Flight Lieutenant Colin Hodgkinson

[DDGboy]

Hi all, Jamie newly signed up from Australia. 

 

Anyone know any details of Flight Lieutenant Colin Hodgkinson Spits, ie codes & serials? Looks like Vb's with 131 & 611 and IX's with 501? 

http://www.rquirk.com/Behague/hodgkinson.html

 

TIA, Jamie

[rossm]

I have his book somewhere, which I will try to find, but I don't remember it giving details. If no-one here has anything you can download the squadron Operations Record Books. These usually give either code or serial or both (depending on who was the duty officer for the day). Here is the link for 611 Squadron for August 1943 http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8416549

 

Other months can be found following the links in the 'Context of this record' section. You want the 'Records of Events', not the 'Summary of Events' for each month.

 

The fee of £3.45 seems modest until you get hooked and order more than one month when it soon mounts up. By visiting the National Archives in Kew it is possible to view (and photograph) them for free but that trip is even more costly from Australia than it is from Cornwall!

Edited February 13, 2017 by rossm

[DDGboy]

Thanks rossm, suspected it wouldn't be THAT easy, less than 5 credited kills = obscurity, no matter the obstacles overcome in the process! 

[Simon]

Jamie

 

'Those Other Eagles', by Christopher Shores, page 273 has a short biography and the following details of his two kills and one claim as damaged:

 

1943

131 or 610 Squadron(?):

Date unknown - FW-190 - Spitfire Vb (serial unknown), off Brighton

611 Squadron:

July 25th - Bf-109 damaged - Spitfire Vb AB284, north-east of Amsterdam

August 16th - FW-190 - Spitfire Vb EP298, Evreux/Bernay Airfield

 

He ended up as a P.o.W. when his Spitfire IX MJ117 suffered oxygen failure, and he crashed near Hardelot.

 

As Ross has already mentioned, you may be able to find more in the O.R.B.s, or perhaps in his combat reports for July 25th and August 16th, available via this link:

 

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_ln=hodgkinson&_ttl=&_crp=611&_sd=&_ed=&discoveryCustomSearch=true&_cr1=AIR+50&_col=200&_dt=CR&_hb=tna

 

Regards

 

Simon

[DDGboy]

16 hours ago, Simon said:

Jamie

 

'Those Other Eagles', by Christopher Shores, page 273 has a short biography and the following details of his two kills and one claim as damaged:

 

1943

131 or 610 Squadron(?):

Date unknown - FW-190 - Spitfire Vb (serial unknown), off Brighton

611 Squadron:

July 25th - Bf-109 damaged - Spitfire Vb AB284, north-east of Amsterdam

August 16th - FW-190 - Spitfire Vb EP298, Evreux/Bernay Airfield

 

He ended up as a P.o.W. when his Spitfire IX MJ117 suffered oxygen failure, and he crashed near Hardelot.

 

As Ross has already mentioned, you may be able to find more in the O.R.B.s, or perhaps in his combat reports for July 25th and August 16th, available via this link:

 

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_ln=hodgkinson&_ttl=&_crp=611&_sd=&_ed=&discoveryCustomSearch=true&_cr1=AIR+50&_col=200&_dt=CR&_hb=tna

 

Regards

 

Simon

Wow, thanks SO much Simon, those details are EXACTLY what I was after, to use an Aussie Term - "Yer blood is worth bottlin'!"