Guy Warwick Brokensha War Record

20 March 1918 Born Durban, South   Africa

September 1937 Left for UK, hoping to become RAF fighter pilot. Joins Fleet Air Arm

April–June 1938 Midshipman HMS Hermes, Reserve Fleet,  Devonport

June–August 1938 Pilot’s course No. 6 Elementary Flying Training School, Brooklands Aviation Ltd, Sywell, near Northampton

September 1938–April 1939 Pilot’s course No. 1 Flying Training School, Netheravon, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire

May–September 1939 Flying and dive bomb practice, RNAS Worthy Down, Hampshire October 1939–Jan 1940 Appointed pilot 803 Squadron, Wick, Caithness   February–April 1940 Pilot 803 Squadron, Hatston, Orkney (on leave    during Königsberg raid)

23 April–14 June 1940 Pilot 803 Squadron, HMS Glorious and Ark Royal, Norwegian Campaign

1 May 1940 His Skua from Aircraft Carrier Glorious 803 Squadron shot down in error by British ships off Namsos, Norway. Sub Lt GW Brokensha and Petty Officer SE Andrews picked up by HMS Nubian. Survivor’s Leave 2–15 May

13 June 1940 Took part in a major dive-bombing attack on the Scharnhorst in Trondheimsfjorden, Norway when 8 of the 14 Skuas were shot down

23 June 1940 HMS Ark Royal joined Force H at Gibraltar, having sailed from Scapa Flow on 18 June

London Gazette 25 June 1940 For services in the Fleet Air Arm over the Norwegian coast, Sub Lt GW Brokensha awarded DSC (investiture 15 March 1941)

July–October 1940 Pilot 803 Squadron, HMS Ark Royal in the Mediterranean and off West Africa with Force H

3 July 1940 803 Squadron escort for attack on the Strasbourg. Sub Lt GW Brokensha and Leading Airman F Coston shot down Breguet Bizerte flying  boat

5 July 1940 Force H opened fire on the French fleet at Mers-el-Kébir harbour. HMS Ark Royal’s Swordfish acted as spotter planes, and others, with an escort of Skuas, dropped mines at the entrance to Mers-el-Kébir harbour

London Gazette 19 July 1940 Lt GW Brokensha mentioned in despatches, for services in the Fleet Air Arm over the Norwegian coast
November 1940–October 1941 Appointed Pilot 778 Squadron, HMS Condor, Arbroath, Service Trials Unit

15 March 1941 Investiture of DSC, Buckingham  Palace

22 July 1941 Fairey Fulmar Mk II, 778 Squadron Arbroath. Service RT Trials.  HMS Victorious

November 1941–January 1942 RNAS Lee-on-Solent, then Cornwall, training 888 Squadron on six Grumman Martlet II (Wildcat) fleet fighters

February–August 1942 Pilot 888 Squadron aboard HMS Formidable. Embarked via   RNAS Machrihanish, Scotland, for East Indies Fleet, Indian Ocean convey/defence duties

Name recorded on the Fleet Air Arm Memorial at Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire