A campaign to commemorate the pilots and navigators of the Photographic Reconnaissance Units (PRU), who served during the Second World War, is looking to find the living relatives of these local war heroes.
The PRU, which was tasked to provide up-to-date intelligence to strategically plan the Allied actions in the war, was formed on the 24th of September 1939 and throughout the Second World War it operated highly dangerous, clandestine photographic reconnaissance operations over all theatres of operation, and captured more than 26 million images of enemy operations and installations during the war.
The ‘Spitfire AA810 Project’ has therefore led the campaign to establish such a memorial in central London. Among those who served, and died, in the PRU were Southampton born Leonard Grieb and John Merrifield.
Flying Spitfires and Mosquitos, the intelligence the unit gathered was used by all the armed forces, giving same day intelligence on enemy activity. John Merifield (pictured top), from Hill Lane, is recognised as one of the finest Mosquito and PRU pilots in the Second World War having carried out 160 operational sorties and was the man responsible for discovering the German secret weapon plant at Peenemunde.
Flight Sergeant Leonard Charles Grieb was born in Southampton in 1922 and lived on St. James Road in Shirley. Joining the RAF in 1940 he trained as a navigator and joined 140 Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron flying Wellington aircraft. In 1943 he married local girl Vera Rosinthal in Southampton before returning to his unit which was then posted to the continent following D-Day.
The intelligence provided by the PRU was used in the Cabinet War Rooms – now the ‘Churchill War Rooms’ located underneath the Treasury – and was instrumental in the planning of major operations; D-Day and the Dambusters Raid.
Due to the clandestine nature of their operations – they flew solo operations, unarmed and unarmored – the death rate was nearly fifty percent. However, despite having one of the lowest survival rates of the war – life expectancy in the PRU was around two and a half months – there is no national memorial to the PRU.
Supporting the campaign for a national memorial is the Member of Parliament for Southampton Test, Satvir Kaur. She said: “I am delighted to support this fantastic campaign to commemorate those who served in the Photographic Reconnaissance Units. There is no national memorial to the PRU, and we want the integral work they did to be recognised at a national level.
“This includes Southampton’s Leonard Grieb and John Merifield, who served admirably under exceptionally difficult conditions, with both tragically losing their lives while serving their country.
“I look forward to working with the Spitfire AA810 Project to establish this memorial and I look forward to being able to pay my respects there once it is completed.”
If there is anyone related to Leonard Grieb or John Merifield, or if anyone know someone who served in the PRU during the war, please go the Spitfire AA810 Project website (www.spitfireaa810.co.uk), or get in touch with Tony Hoskins, Tony@spitfireaa810.co.uk.