Submerged

  • Plymouth And Devon Shipwrecks
  • World Shipwrecks
  • Special Reports
  • Recommended Reading

Flight Sargent W.Granger

I am gratefull to Vivian Granger (daughter) for the details and photos of her father below. Wilfred Bert Granger was born 26/4/1917 in Melbourne Australia and moved too Western Australia in 1929 where his father was Chief Engineer at Lake View & Star Group Boulder WA. He later served an apprenticeship in Kalgoorlie WA as Fitter and Turner at Kalgoorlie Foundry in 1932 to 1936. In 1936, he moved back to Melbourne, and enlisted in RAAF at Point Cook Air Bases on 15/6/1938 as Aero Fitter Engineer after completing Aero Engineer School at Laverton .

Flight Sgt. W. Granger.

Flight Sgt. W. Granger.

On 17Oct 1938, Wilf was posted to Technical Squadron, Point Cook where he was emloyed on complete overhauls of Genet Major, Gipsy, Major, and Napier Line Aero Engines, and also top overhaul of Bristol Jupitor Engines. He then volunteered and was Posted to 10 Squadron (England) on 11/11/39 where he was employed on maintenance and installation of Pegusus 22 and18 Aero Engines The Sunderland Flying boats in 10 Squadron were used for Coastal Command, searching for enemy submarines and shipping, along with making rescue missions.

Putting up the Barrage ballons.

Putting up the Barrage ballons.
Putting up the Barrage ballons.

Putting up the Barrage ballons.

Following his marriage to Joyce Mary Withecombe on 23/7/1941 he lived in Pembroke Dock on the extreme western point coast of South Wales. He was posted back to Mount Batten, Plymouth at the end of 1941 and joined 461 Squadron on 14/4/1943 where he did courses on various engines including Merlin Aero Engines at Rolls Royce, Darby, England. His main job was to service these and maintain the Sunderland Flying boats.In January, 1943, he was awarded the British Empire Medal and mentioned in Despatches for rescue work in a hurricane. Wilf returned to Australia in November 1945 with his wife and young son in 1946 on board the Stirling Castle. He made his home on Lake Macquarie at Kilaben Bay and then built their home at Toronto NSW. He was discharged from the RAAF on 20th Jan 1947

10 Squadron, R.A,A,F

10 Squadron, R.A,A,F
Launching down the slip.

Launching down the slip.
Launching down the slip.

Launching down the slip.
The old and new.

The old and new.
A bit of a mess, but is it in Plymouth?

A bit of a mess, but is it in Plymouth?
A bit of a mess, but is it in Plymouth?

A bit of a mess, but is it in Plymouth?
The hanger before the bombing.

The hanger before the bombing.
The aftermath of the bombing.

The aftermath of the bombing.
The aftermath of the bombing.

The aftermath of the bombing.
More devastation.

More devastation.
Retaliation and one they left behind.

Retaliation and one they left behind.
Retaliation and one they left behind.

Retaliation and one they left behind.
A joke with his crew.

A joke with his crew.
Work.

Work.
Play.

Play.

Plymouth And Devon Wrecks

Comments

  1. Alex Norton says

    June 25, 2013 at 2:19 pm

    With all due respect,the photos of the Sunderland on the slipway are labelled incorrectly, I believe. If you notice, the port float is missing or damaged and it is unlikely that a flying boat in such condition would be launched. I submit that it is being recovered and brought on-shore for repairs.

  2. Colin Evans ( Volunteer Pembroke Dock Sunderland Trust) says

    May 3, 2016 at 3:46 am

    I think the Sunderland wrecked on the shore line could be in the harbour of Milford Haven, the fort in the background looks like Popton Fort. This fort is just down the haven from Pembroke Dock, which was a major Flying boat base,

  3. Karl Parsons says

    September 8, 2017 at 1:20 pm

    I think that ‘Launching down the slip’ is Pembroke Dock, as the buildings on the opposite shore look very much like Neyland. ‘The hanger before the bombing’is also pembroke Dock I believe, as the roof is very different to the Mountbatten ones. Fascinating photographs.

  4. M.D.West says

    June 20, 2018 at 9:25 pm

    Hi…The top photograph of barrage balloon being erected has a flying boat moored nearby….surprisingly it’s not a Sunderland it’s a civilian Empire Flying Boat of the airline BOAC (registration G-ADUX, ‘Cassiopeia’)..they did use Plymouth Sound a few times especially around the Fall of France, 1940…do you have a bigger scan of the photo or access to the original?

IMPORTANT: Please note the author of this article, Peter Mitchell, passed away in 2015. Comments are now closed.

Submerged Books and DVDs

The Wreckers Guide To South West Devon Part 1
The Wrecker's Guide To South West Devon Part 1
The Wreckers Guide To South West Devon Part 2
The Wrecker's Guide To South West Devon Part 2
Plymouth Breakwater Book
The Plymouth Breakwater Book
The Plymouth Breakwater DVD
The Plymouth Breakwater DVD
Shooting Magic DVD
Shooting Magic DVD
Devon Shipwrecks DVD
Devon Shipwrecks DVD
The Silent Menace DVD
The Silent Menace DVD
The Tragedy Of The HMS Dasher DVD
The Tragedy Of the The HMS Dasher DVD
Missing  DVD
Missing: The Story Of The A7 Submarine DVD
HMS Royal Oak DVD
HMS Royal Oak DVD
Bombs And Bullets DVD
Bombs And Bullets DVD
Bay Watch DVD
Bay Watch DVD

Search Submerged

Devon Shipwrecks

  • Blesk
  • Bolt Head To Bolt Tail
  • Cantabria
  • HMS Coronation and the Penlee Cannons
  • Deventure
  • Dimitrios
  • Elk
  • Empire Harry
  • HMS Foyle
  • Fylrix
  • Glen Strathallen
  • Halloween
  • Herzogin Cecillie
  • Hiogo
  • James Egan Layne
  • Jebba
  • Liberta
  • Louis Shied
  • Maine
  • Medoc
  • Nepaul
  • Oregon
  • Persier
  • Plymouth Breakwater
  • Poulmic
  • Prawle Point
  • Ramillies
  • Riversdale
  • Rosehill
  • Skaalla
  • Soudan
  • Sunderland
  • Flying Boats
  • Scylla
  • Totnes Castle
  • Vectis
  • Viking Princess
  • Yvonne

World Shipwrecks

  • Narvik
  • Scilly Isles
  • Scapa Flow
  • Truk Lagoon
  • Falmouth
  • Other World Wrecks
  • South Africa
  • Tombstones
  • Submarines
  • The Ones That Got Away
  • Bombs And Bullets
  • Marine Archeology
  • Wreck Walks

Shipwreck Book Reviews

  • Neutral Buoyancy – Tim Ecott
  • Admiral Shovell’s Treasure-R.Larn & R.McBride
  • The Silent Service – John Parker
  • Scapa Flow In War And Peace-W.S.Hewison
  • This Great Harbour-W.S.Hewison
  • The Duchess-Pamela Eriksson
  • Stokers Submarine-Fred &Liz Brencley
  • The Wreck at Sharpnose Point – J.Seale
  • Business in Great Waters – John Terraine
  • Submarine in Camera – Hall & Kemp
  • Autumn of the Uboats – Geoff Jones
  • Under the Red Sea – Hans Hass
  • To Unplumbed Depths – Hans Hass
  • Goldfinger – Keith Jessop
  • Custom of the Sea – Niel Hanson
  • Stalin’s Gold – Barry Penrose
  • Pieces of Eight – Kip Wagner
  • The Man Who Bought a Navy – Gerald Bowman
  • The Treasure Divers – Kendall McDonald
  • The Deepest Days – Robert Stenhuit
  • The Wreck Hunters – Kendal McDonald
  • Sea Diver – Marion Clayton Link
  • The Other Titanic – Simon Martin
  • Falco,chief diver of the Calypso – Falco & Diole
  • World without Sun – J.Y.Cousteau
  • Ship of Gold – Gary Kinder
  • Seven Miles Down – Piccard & Dietz
  • The Living Sea – J.Y.Cousteau
  • The Undersea Adventure – Philip Diole
  • Life and Death in a Coral Sea – J.Y.Cousteau
  • Dolphins – J.Y.Cousteau
  • Whale – J.Y.Cousteau
  • Shark – J.Y.Cousteau
  • Sea Lion- Elephant Seal and Walrus – J.Y.Cousteau
  • Octopus and Squid – J.Y.Cousteau
  • Shadow Divers – Robert Kurson
  • A Time to Die, the story of the Kursk – R. Moore
  • The Sea Around Us – Rachel Carson

© 1999–2025 Peter Mitchell and Chris Mitchell. All rights reserved.