大象传媒

FLIGHT SERGEANT EDGAR WILLIAM PROCTOR

40 (MIDDLE EAST) SQUADRON AND 44 (RHODESIA) SQUADRON

KILLED IN ACTION 22 JANUARY 1944 AGED 22

This is the story of my father, as told to me by my mother.

Eddie was born in the tiny village of Willersey, Gloucestershire on 25th August 1921. He was the youngest but one of eleven children, eight sisters and two brothers. He attended Willersey School until he was 15 years old. On leaving school he went to work for the husband of one of his sisters, who was a farmer. Eddie loved driving tractors.

Being in a reserved occupation he could have been exempt from joining the forces, but when the War broke out in 1939 his one idea was to join the RAF as an Air Gunner. On 1 April 1941 he volunteered and was accepted for training as an Air Crew Cadet, age 19 - a shining youth on the threshold of life.

After training as an AC2 in Blackpool for about 6 months he was sent to No 8 AG School, Evanton, Scotland to start training as an Air Gunner. After this he was stationed at OTU Moreton-in-Marsh where he continued to train. He flew in Wellington bombers every day doing circuits and landings, learning to fire Browning guns and fly across country.

After about a year's training he was given 3 stripes and an Air Gunner's badge and told to go and win the War.

During this time he married my mother and in May 1942 his first daughter was born.

In June 1942 he was stationed at Harwell. On the 21st he flew from Portreath to the Middle East, with B Flight, 40 Squadron Middle East, as a Rear Gunner. At first they were bombing Tobruk as at this time the Germans were well in command there. On 12th July 1942 they crashed in the desert. On 14th August they crashed again and he was trapped in a burning plane, only to be rescued just in time. He sustained back injuries but as soon as he was fit again was sent on more bombing operations. Every day from that date they were sent on operations, bombing enemy transport and troop concentrations.

Eventually he and his crew were sent to Luqa, Malta, although it was heavily bombed by the Germans. Malta was our base for the RAF to bomb German-occupied locations such as Tunis and Tobruk. This went on until January 1943, when he returned home after completing a total of 41 operations over enemy territory, including on one occasion being lost in the desert for 3 days until they were found by British troops.

In April 1943 he was sent to Upper Heyford as an Instructor Air Gunner to other young cadets.

In November 1943, as the battle for Berlin was becoming more intense, he was sent to begin a second tour of ops, this time in a Lancaster as a Mid-upper Gunner, with a new crew. By 19th December 1943 they were at Dunholme Lodge, Lincoln as part of 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron. On 29th December 1943 he was sent on his first op as a Mid-upper Gunner in a Lancaster to Berlin on a 1000-bomber raid. On 1 January 1944 they were again sent to Berlin and, according to his log book, the flak was terrible, they were attacked by fighters and many planes were lost.

After 9 days leave they were again sent to Berlin on 20th January and managed to return through the flak and many fighters. The following night, 21st January, they were sent out again, this time to Magdeburg. They did not return home. That night 57 of our planes were lost.

He was reported missing with all of his crew and nothing was known of their fate until 5 years later, when a grave was found in a small village in Germany called Waddekath where they had all been buried together.

Eventually they were all re-interred together in the Berlin Heerstrasse British Military Cemetery.

He was aged 22 and left a wife and baby girl of 20 months. His other daughter was born 6 months after he was reported missing.

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