The Commonwealth
Lieutenant (A) George Hermann Joseph Feeny, RN
George Hermann Joseph Feeny was born in 1914.
He joined 701 Squadron (HMS Warspite) in 1939.
On 26 July 1939 he was transferred to 802 Squadron.
When the war broke out Lieutenant (A) Feeny served with 802 Squadron on HMS Glorious. At this time the unit was equipped with nine Sea Gladiators and formed part of the complement of the carrier under the command of Lieutenant Commander J. P. G. Bryant.
When war was declared HMS Glorious was sent to join HMS Eagle in the Indian Ocean for trade protection duties.
In April 1940 HMS Glorious was ordered home to take part in the Norwegian campaign. She was chosen because her “T” shaped lifts permitted larger aircraft such as the Gladiator and Hurricane to be struck below. HMS Glorious arrived at Scapa on the 18 April having re-embarked the three aircraft she left at Malta.
802 Squadron was reorganized on HMS Glorious’s arrival in the Clyde on 17 April, and they rejoined the ship on 22 April 1940 off Scapa Flow, with nine aircraft, together with 804 Squadron, also with nine aircraft, for operation off Norway.
HMS Glorious was also carrying seventeen Gladiators and one Sea Gladiator belonging to 263 Squadron, which was being transported to Norway,
Together with 802 Squadron Feeny took part in both the Norwegian campaigns.
On 28 May 1940 three Sea Gladiators from HMS Glorious’ 802 Squadron flown by Lieutenant (A) Feeny, Lieutenant Guy Desmond D’Esterre Lyver and Lieutenant David Neil Hamilton Ogilvie were scrambled after a ‘shadower’. They intercepted a He115 and shot it down. This was an aircraft from 2 Staffel of KüFlGr506 flown by Feldwebel Fritz Stahl, who radioed that he had found a carrier 520 kilometres off Vestfjord. The aircraft was not heard from again. KüFlGr506 had sent out six He115 on reconnaissances during the day.
After the successful evacuation of 263 and 46 Squadrons fighters from Narvik on 8 June 1940 HMS Glorious sailed for Scapa Flow at all speed. However this successful evacuation was avail when the carrier was sunk by the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau later in the day with the loss of almost all aboard, Feeny being one of them.
At the time of his death, Feeny had claimed one shared victory, this one being claimed while flying Gloster Sea Gladiator.
Claims:
Kill no. | Date | Number | Type | Result | Plane type | Serial no. | Locality | Unit |
1940 | ||||||||
28/05/40 | 1/3 | He115 (a) | Shared destroyed | Sea Gladiator | 520 km off Vestfjord | 802 Squadron |
Biplane victories: 1 shared destroyed.
TOTAL: 1 shared destroyed.
(a) He115 of 2/KüFlGr506 shot down. Feldwebel Fritz Stahl and crew perished.
Sources:
Fledgling Eagles - Christopher Shores with John Foreman, Christian-Jaques Ehrengardt, Heinrich Weiss and Bjørn Olsen, 1991 Grub Street, London, ISBN 0-948817-42-9
Gloster Gladiator Home Page - Alexander Crawford.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Additional information kindly provided by Mark Horan.