The Airmen's Stories - P/O J R Juleff

John Rushworth Juleff was born in the second quarter of 1916 in London.

His mother was Emma Clara Rushworth (1886-1979). Her brother Private Walter Joseph Rushworth was killed in action with the 7th Battalion, Essex Regiment on 29th August 1915 aged 21 and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial.

She married Henry Quinn (1870-1910) and they had four children. Their son Lt. Richard Quinn was killed in action in Normandy aged 34 serving with the Royal Ulster Rifles (1st Airborne Battalion) on 16th June 1944 and lies in Ranville War Cemetery.

Emma Rushworth married John Juleff (1877-1949) in 1914.

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JR Juleff joined 601 Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force before the war as an Aircrafthand. Called up on 24th August 1939, he remustered as an Airman u/t Air Gunner and began training with the squadron.

Early in 1940 Juleff and others from the squadron went to 5 BGS Jurby for a gunnery course. On return to Tangmere they found that 601 had exchanged its Blenheims for Hurricanes.

He had married Kathleen Tucker in April 1940 in Bromley, Kent.

Juleff, then a Corporal, was posted with other newly-trained air gunners to 600 Squadron to replace men lost in the raid on Waalhaven airfield, Rotterdam on 10th May.

Juleff was commissioned on 24th June 1940. He served with 600 Squadron throughout the Battle of Britain.

Above image courtesy of Paul Juleff.

In 1941 Juleff was serving with 68 Squadron. On 7th July Beaufighter IF R2264 was airborne from High Ercall with Juleff, piloted by W/Cdr. JWC More, also a Battle of Britain veteran. After an engine failed it crash-landed at Betton Strange, near Shrewsbury.

More was seriously injured but recovered only to be lost in 1944 while a prisoner of the Japanese.

Juleff was unhurt. He was released from the RAF in 1946 as a Squadron Leader and died in December 1968.