大象传媒

Having trained as an RAF pilot in America in 1941, I received my Pilots' Wings in 1942 and then spent some time instructing.

In 1944 I completed a Wellington OTU (Operational Training Unit)at Chipping Warden in Northants and then to another OTU at RAF Finmere (Oxon) to convert on to B25 Mitchells. This meant more training as we practised formation flying, cross country, high level bombing etc. etc. My log book reads:-

18 Feb.45 Formation Flying 1hr.50m
20 Feb.45 High Level Bombing1hr.55m
20 Feb.45 Night Dual. 20m
20 Feb.45 Night solo 40m
20 Feb.45 Night Cross Country 50m

Quite a busy day the 20th February 1945!

Next day I learned that my daughter Brenda had been born on the 20th and I made my way to University College Hospital in London. Brenda was 1 day old.
Flying started again for me on the 24th & 25th February and we came to an end of training at Finmere.

It was early March and British troops had began to liberate Belgium so we were flown into the airport at Brussels(Melsbroek Airfield). Here I joined 98 Squadron.

Our operational flights were all in close formation, boxes of six aircraft, each dropping four 500 lb bombs at the same time. We normally flew at around 11,000 or 12,000 feet.

We flew our first operation to Dulmen (Holland)and bombed the railway marshalling yards. There was light flak, we hit the target and the flight lasted 2hrs 45mins.

The armies were massing to cross the Rhine. RAF medium bombers and Typhoons and the 9th US Air force Marauders and Thunderbolts carried on with their now familiar role of "softening up" the area around.

On the 17th March we bombed the railway centre at Ahaus in Holland.
In the afternoon we went again to bomb another railway centre at Burgsteinfort. Next day the marshalling yards at Coesfeld.
Our worst days were the 20th & 21st March. On both days we bombed the marshalling yards at Bocholt in Germany(North of Cologne). My aircraft was full of holes, my windscreen shattered. We bombed and turned for home. I left the formation and returned alone at low level. I was having difficulty with a large hole in the windscreen
Over the target the box of six Mitchells immediately ahead suffered very badly.
No.1 in the box was badly damaged and an air gunner's leg was almost shot away but the pilot retained control and made an emergency landing at Eindoven.
No.2 in the box received a direct hit as the bombs fell away and virtually disintegrated taking down No.3 an all Australian crew from which one parachute was seen to emerge. This was an air gunner who, though captured on landing, was freed 8 days later by the advancing British troops.
No. 4 pilot was severely injured, shrapnel smashing through his right thigh bone, but he managed to retain consciuosness long enough to get his aircraft back over friendly territory after bombing, before passing out. The mid upper gunner took over the controls and managed under the pilot's guidance, to crash land at the first airfield en route without further casualties.

Of the 18 Mitchell's of 98 Sqdn and 180 Sqdn that had left Melsbroek (Brussels) only ten returned to base, all with varying degrees of flak damage and some with wounded aboard. Notification was received of an immediate award of the D.S.O. to the wounded pilot, P/O Perkins, a C.G.M. to his air gunner F/Sgt J.Hall who carried out the emergancy landing and a D.F.C. to the leading piloy of the second box F/Lt Howard-Jones.

My daughter Brenda was now a month old. It was certainly a month during my life that I shall never forget.

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