Edward Colston Stewart - Operational Missions
1446 Ferry Flight
7 & 9 Aug 42 – Ops to ‘B’
11 Aug 42 - Ops to 'A'
Posted 104 Sqn Middle East, Kabrit, Egypt
2nd Pilot
27 Oct Ops Battle Area (2nd Pilot to Sqn Ldr Leggette) 2359-0425. Night Bombing of LG13 (Sidi Haneish airfield).
1 Nov Battle Area (2nd Pilot to Sqn Ldr Leggette) 2330-0330. One of seven 104 Sqn ac tasked to attack concentrations of troops, tanks and MT in the battle area.
2 Nov Fula (2nd pilot to Fg Off Parker) 2205-0250.
October / November 1942 (via IBCC)
From Malta:
8 Nov Sardinia (2nd pilot to Sqn Ldr Leggette) 1915-0330. Target Elmas or Deccimommanu airfield?
1st Pilot
12 Nov El Aouina airfield, Tunis.
13 Nov El Aouina airfield, Tunis.
19 Nov Catania airfield. 1905-2130. Hit with heavy flak. One of five 104 Sqn ac, one of which did not return.
19 Nov Comiso airfield. 0243-0450. This was the first time that 104 Sqn had mounted 3 attacks in one night; Stewart was on the first and third waves.
November 1942 (via IBCC)
22 Nov Bizerta Docks, Tunisia. 104 Sqn sent two waves of 3 ac to attack, including 4000lb bombs. Stewart doesn’t appear in the ORB.
23 Nov Bizerta
26 Nov Tunis (Docks) No second pilot. ORB reports much success with 4000lb bombs, hitting an oil tank on the first wave, with fires still burning when the second wave attacked.
29 Nov Ops Bizerta Docks.
30 Nov Ops Bizerta Docks. One of two 104 Sqn ac; the other found the target obscured by cloud so brough bombs back. Stewart’s crew dropped bombs near fuelling jetties, fuel tanks and goods station.
3 Dec Catania airfield. 1755-2157. Starboard engine failure over target; bombs jettisoned and single-engine return to Luqa.
3 Dec Gerbini aerodrome. 0150-0430.
5 Dec Bizerta Docks. 1 x 4000lb bomb dropped; 3 night fighters over target, one following to base but no attack.
9 Dec. Ops Tunis (La Goulette Docks). 1945-0015. Bad icing & weather; crew bombed through gaps in the cloud from 4000’.
12 Dec. Ops Palermo. 1 x 4000lb. 0105-0535.
13 Dec. Ops Bizerta. 1715-2135. Six 104 Sqn ac were tasked against Tunis / La Goulette with only Stewart’s crew tasked against Bizerta. Results not observed due to evasive action.
14 Dec. Tunis. Hit Oil Tank & Tanker. Large fire. (Stewart not mentioned in 104 Sqn ORB)
15 Dec. La Goulette (Inner Dock area). 1725-2150. Started fire in oil tanks.
15 Dec. La Goulette (Marshalling Yards). 2305-0315. (this trip from ORB; not shown in Stewart logbook)
16 Dec. Tunis. “IAS 340 mph in dive over target”. This trip not shown in 104 Sqn ORB as bad wx prevented play on 16 Dec.
17 Dec. Tunis. 1 x 4000lb (moonlight). This trip not shown in 104 Sqn ORB. Seven 104 Sqn ac dispatched to Tunis / La Goulette, 2 of which suffered damage and injurie as a result of night fighters and flak; a third aircraft did not return.
18 Dec. Comiso airfield. 1 x 4000lb. “Caught in own flak”. This was the second wave of the day, with 2 ac being sent against Tunis and only Stewart against Comiso. This was due to enemy action at Luqa, with 104 Sqn losing 3 ac on the ground.
21 Dec. Tunis. 1 x 4000lb. Pranged Canal. Moonlight.
25 Dec. Tunis. 1910-2315. Bad icing – weather – moonlight.
27 Dec. Tunis. Electrical Storm & Bad icing. Jettisoned 4 x 500lb to maintain height.
31 Dec. Sfax. 1815-2135. Night fighters. One of seven 104 Sqn ac to attack Sfax; one did not return.
December 1942 (via IBCC)
1943 (much discrepancy between Stewart logbook & 104 Sqn ORB re targets and dates)
2 Jan. Sousse. One of four 104 Sqn ac tasked with bombing Tunis; bad weather led to attack on Sousse.
5 Jan. Sousse. One of eight 104 Sqn ac tasked to bomb Sousse harbour.
7 Jan. Tunis. Bad Icing at 8000’; bombed from 5000’. Started oil fire. Vis 90 mls.
9 Jan. Tripoli. 1705-2055.
12 Jan. Sousse. 1745-2110 + Commander Orman (Turkish).
14 Jan. Tripoli. 1750-2120. Port motor hit over target; W/Op hurt with flak.
19 Jan. Tripoli. Full Moon. 1810-2155. Eight ac to motor transport and road targets.
January 1943 (via IBCC)
From Gardabia
24 Feb. Gabes. 1 x 4000lb bomb. 3 runs. One of seven 104 Sqn ac tasked to attack Gabes West landing ground, Gabes town and nearby roads. (Stewart not shown in 104 Sqn ORB as ac captain, but a trip flown by Plt Off Dobbin in W5524 is shown; Dobbin was Stewart’s second pilot during the transits and air tests earlier in the Month)
26 Feb. Gabes. 2330-0445.
February 1943 (via IBCC)
2 Mar. Mareth Line. 2230-0330. One of five 104 Sqn ac tasked to attack MT and tents (troop concentrations) behind the Mareth Line.
11 Mar. Palermo, harbour area. Hit twice heavy flak. Lost fabric from port motor and fuselage. Speed 115.
20 Mar. Mareth Line. 2130-0310. One of eighteen ac despatched to attack enemy concentrations NW of Mareth. Bombs dropped on concentration of long type vehicles. One medium fire started, other bursts seen near fire. Other fires seen burning in target area. One 104 Sqn ac (Plt Off Dobbin) ditched in the sea, the crew returning to Gardabia on 22 Mar.
21 Mar. Ops Mareth Line. 1955-0020. One of sixteen 104 Sqn ac, one of which crash landed and one of which was ‘missing’ with the loss of 3 crew. Stewart’s crew bombed MT vehicles in 4 sticks, bursts only seen. One of 10 ac which landed at Castel Benito to refuel and re-arm prior to a second sortie.
22 Mar. Mareth Line. ‘G’ 5324.0245-0735. Bombed in 4 sticks on MT vehicles and a road nearby; no results seen. One bomb hung up and was jettisoned in the sea.
23 Mar. Kattana. 2335-0500. One of six 104 Sqn ac to attack enemy concentrations on the Mareth-Gabes road. Bomb bursts seen on side of road; no further results seen. One night fighter seen at 5000’, of NW point of Djerba Island.
24 Mar. El Hamma. 1945-0115. Enemy concentrations S of El Hamma. Bombed in 4 sticks, bombs fell amongst MT vehicles, with one stick in a village.
26 Mar. Gabes. 0050-0710. 18 x 250lb bombs in 6 sticks, all dropped on Gabes town; one stick seen to burst across a railway track West of harbour.
30 Mar. El Hadu (Sfax and road NE) 1915-0055. Terrific number of fires and bombed at the side of what was obviously an aerodrome. Two large red flashes seen about 5000’ over the target area. One of eleven 104 Sqn ac, one of which did not return.
March 1943 (via IBCC)
4 Apr. Sfax. 2005-0155. One run. One of sixteen 104 Sqn ac.
