PENHALE, Allan Frayne
NAME PENHALE Allan Frayne
RANK Flight Lieutenant / Wireless Operator / Air gunner 129812 Group 3 RAF Bomber Command SQUADRON RAF No. 161 "Special Duties" Squadron
“liberate”
RAF Tempsford - Northamptonshire
Squadron Markings MA O Born October 1, 1920 - Exeter - Townships of Stephen / Usborne - County of Huron Residence Forest - Ontario Died March 21, 1945 24 years 5 months
Cemetery Heverlee War Cemetery - Leuven - Belgium
8 D 1-2
Parents Mr. Asa and Venetta Penhale - Exeter Sisters Mrs. Margaret Crawford - Belmont - Ontario Mrs. Gladys Vland - Windsor - Ontario Miss Elizabeth Penhale - Exeter - Ontario Miss Doris Penhale - Exeter - Ontario
Allan was born on October 1, 1920 in Exeter and as a young boy growing up he enjoyed shooting, hunting,
swimming and music. The family would have attended Exeter United Church. He attended public school at SS No.3 Stephen in Exeter 1925-32 and went to Exeter High School 1932-35. He had taken a correspondence course 1937-38 on Diesel Engineering through Chicago Vocational Institute. His occupation before he enlisted was that of a machinist as operator of a seamer machine at Canadian Canners.
Canada
Allan went to London in December of 1941 and he enlisted into the Royal Canadian Air Force with the rank of Aircraftsman 2. When he enlisted he stood 5' 7" and weighed 147 pounds. He had a fair complexion with blue eyes and light brown hair. On December 3 he was assigned to No. 1 Manning Depot in Toronto - Ontario until just prior to Christmas on December 21 when he was posted to No. 33 Air Navigation School. He was there until March 4, 1942 when he was posted to No. 6 Bombing and Gunnery School at Mountainview - Ontario. His next posing on May 9 sent him to No. 4 Wireless School in Guelph - Ontario. While here he obtained the rank of Leading Aircraftsman Then it was west to Mossbank - Saskatchewan on November 23 to No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School. He received the ranks of Sergeant and Pilot Officer while stationed here. He also became a Wireless Operator and Air Gunner In early 1943 on January 9 he went east to RCAF No. 31 Operational Training Unit at Debert - Nova Scotia. With his Canadian training complete he was then posted on April 12 to "Y" Depot in Halifax - Nova Scotia in preparation for going overseas. He was still there when on May 15 he volunteered for the RAF Training Pool.
Overseas
Flying Officer Penhale embarked from Canada bound for overseas on May 16 and he disembarked in the United Kingdom on May 24 and then proceeded to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre. Between June 14 - July 10 he was assigned to the Assistant Chief of Staff. While there he received the rank of Flight Officer. Then on July 27 he was posted to No. 1 Operational Training Unit at RAF Thornaby - North Yorkshire. During the first week of October he went to No. 2 Personnel Dispatch Centre.
In the Field
Then on October 14 he was posted to RAF No. 48 Squadron and on October 23 arrives at RAF Gibraltar. The squadron flew patrols over the entrance to the Mediterranean. The squadron flew Lockheed Hudsons Mk VI. After being posted here for a short time he proceeded back to the United Kingdom on December 31, 1943.
Overseas
From January 1-12, 1944 he was posted at RAF Gosport - Hampshire and between January 14-February 3, 1944 he was assigned to Controller of Supply for Aircraft and he was recognized for a A/R Course he took. Between February 2-14 he was attached to RAF Gosport - Hampshire. On February 21 he was attached to RAF Bircham Newton - Norfolk from No. 48 Squadron.
In the Field
On the last day of February he was Taken on Service with RAF No. 138 Squadron and the next day March 1 was Taken on Service with RAF No. 161 Squadron of 16 Group based at RAF Tempsford - Bedfordshire. RAF 161 Squadron was part of RAF No. 138 Squadron and the duties were landing and picking up agents in occupied Europe and dropping supplies. On December 21 Flying Officer Penhale received the rank of Flight Lieutenant. On March 12-18, 1945 he attended a workshop at RAF Finningley - South Yorkshire Flight Lieutenant Payne would have then begun low level training flying at 1,000 feet to 1,200 feet and this
was below radar levels. This was not at all easy, especially since most of the flying would have been done at
night and particular attention and concentration was needed. Secrecy, they were warned was paramount and all the night flying was done during full moon periods. He then made numerous “Special Operations” flights in Mosquito bombers over enemy held territory.
No. 161 Squadron was the most secret squadron of the Royal Air Force.
The mission of March 20/21, 1945 was so secret that until recently the mission could not be talked about.
The RAF operated two special mission squadrons and they were known as the “Airborne Scarlet Pipernels”. These squadrons delivered arms, ammunition, food, radios, along with other supplies to the underground fighters throughout Europe. These squadrons also transported Secret Agents who were then dropped into their home countries, while still others were brought back to be trained as saboteurs. There was never any fighter escort and all flying was done at low level under any weather conditions. On the night of March 20/21 No. 161 dispatched eight Stirling bombers and five Hudson bombers and the objective was to drop supplies to the resistance fighters. Flight Lieutenant Penhale was airborne at 9:20 pm. His aircraft was Hudson Mk III T9445 "O". He was the Wireless Operator for this mission. This mission was to Remagen in Germany and was part of “Operation Norvic”. The mission for Flight Lieutenant Penhale was to drop a Special Operations Agent from a height of about
400 feet behind the enemy lines and the mission of that agent was to blow up railway bridges. When the
agent bailed out, the bag of explosives tied to his leg caught the aircraft and the explosives were lost, but the
agent landed safely on the ground in enemy occupied territory. But, because he had nothing to blow up the
bridges with, the mission was aborted and he returned to the Allied lines.
• It is thought that while Flight Lieutenant Penhale in Hudson T 9445 was returning to base, he was stalked
by an American P-61 Black Widow night fighter from the United States Army Air Force No. 422 Night Flying Squadron that was based at Florrenes/Juzaine Airfield in Belgium.and shot down at Fraiture near Samre and 30 miles east of Nanur in Belgium.
In February of 1946 Allan's mother received the Memorial Cross and in December of the same year she received his Operational Wangs. In 1949 she received the 1939-45 Star, the Atlantic Star, the Defence and War Medals plus the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp that had been awarded to Allan.
Allan is honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaques of his church and Exeter High School. He name is on the Exeter Cenotaph. He is also named in the Books of Remembrance which are placed in the Centre Block of Canada's Parliament. He is honoured and remembered on RAF No. 161 Squadron Memorial at RAF Tempsford - Bedfordshire and on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
