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Manchester Branch President Wing Commander Joseph Roy George Ralston DSO and Bar, AFC, DFM, died on 8 October 1996 at the age of 81 as this story was being written. Despite poor health and difficulty in walking he attended as many meetings as possible. He joined The RAF in 1930 at the age of 15 as a technical tradesman, became a Sergeant pilot in 1937 and went on to become one of Bomber Command's most outstanding leaders. When invalided out of the RAF in the post-war years he established his won sign and nameplate manufacturing business in Manchester.

One of Wing Commander Roy Ralston's most famous exploits came when, as the pilot of Mosquito, he trapped a German Train inside a French tunnel by bombing the tunnel at both ends!
This received a lot of publicity at the time and further publicity in 1995 when aviation artist Steve Ridgway used scraper-board techniques to picture the scene, presenting a copy of The Wingco at a Branch meeting. His work depicts Roy's Mosquito at low-level unleashing two 500lb bombs at the tunnel and incorporates a portrait of the Wing Commander who, after seeing the rain going into the tunnel, sealed it at one end and then knowing the train would stop inside, nipped round to the other end and sealed that as well.

Bomber Baron
The book 'Bomber Barons' by Chaz Bowyer devotes a complete chapter to Roy Ralston, describing how he joined 108 Squadron in May 1938, flying Howker Hinds and, later, Bristol Blenheims. He became an instructor on Blenheims and then, on August 18 1940, joined 107, Squadron, a Blenhaim 1V bomber unit. He was on operations five days later. During this time he was awarded the DFM.
Roy and his navigator, Se.
rgeant Syd Clayton, were to be together for a total period of three years, completing 78 sorties as a 'team' - ultra low-level aattacks against well-defended enemy targets and shipping. Hving risen to Flight Sergeant and then Warrant Officer, Roy was commissioned in December 1941 and became an instructor at 17 OTU. In May 1942 he joined 105 Swuadron, the first to be equipped with de Havilland Mosquitos, where he was re-joined by navigator Syd Clayton.

The Squadron, together with 139 Squadron - also flying Mosquitos - specialisedin low-level precision raids. Roy, a Flight Lieutenant, was awarded the DSO for 'outstanding leadershop and detemination' and, afterwards, promoted to Squadron leader, commanding 105's B Flight.
It was 9 December 1942 that the Ralston - Clayton partnership hit the headlines with their 'rail intruder' sortie, sealing the German train in a Paris-Soissons railway tunnel.
On 1 April 1943 came the last sortie by the Ralston - Clayton duo writes Bowyer. It was to be Syd Clayton's 100th operation as a navigator and Roy's 83rd sortie.
'Again, Ralston was the formation leader...tbe objective, a rail complex,' writes Bowyer.
'The Mosquitos, despite appalling eather, hit their targets with great success. On their return, Clayton received an immediate DSO to add to his DFC and DFM and then went on to pilot training, while Roy received a bar to his DSO. Soon afterwards, Roy was promoted to Wing Commander and appointed OC 1655 Mosquito Training Unit at Marham, which later mmoved to Warboys as part of No 8 (Pathfinder) Group.
'In August 1944 he became Training Inspector for the elite PFF, then in March 1945 was appointed Commander of 139, a crack Mosquito Pathfinder Squadron. He flew more sorties, bringing his opreational tally up to 91 before Germany surrendered in May 1945.'

Branch memebers turned out in strength to Roy's funeral on 15 October, which was also attended by ACA Chairman Air Commodore Jack Broughton. Branch Chairman Jack Meredith said, 'Roy was a good man in peace and war.'
A tribute was also paid in a Daily Telegraph obituary which revealed that Roy was still earing schoolboy shorts when he joined the RAF as a 15-year-old apprentice. His flying skill and daring were not only recognised by his decorations but by the fact that, after the war, the RAF wre very eager to keep him, granting a permanent commission in 1946. When he became ill and had to leave the Service, he established his sign business, which he ran successfully until he retired after suffering a stroke.

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