Raymond Arthur Boggiano DFC MA RAFVR and crew 576 Sqn/156 Sqn - 1944/45 - 148794
Born in 1920 and hailed from Liverpool
The Boggiano crew trained at 28 OTU and 11 Base and were posted to 576 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds on the 1st September 1944 from 11 Base
The crew was as follows:-
F/O RA Boggiano RAFVR
Sgt EV Taylor
Sgt A W Black
F/O A Gonor RCAF - J56924
Sgt ST Coe
Sgt K Holdsworth
Sgt G R Logan RCAF – R118684
Boggiano 4th left and Gonor 5th left. The photo was taken whilst at 156 Squadron which accounts for the 8 members. An additional Air Bomber.
This 576 Squadron operations were as follows.
16/09/1944 - Leeuwarden - Airfield – LM227 – F/O RA Boggiano
23/09/1944 - Neuss - Point of Aim – NF975 - F/O RA Boggiano
27/09/1944 - Calais - Army support - JB410 – F/O RA Boggiano
28/09/1944 - Calais - Army support - JB410 – F/O RA Boggiano – Ab - Raid aborted by Master Bomber due to worsening cloud conditions.
03/10/1944 - West Kapelle - Army support - JB410 – F/O RA Boggiano
05/10/1944 - Saarbrucken - Army support - JB410 – F/O RA Boggiano
11/10/1944 - Fort Frederik Henrik - Army support - JB410 – F/O RA Boggiano
14/10/1944 - Duisburg - Operation Hurricane - JB410 – F/O RA Boggiano
14/10/1944 - Duisburg - Operation Hurricane - JB410 – F/O RA Boggiano
19/10/1944 - Stuttgart - Point of Aim - JB410 – F/O RA Boggiano
22/10/1944 - Essen - Point of Aim - JB410 – F/O RA Boggiano
25/10/1944 - Essen - Point of Aim - JB410 – F/O RA Boggiano
27/10/1944 - Cologne - Point of Aim - JB410 – F/O RA Boggiano
29/10/1944 - Domburg - Army Support - JB410 – F/O RA Boggiano
30/10/1944 - Cologne - Point of Aim - JB410 – F/O RA Boggiano
156 Squadron
The Boggiano crew were then transferred to 156 Pathfinder Force Squadron then based at RAF Upwood on the 12 November 1944 and completed a long tour with this unit.
1 March 1945 Mannheim - An engine failed on F/O Boggiano's aircraft 2 hours from the target. He pressed on and bombed late. He was picked up by our fighters as a straggler and escorted from the target. He successfully crept back and landed at base 1 hour 20 mins after the others had landed.
DFC Notification 17 April 1945
According to the 156 Squadron website this crew flew 24 operations with the Squadron starting on the 28 November 1944 Essen and completed 25 April 1945
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DFC gazetted 20th April 1945
Flying Officer Raymond Arthur BOGGIANO (148794),R.A.F.V.R, 156 Sqn - This officer has completed very many attacks against targets in Germany. He is a highly skilled pilot whose determination to complete his missions successfully was well illustrated on one occasion in March 1945. When detailed to attack Mannheim. On the outward flight the port outer engine became unserviceable. Although much height and airspeed were lost Flying Officer Boggiano went on to the target and executed a successful attack. This officer has displayed exceptional keenness and has set a fine example to all.
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Raymond Boggiano, a graduate of Hull University, taught French at St Mary's College, Crosby after the war. He may have attended the school himself pre war. His younger brother Peter was a pupil in the same school during the war. Raymond Arthur passed away in 1985 aged 64.
Timeline - RAF - Career Path
Air Training Corps
March 1941 to June 1941 - University College of Hull Air Squadron
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Date of enlistment - 14/4/41
14/4/41 - No 3 Recruiting Centre – Padgate, Warrington - Recommended for Pilot/Observer and Commission.
15/4/41 – Reserve - RAFVR
14/7/41 - No 1 Aircrew Reception Centre - St John's Wood, Westminster, London
2/8/41 - No 3 Initial Training Wing - Hastings
29/9/41 – Posted to Arnold Training Scheme, North America
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North America
9/10/41 - Personnel Transit Centre - Toronto.
16/10/41 - Maxwell Field - Montgomery, Alabama
5/11/41 - Personnel Transit Centre - Toronto.
31/12/41 - Leading Aircraftsman - Under Training Pilot
5/11/41 - Graham Aviation School – Possibly Gunter Field, Alabama
10/1/42 - Macon - Georgia.
17/3/42 - Selma - Alabama
19/5/42 - 31 RAF Personnel Departure
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UK
11/6/1942 - UK
12/6/1942 - No 3 Personnel Reception Centre - Bournemouth
2/7/1942 - No 17 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit - RAF Watton, Norfolk
26/8/42 - No 2 Flying Instructors School - RAF Montrose, Scotland
22/10/42 - No 5 Flying Instructors School – Possibly at location above
31/12/42 - Temporary Sergeant
51 Group Pool - No 51 Group was part of Flying Training Command.
27/4/43 - No 5 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit - RAF Sealand, Flintshire and RAF Tern Hill, Shropshire
14/5/43 - 4 Elementary Flying Training School - Brough, Yorkshire
27/6/43 - Discharged - Temporary Flight Sergeant
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26/6/43 - No 51 Group Pool - 4 Elementary Flying Training School - Brough, Yorkshire
27/6/43 - Appointment temporary commission.
27/8/43 - No 9 Elementary Flying Training School - RAF Ansty, Warwickshire
31/12/43 - Flying Officer.
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8/2/44 - No 6 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit - RAF Little Rissington Glucestershire
25/4/44 - No 28 Operational Training Unit - RAF Wymeswold, Leicestershire
13/7/44 - 11 Base – Heavy Conversion Unit. Either 1662 HCU, 1667 HCU or 1656 HCU at RAF Blyton. RAF Sandtoft or RAF Lindholme
1/9/44 - No 576 Sqn - RAF Elsham Wolds and later RAF Fiskerton, Lincolnshire.
12/11/44 - No 156 Sqn - RAF Upwood, Cambridgeshire
2/5/45 - RAF Upwood
30/8/45 - EANS - Empire Air Navigation School
13/8/45 - 156 Sqn - RAF Upwood, Cambridgeshire
2/11/45 - No. 100 Personnel Despatch Centre, Uxbridge, Middlesex - Demobilisation
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8/2/49 - St Mary's College - Combined Cadet Force - Liverpool ATC
Pembury, Poulton, Hooton Park, RAF Woodvale Jan 1951.
Active in RAFVR Training Branch for some years.
Commission relinquished in 1959. Retained the rank of Flight Lieutenant.
However he has had several extensions of service at least to 1966
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Mr Alan Thomas remembers Ray Boggiano very well from his days as an ATC cadet and writes as follows :-
“ My name is Alan Thomas and I write to you today with joyous reference to the late Squadron Leader Ray Boggiano who’s profile is on your 576 Sqd website
From 1966 to 1968 I was an ATC Cadet at 281 (Southport) Squadron and as a cadet sergeant I was greatly fortunate to be appointed as a Staff Cadet on No.10 AEF at RAF WOODVALE.
As you’ll probably know, in those days before ‘health and safety’ got involved in everything, we staff cadets (I was one of three at RAF Woodvale) used to do everything from pre-flight cadet briefings, strapping cadets into Irvin seat chutes and into the rear cockpits of Chipmunks (clearing up the sick!) to actually “hand swinging” live propellers when the starter cartridges ran out! ...and showing films on bad weather days ...and making tea !
During those three “glorious” years as a young lad of 14-16 I had the great privilege to get to know and fly many times with Sqd Ldr Ray Boggiano in the various Chipmunk T10’s operated by the flight. We usually ended up in WK522 which was in fact the very first RAF machine I ever flew in .....and amazingly that aeroplane is still flying !
I will always remember Ray Boggiano as a very kind and mild mannered man of great quality and patience who came to Woodvale practically every weekend “rain & shine” to fly cadets from all over the West Lancs Wing of the ATC.right up to 1968 (at least and probably up to 1970).
I flew with him on many dozens of occasions and can well remember many of the individual sorties with him and although “technically” a Flt/Lt in the VR he was always known at the AEF as Sqd/Ldr Boggiano. Although the “official” headgear for the AEF pilots at that time was the silver Mk1 Bone Dome, he never ever used one and he always flew while wearing a classic leather 1944 (“C” Type) flying helmet with a more modern mic-tel / oxy mask. I can only presume the helmet was from his wartime original kit. We well knew of his wartime exploits (from the other pilots) and he was a revered officer.
He and several of the other VR pilots (all ex-WW2 regulars) taught me to do a full 15 minute aerobatic sequence over Formby Point. During my three years with 10 AEF I had flown just over 550 hours duel (all flown from the back seat of course) on C and by the time I left to join the RAF I was (I was told) a fully proficient flyer well more than able to go solo. The PPL requirements then were I think just 35-45 hours solo.
I was very sad to read in Ray’s biography that he left us so early in 1985 at only age 64.
I have thought of him many many times over the passing years (I’m now 70 myself) and I still have exciting memories of our flying together (normally upside down over the Irish Sea at Southport) - and for a bomber pilot he was superb at aerobatics.”
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Compiled by David Fell with photo courtesy of Richard Brook, plus background info from the Boggiano family and the 156 Squadron website. Also MR Alan Thomas for his input/
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