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David,

Very interesting. A couple of footnotes:

1. Campbell's must have been one of the last memorial services at the Guards Chapel before it was destroyed by a flying bomb on 18 June 1944, killing 121 at service.

2. I couldn't help noticing that both his father and son were killed in action.

Justin

Justin,

I didn't realise that about the Guard's Chapel but, yes, like you, I read his sad biography.

Best wishes
David

From The Times, 10 Jul 1944

Justin/David,
This was a most unusual post to wake up to this morning, very interesting and yet very tragic for just so many people too, I do remember seeing a photograph taken just a few moments after the explosion, there were musicians still on the parade ground with guardsmen who had just returned from mounting the kings guard at Buckingham Palace.
The Fieseler Fi 103/FZG76 became a real problem that summer, once launched, the RAF had a chance to go air to air with them, in three patrol zones, the first in the channel, the second between Dover and Newhaven and the third from Canterbury down to just south of Tonbridge Wells.
After that, the Gun Belt, the RA had a go with it's guns, beyond them, the Balloon Barrage and then the air raid shelter, not very good.

One on my own relatives had encountered these things first hand in that summer, his squadron was taken off what they had been doing, Ramrods and Rhubarbs and was sent down to Lympne, to deal with these wretched pilotless huns!
I see after a very brief look at his flying log, in July alone, he had flown over forty operational hours in the defence of London.
He always recalled it to be a very busy and desperate period in his life!





He became thoroughly proficient too, despite the obvious dangers!

Hello Justin,
This was a really terrible day, am I right in thinking the chapel was not rebuilt until the sixties?
Kind regards Frank

JustinLDavies wrote: David,

Very interesting. A couple of footnotes:

1. Campbell's must have been one of the last memorial services at the Guards Chapel before it was destroyed by a flying bomb on 18 June 1944, killing 121 at service.

2. I couldn't help noticing that both his father and son were killed in action.

Justin

Hello Frank and David,

Many thanks for your interesting posts - that's quite some flying, up to five sorties a day.

Yes, the Chapel was reopened in 1963.

Best wishes,

Justin