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Like many of us, a son was left regretting not having proper conversations with his father about “what he had done in the war”.
But John Vimpany did not leave it at regrets. Instead, he and a friend have written a book revealing the Royal Air Force’s unsung heroes who “forced the enemy off the sea” in the Second World War.
One of those heroes was his father Dick Vimpany, who later worked in civil aviation at Woodley aerodrome, living at Wargrave Road, Twyford.
Dick was a navigator in a Beaufighter plane which used cannon, rockets and torpedoes to sink and damage enemy ships in the North Sea. He flew from RAF North Coates near Grimsby.
North Coates was the first “wing” of planes to take part in RAF Coastal Command’s anti-shipping strikes from 1943 until 1945.
The German ships were carrying iron ore from Sweden and Norway to go on barges down the River Rhine to Germany’s Ruhr area to make weapons.
The book, To Force the Enemy off the Sea – the Story of the RAF’s North Coates Strike Wing, is being launched later this month at Hurst Cricket Club.
Both authors, John Vimpany and David Boyd, live in Hurst and are amateur historians. They will talk about the book from 7pm, on Tuesday June 28.
John said: “My father had written up a lot of notes about his time at North Coates. I had his photos he took on reconnaissance and also his log books.
“I just wanted to write something for my children and posterity. David thought it should be a book and it became a joint effort.”
Dick told a researcher in the 1990s: “We flew against the enemy convoys for one reason – to force them off the seas, which we did. Morale at North Coates was always good. There was sadness when our friends did not return, but we did as we were told.”
Of the aircrew flying from North Coates in the strikes, 241 lost their lives. Dick was 20 when he started flying the raids. He later became a squadron leader.
David said: “Everyone tends to know about the Battle of Britain and Bomber Boys but few people know about the RAF’s anti shipping campaign. It was important.
“In the book we ask: ‘If the strike wings had been deployed earlier and in greater numbers could that have made a considerable difference to how the war developed? There might for instance have been fewer bombing raids on German cities. We hope the book is accessible to any reader.”
John added: “The book is about the North Coates strike wing. My father’s experiences are an example of what others went through. The book is well researched. The many sources, including the National Archives, are listed. There are maps, diagrams and 60 photos, many taken by aircrew.”
Dick left the RAF in 1946 and flew in civil aviation, taking part in the Berlin airlift supplying food when the British, French and United States sectors of the city were cut off by the Soviet Union in 1948. He also helped fly refugees when India was divided into India and Pakistan. He rejoined the RAF in 1952 and was awarded the MBE (Military) for active service in Borneo.
The book costs £19.95 including UK delivery, for details, log on to: www.helion.co.uk
