Brookes, Robert George

Killed in Action 1942-11-30

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Birth Date: 1919

Born:

Son of George H. Brookes and Clara J. Brookes, of St. Catharines, Ontario Canada.

Home: St Catharines, Ontario

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: Unknown

Service

RCAF

Unit

2 (RAF)

Base

RAF Gosport

Rank

Warrant Officer 1

Position

Sergeant

Service Numbers

R/723381

Home
Google MapSt Catharines, Ontario
First Burial
Google MapAnn's Hill Cemetery, Gosport, Hampshire, Uk
Boulton-Paul Defiant TT Mk I DR-923 of No 2 AACU (Anti-Aircraft Unit) 'A' Flight took off from RAF Gosport to perform a target towing exercise off Nab Tower. The aircraft was piloted by Flying Officer Stephen Rowland RAF 102079 with Sergeant Wireless Air Gunner Robert George Brookes RCAF R/723381 acting as TTO. The aircraft was attacked by 'hit and run' FW190's and damaged but /O Rowland managed to successfully make a wheels up forced landing back at RAF Gosport. Both injured men were taken to Royal Naval Hospital Haslar, Gosport for treatment. Unfortunately, Sergeant Brookes died following emergency surgery.

Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Defiant DR923

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Warrant Officer 1 Brookes, Robert George (RCAF)
Wireless Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1942-November-30
Anns Hill Cemetery, Gosport, Hampshire, UK

Boulton Paul Defiant

(RAF Photo) (Source Harold A Skaarup web page)
Boulton Paul P.82 Defiant, RAF (Serial No. L7026), coded PS*V, c1941.
Boulton-Paul-Defiant--L7026--crisp.png image not found

The Boulton Paul Defiant is a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any fixed forward-firing guns, also found in the Blackburn Roc of the Royal Navy.

In combat, the Defiant was found to be reasonably effective at destroying bombers but was vulnerable to the Luftwaffe's more manoeuvrable, single-seat Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters. The lack of forward-firing armament proved to be a great weakness in daylight combat and its potential was realised only when it was converted to a night fighter. It eventually equipped thirteen squadrons in this role, compared to just two squadrons as a day-fighter. In mid-1942 it was replaced by better performing night-fighters, the Bristol Beaufighter and de Havilland Mosquito.

The Defiant continued to find use in gunnery training, target towing, electronic countermeasures and air-sea rescue. Among RAF pilots it had the nickname "Daffy".Wikipedia





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