Hero who downed so many was first to land after D-Day
BY September 1940, the war in Europe had lasted for a year and people were beginning to hope that it might be over by Christmas. Serious action had been taken very early on in 1939 to prepare the country for civil defence.
In Ormskirk, hundreds of residents had joined the various civil defence organisations. The Dunkirk evacuation in May had been a huge set back and Britain remained at war.
Ormskirk Grammar School old boy Pilot Officer James Eric Storrar was born in Ormskirk on June 24 1921. His mother Margaret was the daughter of local haulage contractor, James Taylor of 105, Burscough Street. James Taylor himself was the son of Joseph Taylor of Cross Hall, who took over Cross Hall in 1881 and died in 1928, when his great grandson James Eric was five years old.
James Storrar senior had married Margaret Taylor at Ormskirk in 1921 after returning from active service himself in the Middle East during WWI, he had been in the newly formed RAF late in the war.
Son James Eric was born later in 1921 and the family remained in Ormskirk long enough for James Eric to briefly attend Ormskirk Grammar School before the family move to Chester.
James Eric Storrar joined the RAF in 1937 and he increased his age by one year, initially joining the RAF on a short service commission.
He began his initial flying course at No. 1 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School, (E&RFTS) Hatfield on January 23, 1939.
The Battle of Britain London Monument website provides an amazing amount of detail about James Eric Storrar.
He went on to 11 Flying Training School, Shawbury near Shrewsbury for the No. 12 Course, which ran from April 15 to October 23, 1939.
During the course, in August 1939, he moved to the Blenheim Conversion Flight and then joined 145 Squadron at Croydon on October 23 soon after it was reformed.
The squadron exchanged its Blenheims for Hurricanes in March 1940. Storrar flew with 145 Squadron over Dunkirk during the evacuation, defending Allied troops from enemy planes attacking the beeches.
On May 23 Storrar claimed a Messerschmitt Bf 110 destroyed, on the May 24 he claimed a Dornier Do17 and on the 27th two Messerschmitt Bf 110s near Dunkirk.
He flew with 145 Squadron in the Battle of Britain. On July 11 he claimed a Heinkel He 111 destroyed, on July 15 a probable Dornier Do17, on July 18 a shared Heinkel He 111, on July 27 a 109 Messerschmitt destroyed, on July 29 a shared Junker 88, on August 8 a Junker 87 destroyed and another damaged, on August 12 a probable Messerschmitt 110 and on September 8 a shared, probable Dornier 17.
He was awarded the DFC (gazetted August 20 1940) aged just 19. The King presented the honour at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace.
On September 28 1940, Storrar was posted to 73 Squadron at Castle Camps. He was detached from 73 to 421 Flight on October 20. He flew one sortie with the Flight, on October 24, and he rejoined 73 on October 25.
The squadron left Debden on November 9 for Birkenhead, en route for the Middle East. It embarked on the HMS Furious Air-Craft Carrier at Glasgow on November 13 1940, with its aircraft, and flew off to Takoradi on November 29.
The squadron then flew in easy stages to Heliopolis via Lagos, Accra, Kano, Maidugari, Khartoum, Wadi Haifa and Abu Sueir.
During December the pilots were attached to 274 Squadron in the Western Desert.
In early January 1941 73 Squadron began operating on its own account. On Jan 3 Storrar joined S/Ldr. AD Murray and Sgt. AF Marshall in destroying eight enemy aircraft on a landing ground, on the Jan 6 he shot down a Fiat CR. 42 Falco Italian fighter in the Tobruk area, on February 1 he destroyed a Caproni Ghibli on Apollonia airfield and on Feb 5, again with Murray and Marshall, he strafed Benina airfield destroying some eight enemy aircraft on the ground between them.
On the 19th of the monthy Storrar damaged a Messerschmitt Me110.
On April 4, 1941 Storrar shot down a Junker 87 near Derna. He later saw a Lockheed Lodestar which had made a forced-landing in the desert. He landed and found it to be General Wavell’s personal aircraft. The pilot managed to take off again but Storrar could not restart his own engine and had to return to Tobruk on foot.
In Takoradi for a rest, Storrar and four other pilots were ordered to fly a Blenheim and two Hurricanes to Freetown on June 21 1941. Forced by bad weather to make a forced-landing in the jungle, the pilots had no way of taking off again and they walked 72 miles in two days and three nights, arriving at the Firestone Rubber Plantation, 35 miles from Monrovia in Liberia.
Storrar returned to the UK in November 1941 and was posted to 55 Operational Training Unit Annan, Dumfriesshire as Officer Commanding, Gunnery Training Squadron. In January 1943 he took command of 65 Squadron at RAF Drem, East Lothian.
On June 29, 1943 he probably destroyed a 190 Focke-Wulf 190, on August 18 shot down a Me109, on the 31st damaged a Focke-Wulf Fw190, his final victory.
He was awarded a Bar to the DFC (gazetted October 29 1943) and posted away to 53 Operational Training Unit, Kirton-in-Lindsay, Lincs on November 15, 1943 as an air-firing instructor. In December Storrar was appointed Chief Flying Instructor.
From April to October 1944 Storrar was in 1697 Air Despatch Letter Service Flight, RAF Northolt, engaged on communications duties to and from the continent. 1697 ADLS was established in the run-up to D Day to deliver secret mail and equipment. The Hurricanes used had under-wing compartments fitted or detachable nose cone extensions to house the cargo.
On June 10, 1944, James Eric Storrar flew the first allied aircraft to land in France after D-Day. He carried classified mail and recording equipment for war correspondents. In 1944, promoted to Wing Commander aged just 23, he commanded 64 Squadron in October/November 1944, 165 Squadron from November 1944 to January 1945 and 234 Squadron from January to March 1945. He commanded three squadrons of North American Mustang
Fighters, responsible for long range escort and fighter strikes. These included the famous Mosquito attack on the Gestapo Headquarters in Copenhagen March 1, 1945, and the destruction of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest at Berchtesgaden by RAF Lancaster bombers in April, 1945.
Storrar was Wing Commander flying successively at Hunsdon, Digby and Molesworth, from March to August 1945.
He flew top cover for Operation Nestegg, the liberation of Jersey on May 9, 1945. He then went to a staff job at HQ 12 Group, RAF Command, RAF Watnall, Nottinghamshire until January 1946, when he went to 239 Wing, Desert Air Force in Italy, leading it until April 1947 when he was released from the RAF as a Wing Commander.
One fascinating anecdote of James’ service whilst in Italy recounts the story of a Bulgarian pilot defecting and landing his Yak-6 aircraft at the Treviso base in Northern Italy in summer 1946, where James was stationed.
The plane was confiscated by the RAF – but James claimed the Yak and RAF roundels were added.
He studied veterinary science at Edinburgh University and later joined the family practice as a veterinary surgeon, practising in Chester for many years.
In June 1949 Storrar joined 603 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force and served with it until March 1952. He then went to 610 Squadron, which he commanded from 1954 until its disbandment on March 10, 1957.
Storrar was a giant of a man. Well over 6ft tall, he was barely able to squeeze into the cockpit of his fighter. Over the years he retained something of the flamboyant style of a Battle of Britain pilot. His jackets were lined with red silk and his Jaguar XJS 12 bore the registration JAS. Storrar died on March 29 1995. Thanks to the family of James Eric Storrar for sharing his amazing story.