Stradishall
At 1115 3 Group is informed that 419 Flight is to operate tonight.
At 2125 419 Flight operations are cancelled.
Saturday, 8 February 1941
Stradishall
At 1200 F/Lt Keast informs W/Cdr Cameron (2 Group) that Operation SAVANNA has been cancelled for tonight.
At 1210 F/Lt Keast states that two aircraft will be operating tonight, but at 1905 the operations are cancelled.
Friday, 7 February 1941
Stradishall
At 1015 the Ops officer asks S/Ldr Knowles about 419 Flight and Blenheim operations. Operation SAVANNA has been planned so that a squadron of Blenheims from No. 2 Group, No. 107 Sqn, will bomb the port of Vannes as diversionary cover while 419 Flight drop the SOE/Free-French assassination team in the countryside nearby. The Blenheims will operate from Newmarket, presumably to aid coordination. The Ops Officer informs 3 Group that the operation is off.
Stradishall – ‘Brussels’
At 1105 the Station Commander states that two 419 Flight operations may be flown tonight, one of five hours’ duration, the other of six; weather permitting. (Stradishall has only one runway operational.)
At 0011 an unidentified Whitley takes off for Belgium, but the operation is abandoned early, presumably due to poor weather; the Whitley lands back at Stradishall at 0335. Keast’s logbook shows no record of such a flight, so this sortie was probably flown by Jack Oettle and his crew.
Wednesday, 5 February 1941
Shawbury – Stradishall
Still accompanied by his seven crew, Keast flies to Henlow in T4264 before returning to Stradishall.
Tuesday, 4 February 1941
Ringway – Stradishall
Keast flies with his seven crew to Shawbury, then on to the Armstrong Whitworth factory airfield at Baginton.