608 Squadron and families on an outing to Seaton Carew c1957. In the photo is my dad John Pollock and my two older brothers and sister. Does anyone recognise any of the other faces?
Photograph and details courtesy of Julie Allinson.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Picture Stockton Archive 
This picture was a surprise to me when looking for information on 608 Squadron Thornaby of which my dad John “Jack” Llewellyn was a squadron member along with my uncle Bill Hardy from Roseworth. My dad was born in Stockton and had served with the DLI and East Lancs regiments during and after WW2 before joining the squadron at Thornaby enlisting in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force in the early 50’s. The family, dad Jack, mam Jean, sister Anita and I (Neil) lived in Palmerston Street until the late 60’s when we moved to Havilland Road on the then new airfield estate. My dad isn’t in the picture from what I can make out, but I am on the front row as the little boy in the hooded romper suit just left of centre, and my mam Jean is in the middle left centre, dark haired lady, holding my baby sister dressed in white. I also think that my cousin David Linton is the boy kneeling at the front holding a spade. I’m a 66 year old pensioner now so I’m guessing that I would have been about 3 when the picture was taken which puts the year about 1956/57.
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Neil, it would have been 1956. My brothers and sister are on the photograph but I’m not which makes it the summer that I was born.
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My sister and I are on the first row extreme left. My mum and nana are stood behind us with my nana holding our baby sister Glennis. Pat Corking (nee Bennington)
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Hi Pat, that clears something up for me as I was thinking I might have been that baby! My brother is the one stood next to your Nana, with my other brother on the far right of the front row, crouched down. My mam and I are the only members of the family not on the photograph so I now think that maybe this was taken just before I was born, which was August 1956.
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No. 608 (North Riding) Squadron was an Auxiliary Squadron of the Royal Air Force formed at Thornaby-on-Tees, on 17 March 1930 as a day bomber squadron. Its initial equipment was the Avro 504 N which the squadron flew until they were replaced with Hawker Demon fighters in January 1937, when the squadron’s role was changed to that of a fighter squadron. Shortly before the Second World War broke out, the squadron’s role was changed into that of a general reconnaissance unit flying under RAF Coastal Command, they were re-equipped for that role with Avro Ansons. The squadron started the war flying the Anson. In June 1940, it began the process of transferring to the Blackburn Botha torpedo bomber. These were found to be unsatisfactory, and by December 1940 the squadron was using its Avro Ansons. These soldiered on until February 1941, when Bristol Blenheim arrived. However, these were soon replaced by Lockheed Hudsons, which the squadron flew from bases in Scotland, North Africa and Italy until 31 July 1944.
The squadron was reformed on 1 August 1944 at RAF Downham Market, Norfolk as a Mosquito squadron in No 8 (Pathfinder) Striking Force. .It continued to fly in this role, carrying out night attacks on Germany. On 2 May 1945, a mosquito from 608 Squadron dropped a 4,000lb bomb on the naval port at Kiel. It was the last British bombing raid of the war against Nazi Germany. It disbanded on 28 August 1945 at Downham Market.
No. 608 squadron was reformed on 10 May 1946 at Thornaby in its original role as a light bomber squadron in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. It had, however, no operational aircraft before being redesignated as a night fighter unit in July 1947, when it received Mosquito NF.30s. These were flown until the squadron changed role yet again, this time to that of a day fighter squadron, receiving Spitfire F.22s in May 1948. From December 1949 these were gradually replaced with de Havilland Vampires, which the squadron flew until it was disbanded on 10 March 1957. Wartime Commanding officers: December 1938 / May 1945 W/Cdr. G. Shaw, DFC
W/Cdr. R.S. Derbyshire, W/Cdr. P.D.R. Hutchings, AFC. W/Cdr. C.M.M. Grece, DFC. W/Cdr. Denis Finlay OBE. W/Cdr. W.W.G. Scott DFC. W/Cdr. R.C. Alabaster, DSO, DFC. 1945: W/Cdr. K. Gray.
(Information Source: RAF www-sites) Bob Wilson.
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Hello Julie -I can’t comment on the photo but I’m wondering if you are the Julie Pollock who went to Grangefield Grammar in the late 60’s early 70’s? If you are then we were classmates.
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Hi Linda! I remember you well! How are you doing? I’d heard you had married and gone to Canada years ago. Are you still over there? My memory is pretty rubbish bit I do remember you were good mates with Dot Kerr when we were at school and you were both full of fun( teachers might have called it something else!) It’s great to hear from you Linda. Laura is going to let me have your email address if thats ok with you. ( I work with Laura)
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I recognise the man on the extreme right back row near the TMS bus,his name is W/O Alf Ayres.
He was awarded the OBE or the MBE…
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