Part 1 The Bombers
This article was published in the December 2024 edition of Soul Search, the Journal of The Sole Society
In May 2006 Soul Search carried an article by the late Diana Kennedy. It began with an account of the life of Sir Thomas Sewell (c1710-1784) and went on to describe the lives of six of his descendants, ending with William Fane Dalzell Dalrymple Sewell, who was killed in action at Neuve Chapelle in 1915 aged 19. Diana’s article is currently available to read on the Society’s website.
Peter Gordon Fane Sewell is clearly from the same family, although Peter, like his father, grandfather and great grandfather, seems to have been born in India, where the Sewells were part of the colonial civil service. Peter Sewell was born on 10 August 1923 and when the Second World War broke out in 1939 he was studying to follow his father into the Indian civil service. However, by the time of his eighteenth birthday he had decided to join the Royal Air Force and on 21 August 1941 he enlisted in the RAFVR. The Volunteer Reserve was an officer-only reserve established in 1936. It was designed to train pilots to help prepare the RAF in the event of war.
By 1943 Peter Sewell was a Navigator based at Church Fenton, near Tadcaster, North Yorkshire.
The airfield was home to a squadron of de Havilland D.H.98 Mosquito fighter bombers. The twin-engined aircraft was unusual as its airframe was largely constructed of wood. It was intended to be a multi-purpose machine which inevitably meant it had limitations. For example, it could deliver bombs more quickly, but its payload was far less than a conventional bomber. On the other hand the Mosquito’s top speed was about ten per cent faster than even the latest fighter plane, the Supermarine Spitfire. In August 1943 a squadron of Mosquitos was the ideal choice for the special task it was given of getting the attention of German defences and if possible, leading them away from the real target of our bombers.
On 17/18 August 1943 the Royal Air Force launched a massive bombing raid with the intention of destroying the complex of buildings at Peenemunde, where according to British Intelligence, the Germans were developing the V1 flying bomb and the V2 rocket.
Navigator Peter Sewell and his regular pilot, Squadron Leader Francis Brinsdon, sat side by side in the cockpit. They knew the importance of their mission and had chosen to bomb Westerland aerodrome on the island of Sylt, not that even a squadron of Mosquitos could do significant damage, but they would certainly create a diversion. Some of the enemy planes defending Peenemunde were bound to be sent to deal with the Mosquitos, perhaps allowing our more powerful bombers to slip past and take advantage. The two men also appreciated that being a decoy had its dangers.
Once over the airfield, Brinsdon and Sewell set about making a nuisance of themselves and they successfully attacked the hangars at rooftop height, despite sustaining what they hoped was only slight damage from enemy flak. They were soon picked up by enemy searchlights and Squadron Leader Brinsden decided it was time to break off the attack and turn for home.
As they crossed the coastline it became apparent that the damage to their aircraft was more serious than they had thought. The Mosquito was losing height and the pilot had no choice but to ditch the aircraft in the sea. Both airmen were uninjured and they took to their dinghy, hoping to escape back across the North Sea. Their intention was to sail out of the bay under cover of darkness. The tide and an offshore breeze seemed to be in their favour and once in the open sea they might be rescued by a British ship. Unfortunately, as dawn came they saw the tide had turned and the wind had changed. By mid-day they had been blown back into the arms of German troops, who told them later that they had been observing them for six hours.
At this moment, Peter Sewell and Francis Brinsden would not have known if the main raid on Peenemunde had been successful and they would never know if their modest action had made any difference to the result. All they knew was that they were about to be taken away by the enemy, interrogated, possibly tortured by the Gestapo or SS, and if they survived, would spend the rest of the war in a German prison. n
This article will be continued in the next edition of Sole Search.
