Goronwy Amman Bassett – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 644 Squadron

Flight Sergeant Goronwy Amman Bassett – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 644 Squadron

Early Life and Family Background

Goronwy Amman Bassett

Goronwy Amman Bassett was born in 1911 at Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, the son of Evan Bassett and Mary Price.

1911 Census

At the time of the 1911 Census, the family were living at Ddolyffin, Ammanford, where Evan, aged 29, was employed as a repairer coal miner, while his wife Mary H., aged 25, managed the household. Their infant son, Goronwy A., was recorded as being under one month old. Also present was Margaret E. Jenkins, aged 18, Mary’s sister, who worked as a dressmaker.

1921 Census

By the 1921 Census, the family had moved to 15 Hall Street, Ammanford. Evan, then 40, was employed as a Colliery Examiner (Below Ground) with Phillips New Wernddu Colliery, Bryacock, Neath, though he was recorded as out of work at the time. Mary Hannah, aged 36, continued to manage the home, while Goronwy Amos, aged 10, attended school. In later years, Goronwy married Georgia Mary Chapman, and by the time of his enlistment the couple were residing at West Cross, Swansea.

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Service

RAF Tarrant Rushton, Dorset

Goronwy enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, serving with No. 644 Squadron, a unit dedicated to Special Duties in support of clandestine operations across occupied Europe. The squadron was based at RAF Tarrant Rushton, Dorset, an airfield closely associated with Special Operations Executive (SOE) missions, supply drops, and covert insertions behind enemy lines. These operations required exceptional skill, endurance, and courage, often involving long‑range night flights over hostile territoryBy April 1945, as the war in Europe neared its end, No. 644 Squadron was heavily engaged in operations supporting the Norwegian resistance movement (Milorg). One such mission was Operation CROP 17, a Special Operations Executive air operation intended to deliver supplies, equipment, and possibly personnel to resistance groups in occupied Norway. These missions were flown at night, at low altitude, and across the vast expanse of the North Sea, making them among the most hazardous undertaken by RAF aircrews. The aircraft used were typically Handley Page Halifax A.VII bombers, specially modified for clandestine work, including long‑range navigation, parachute drops, and low‑level flying in mountainous terrain.

Operation CROP 17 and the Loss of Halifax A.VII

Halifax A.VII 

Despite Germany’s deteriorating military position in April 1945, anti‑aircraft defences in Norway remained active, particularly around key inland routes and lakes used by Allied crews as navigation reference points. Aircraft returning from SOE missions were vulnerable to flak, mechanical failure, and the cumulative strain of long, demanding sorties.

Lake Mjøsa, Norway

On 24 April 1945, during the return flight from Operation CROP 17, the Halifax A.VII carrying Flight Sergeant Goronwy Amman Bassett came under anti‑aircraft fire and crashed into Lake Mjøsa, Norway’s largest inland lake. The aircraft was lost with almost all hands; only one member of the crew survived, a stark reminder of the extreme dangers faced by aircrews engaged in clandestine operations even in the final weeks of the war. The loss of the Halifax and its crew forms part of the wider story of the RAF’s Special Duties squadrons, whose work—though often unrecorded in official communiqués—was vital to the success of resistance movements across occupied Europe.

Goronwy Amman Bassett
Runneymede Memorial, Surrey
credit - findagrave

Commemoration

As the aircraft was lost over deep water, Flight Sergeant Goronwy Amman Bassett has no known grave. His name is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, which honours airmen of the Commonwealth who died during the Second World War and have no known resting place. His inclusion on this memorial ensures that his service, courage, and sacrifice—made in the demanding and perilous world of Special Duties operations—are remembered with honour.