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The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. A S Dredge

 

Allan Sydney Dredge was born on 4th February 1918 at Foleshill, Coventry. His father Sydney had served in the army during the First World War.

His early education was at Edgwick Primary School, then at Broad Street School in Foleshill. He finished his schooling at the Junior Technical College in Coventry.

On leaving the college he became a machine tool engineering apprentice at Alfred Herberts in Coventry, one of the world’s biggest machine tool manufacturers. In 1937 he was awarded the Ordinary National Certificate (ONC) in mechanical engineering, followed by the Higher National Certificate (HNC) in 1939.

 

 

As a sportsman he was a well-known figure in swimming as a member of the Coventry Swimming and Lifesaving Club, and won a bronze medal for lifesaving.

Dredge enlisted in the RAFVR on 8th August 1938. Called up on 1st September 1939, he completed his training and was serving with 253 Squadron in early July 1940.

In a combat south of Biggin Hill on 30th August he fired at a Me109 which then collided with another and both went down. After capture the two German pilots would not speak to each other.

On 4th September Dredge claimed a Me110 destroyed and on the 14th a Me109, which exploded over Beacon Hill near Teynham.

Commissioned in March 1941, Dredge went to Malta in April, flying off HMS Ark Royal on the 27th and joining 261 Squadron. He was shot down in flames on 6th May and baled out, badly burned. He was posted back to the UK in mid-July and was treated at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, becoming a Guinea Pig.

In 1943 Dredge served with 183 Squadron and was awarded the DFC (gazetted 27th July 1943). He was given command of 3 Squadron at Manston in October 1943 and led it until August 1944, during which time he had destroyed six V1 flying bombs.

 

 

Colliers magazine ran an article about the V1s called ‘London Fights the Robots’ and sent their correspondent Ernest Hemingway to interview Dredge. Hemingway described him as '...a fine man, tall and small-spoken, the way a leopard is with the light brown circles under his eyes and the odd purple complexion of a man whose face has been burned away'.

He was awarded the DSO (gazetted 5th December 1944).

On 18th May 1945 Dredge, now a Wing Commander, was killed whilst flying in Meteor III EE238 of No. 1335 CU, which struck the ground whilst demonstrating a roll at low level and high speed at Farnborough.

He was 27 years old and is buried in Coventry (St Paul's) Cemetery.

His portrait was made by Cuthbert Orde.

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately the headstone has toppled over and the inscription is only

legible when the light catches it.

 

In 2019 the grave was refurbished free of charge by a local company:

 

 


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