copy of any citation for that award. Nor are his records available from the Library and Archives of Canada as he was RAF.

But I have only this one, brief reference.

So, I am hoping someone can shed some light on this.

Here are the references I did find through the fog of AI:

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembran ... il/2279146

https://rcaf403squadron.wordpress.com/2 ... a-comment/
https://rcaf403squadron.wordpress.com/2 ... rcy-duval/

and other comments on the 403 Squadron page which are very interesting.

https://www.archives.mcgill.ca/public/e ... .asp?id=87

https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/ ... ne=&notes=

To add to the story, S/L Campbell, the pilot who became PoW in the collision, later married F/L Duval's widow when he was released from Prison. But that's another story.

All the Best,

Paul Squires
Wetaskiwin, Alberta

[Temujin]

Hey Paul, I’ve been searching for you. Found some records (and a combat report) for him with 65 Squadron. Can’t find when he was posted in or posted out.

I’ve checked the entire month of May 1941 and July 1941 Operations Record Books and he is not mentioned and he took NO flights with the Squadron on those two months.

It’s a complicated story you have there, so I thought I would just find things and post them up here for you to decipher. You may already have most or all of this info, but I’ll post what I have found

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[Temujin]

Two more records, London Gazette promotion to Pilot Officer and then his promotion to Flying Officer

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[Temujin]

I’m digging deep into the Operations Record Books and have more information to share.

First on your post I’m seeing dates that “conflict” with each other. You have him JOINING the RAF in July 1940……but before that you mentioned he was shot down in MAY 1940 (I thought you may have made a typo so I looked at MAY 1941, but found nothing)………so I’m still looking for this

I’ve gone thru 65 Squadron Records (not all of them, still working) and 222 Squadron Records and 403 Squadron Records.

You didn’t mention it, but I found that he arrived at 403 Squadron, coming from 222 Squadron.

So of the records I have researched so far I have found the info below in respect to his “flights” while with the various Squadrons:

65 Squadron RAF

May 41 - no flying shown

Jul 41 - no flying shown

Aug 41 - no flying shown

Sept 41 - no flying shown

Oct 41 - dates he flew were 3,8,9,10,11,12,13.15.17,19.21,22,23,26.27,28,29,30,31 (please note I’ve just listed the DAY, he sometimes flew ‘multiple times’ in a day)

Nov 41 - dates he flew were 1,2,3,14,15,16,17, 25, 27 (please note I’ve just listed the DAY, he sometimes flew ‘multiple times’ in a day)

Dec 41 - dates he flew were 5,6,7,8,13,15,17,18,19 (please note I’ve just listed the DAY, he sometimes flew ‘multiple times’ in a day)

Jan 42 - no flying shown

Feb 42 - no flying shown

222 Squadron RAF

Dec 1941 - no flying shown

Jan 1942 - no flying shown

Feb 1942 - dates he flew were 2,13,20,22,25 (please note I’ve just listed the DAY, he sometimes flew ‘multiple times’ in a day)

Mar 1942 - dates he flew were 3,12,23,25,27,29 (please note I’ve just listed the DAY, he sometimes flew ‘multiple times’ in a day)

403 Squadron RCAF

Records show he arrived at this Squadron on the 19 April 1942

Apr 42 - dates he flew were 24,25,26,27 (please note I’ve just listed the DAY, he sometimes flew ‘multiple times’ in a day). Records show he generally flew the same aircraft, Spitfire AD389…….BUT on the day he was lost (27) his aircraft had an ‘accident’ on the taxi for the mission and he took over another aircraft. Records for the 27th April 42 mention his “adventure” in a previous Squadron where he was downed in France and made it back to England (still working to try and confirm this)

This is what I have found so far…….I’m still looking for more information

I’ve attached below information from the records on his joining 403 Squadron and the 27th Apr 1942

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And this is the records when he arrived in 403 Squadron

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[Temujin]

Paul……I’ve been continuing to look thru Op Record Books for 65 Squadron and I’m not finding his original “crash” and escape and evasion……I’m thinking is it possible he was with another Squadron at that time?? Or do you have some other clue that possibly would point me in the right direction. Its to bad that the information in 403 Squadrons records that mention his previous escape and evasion don’t give us a date or possibly which Squadron

Cheers

EDIT: Message is redundant……I found the answer in a couple of post below

[Temujin]

Did a bit more searching, I found the newspaper article when he went missing and the second when he was reported safe. Of course these could be “months” behind the actual occurance. And it doesn’t help with “which squadron”……I’ve checked back some months after the notice of “missing” but cant’ find anything in 65 Squadron

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[Temujin]

OK, finally found it………found this info in the British National Archives, and then know it was 258 Squadron, looked at their Ops Record Books and confirmed he went “missing” on the 8 July 1941

Records below

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You probably know this Paul, but just in case others are searching……the RAF term “CIRCUS” meant:

A Circus was a small number of Bomber Command aircraft escorted by a large number of fighters, the
light bombers of 2 Group being the primary aircraft for the missions. The targets were small and
generally situated in NW France, within range of the “short-legged” RAF fighters. It was hoped the
Luftwaffe would be enticed to come up and fight and be overwhelmed by the escorting fighters. It was
meant to be a war of attrition rather than one of strategic importance. Exactly when the code-word
‘Circus’ came into being is obscure, but one imagines someone of WW1 vintage likened the mass of
aircraft to be akin to the German Flying Circuses they had seen above the trenches during 1917–18.
The New Year of 1941 arrived and within a week thereof came the first plan to fly an offensive operation
across the Channel. This took place on January 10th. It was flown by six Blenheims of 114 Squadron to
attack an airfield, and an ammunition dump in the Forêt de Guines, just a few miles inland from the
French coast, south of Calais. It was escorted by three squadrons of Hurricanes and six squadrons of
Spitfires. The Germans did not react.

[Temujin]

Casualties on Circus 39 to Lens, 8 July 1941

The following fighter escort casualties on Circus 39 on 8 July 1941:

258 Sqn: Plt Off Henry P. Duval, shot down in Hurr IIb, evaded
312 Sqn: Sgt Plt Jozef Menstik shot down in Hurr IIb, Z5060, POW
485 Sqn: Sgt Plt William N. Hendry, KIA in Spit IIa, off Gravelines
609 Sqn: Sgt Plt John A. Hughes-Rees shot down in Spit Vb, W3239, ASR nr Goodwin Sands

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Additional Info. Information does not say “which aircraft” this German Pilot shot down, but it was either of the TWO Hurricane’s on this mission

8 July, 1941: During an early morning sortie, 3. and 9./JG 2 come into contact with fighters from 11 Group, part of Circus 39, on its way to attack Lens. Lt. Hellmut Specht (1), of 3. Staffel, shoots down a Hurricane at low altitude, near Béthune, and a Spitfire provides “Wumm” Schnell with his 39th victory.

[Temujin]

R.54188 Sgt Pilot Joseph Guillaume Laurent (Larry) Robillard RCAF was involved in a dogfight with several fighters on 2 July 1941, shooting down two Me109s before his own Spitfire exploded. RASC escapers Dvr H C D Simmons and Pte J A Mowat watched the action and both were able to confirm Robillard's kills. They later met up with him and escaped to Spain together with Dvr F Rowe RASC and fighter pilots P/O H P Duval and Sgt D B Crabtree.

"We could see the pilot descend by parachute in the fields nearby where he was found by my French friends. Before the Germans could locate him he was whisked away in a brewer's truck to a safe hiding place. ... Shortly afterwards I was invited to meet the escaped pilot. He was an American (sic) of French extraction serving with the RAF, Robillard by name. Like other pilots engaged in operations over the north of France, he had to memorise an address in Roubaix, which, if shot down, he should endeavour to reach, and from where he would take instructions. His information delighted the patriots, for this contact with a genuine organisation working in liaison with the British was what they had searched for so long. But how tragic it was to turn out, for the agent in Roubaix was none other than Paul Cole, the traitor was later was responsible for so many of their deaths." (Arthur Fraser 1958)

It would seem that Doug Crabtree was also one of the many servicemen sheltered by the MacLeods but Helene was unable to confirm any names as that was not something that they recorded at the time.

On 24 July Robillard, Crabtree and Duval met Ptes Mowat, Simmonds and Rowe at Bethune. Their guide was Pte James Smith who took them by train to Paris and on to Tours and St Martin-le-Beau to cross the river Cher and the demarcation line in much the same way as my father's party. They also walked overnight to Loches and took the train again to Chateauroux and so on to Marseille, arriving on the morning of the 28th where they were handed over to Mario Prassinos. Three days later they were taken to Perpignan from where they crossed the Pyrenees, arriving safely at the British Consulate in Barcelona on 3 August. Two days later the airmen were in Madrid and finally got to Gibraltar on 13 August. They were flown home by Sunderland on 26 August 1941.

Robillard survived the war and I spoke to him on the phone in April 2001 when a chance meeting in London with fellow Canadian evader Al Day put us in contact.

Larry Robillard died at his home in Montreal, Canada on 8 March 2006.

Source: https://conscript-heroes.com/Escaper-Evaders.html

[Temujin]

Probably why he received an MID:

Source: https://legionmagazine.com/flyboys-on-the-ground/

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