The Goldfish Club was formed in November 1942 by C. A. Robertson, the Chief Draftsman at the United Kingdom’s PB Cow & Co., one of the world’s largest manufacturers of air-sea rescue equipment. After hearing of the experiences of airmen who had survived a ditching at sea, Robertson decided to form an exclusive club for airmen who owed their lives to their life jacket, dinghy, etc., enabling members to meet and exchange experiences.
With the company’s backing, the club was named The Goldfish Club: gold for the value of life, and fish for the water.
Each member was presented with a heat-sealed waterproof membership card and an embroidered badge. News of the club spread rapidly, and in January 1943 the BBC broadcast an interview by Wynford Vaughan-Thomas with Robertson and two members who had qualified on their first operational flight.
Due to wartime regulations, production of metallic-embroidered badges was prohibited and all cloth was severely rationed. These problems were overcome with silk embroidery substituted for wire upon black cloth cut from old evening dress suits that were sent by readers of the London Daily Express after an appeal by columnist William Hickey. Uniform dress regulations prohibited the wearing of the Goldfish Club badge on British and American uniforms. The badge was generally worn by Naval aircrews upon their Mae Wests. Many RAF & USAAF aircrew men placed their badge under the flap of their left hand uniform pocket.
Although we have a list of men who were rescued by the ASR we have no idea if these men wore or received the Goldfish club membership card or badge. We are trying to locate the ASR reports belonging to the crews below. Although not sure if they became official Goldfish club members they do qualify because the ditched their B-17 on water (one crew bailed out over the North Sea but were rescued by the ASR) and floated around in their life jackets or dinghy.
| Name | Date | Mission | aircraft | Crash location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lt. Harry Stafford | 24-5-1944 | Berlin, Germany | 42-102965 | North Sea |
| Lt. Bernard Yavorsky | 24-5-1944 | Berlin, Germany | 42-102965 | North Sea |
| Lt. Arthur Flach | 24-5-1944 | Berlin, Germany | 42-102965 | North Sea |
| Lt. Anthony G. Wodek | 24-5-1944 | Berlin, Germany | 42-102965 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Douglas V. Naylor | 24-5-1944 | Berlin, Germany | 42-102965 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Virgil R. Hook | 24-5-1944 | Berlin, Germany | 42-102965 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Reginald Buxton | 24-5-1944 | Berlin, Germany | 42-102965 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Frank Craven | 24-5-1944 | Berlin, Germany | 42-102965 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Robert Ridge | 24-5-1944 | Berlin, Germany | 42-102965 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Walter H. Osika | 24-5-1944 | Berlin, Germany | 42-102965 | North Sea |
| Lt. Robert L. Kaufman | 12-7-1944 | Munich, Germany | 42-38063 | North Sea |
| Lt. Robert C. Burkholder | 12-7-1944 | Munich, Germany | 42-38063 | North Sea |
| Lt. Bernard M. Plaut | 12-7-1944 | Munich, Germany | 42-38063 | North Sea |
| Lt. D.J. Letzia | 12-7-1944 | Munich, Germany | 42-38063 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Edwin M. Sinclair | 12-7-1944 | Munich, Germany | 42-38063 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Sanford G. Cadwell | 12-7-1944 | Munich, Germany | 42-38063 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Rudolph S. Buczak | 12-7-1944 | Munich, Germany | 42-38063 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Warren G. Antoine | 12-7-1944 | Munich, Germany | 42-38063 | North Sea |
| Sgt. H.J. Smuzynski | 12-7-1944 | Munich, Germany | 42-38063 | North Sea |
| Lt. Charles C. Canfield | 5-8-1944 | Nienberg, Germany | 42-97060 | North Sea |
| Lt. Charles E. Ross | 5-8-1944 | Nienberg, Germany | 42-97060 | North Sea |
| Lt. Donald H. Snyder | 5-8-1944 | Nienberg, Germany | 42-97060 | North Sea |
| Lt. Warren Suddath | 5-8-1944 | Nienberg, Germany | 42-97060 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Alvin E. Merriam | 5-8-1944 | Nienberg, Germany | 42-97060 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Herbert B. Barte | 5-8-1944 | Nienberg, Germany | 42-97060 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Julius Smith | 5-8-1944 | Nienberg, Germany | 42-97060 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Alvie Kirkendall | 5-8-1944 | Nienberg, Germany | 42-97060 | North Sea |
| Lt. Ernest T. Salzer | 7-10-1944 | Politz, Poland | 43-38529 | North Sea |
| Lt. Rex R. Monson | 7-10-1944 | Politz, Poland | 43-38529 | North Sea |
| Lt. Kenneth Post | 7-10-1944 | Politz, Poland | 43-38529 | North Sea |
| Lt. William H. Steffen | 7-10-1944 | Politz, Poland | 43-38529 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Jack F. Scarborough | 7-10-1944 | Politz, Poland | 43-38529 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Vincent A. Toth | 7-10-1944 | Politz, Poland | 43-38529 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Richard F Mitrenga | 7-10-1944 | Politz, Poland | 43-38529 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Benjamin W. Hamrick | 7-10-1944 | Politz, Poland | 43-38529 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Boyd S Ballinger | 7-10-1944 | Politz, Poland | 43-38529 | North Sea |
| Capt. William F. Gibbons | 28-2-1945 | Soest, Netherlands | 44-8255 | North Sea |
| Lt. Arvo J. Kajander | 28-2-1945 | Soest, Netherlands | 44-8255 | North Sea |
| Lt. Valentine W. Stype | 28-2-1945 | Soest, Netherlands | 44-8255 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Rocco V. Montagno | 28-2-1945 | Soest, Netherlands | 44-8255 | North Sea |
| Lt. Victor A. Smith | 28-2-1945 | Soest, Netherlands | 44-8255 | North Sea |
| Sgt. Charles W. Coleman | 28-2-1945 | Soest, Netherlands | 44-8255 | North Sea |