大象传媒

I cannot tell a single story of my time at Coningsby, for life on a Bomber Command Station was a continual story of getting to know Aircrews as they arrived and then experiencing the loss of these men when they failed to return from Operational missions over enemy territory. Sometimes your relationship was slightly distant but amicable at other times quite close. From 1943 when I arrived at BOURN in Cambridgeshire you became hardened to the fact that your relationship with the individual Crews whose Aircraft you serviced was usally a transitional one, it could end at any time. -I was lucky with my fellow Flight Mechanic who I was to work with for the next nearly two years. He was Dennis Mooney from London and we became true buddies always working together on the same Aircraft { Lancaster}.
The Squadron moved to Coningsby in April 1944 and it was here we met our hero . He was Wing Commander" Ted " Porter DFC & Bar..He was the most courteous of men, always appreciated the work we put in on his Aircraft, he never used his Rank as a barrier and his attitude rubbed off his whole Crew, they were all great guys who you could joke with. The Wing Commander had been Master Bomber leading raids over Berlin in 1943 before being seconded from 54 Base to 97 Squadron. We had ample opportunity to fly with him on numerous occaisions, Engine Tests,Airtests. NFTs and anyexcuse we could find to go up with him.
A fateful day arrived on August 16/17th 1944when he came back early from his Leave before his own Crew had returned and he took a scratch Crew on a Raid which he was to lead over STETTIN BAY on a Gardening Operation { Minelaying } His Lancaster was coned by Searchlights and intense heavy Flak on his low bombing run. They were hit badly and knowing they had no chance he radioed "We are hit. I am going to leave you now. Baling out. Good luck everybody " . He was to low to bale out which he knew. He and three others are buried in POZNAN Garrison Cemetry in Poland, one is buried on the Danish Island of BORNHOLM and the others were never found.-- In a book by Max Hastings called" Bomber Command " there is a detailed description of the Wing Commanders end and a vivid description of the calm manner in which he died and of the bravery of that particular scratch crew who I have found out since, were given the opportunity when they were first hit, to bale out, but each one of them stuck by their Skipper.
To-day, three of the Wing Commanders original Crew are still alive. Two are in Canada and one in the North of England. All speak of him with great affection.
After he was killed Dennis and I stayed together as Ground Crew with two other Aircrews until February 1945 when we got split up. Dennis went to UDINE in Northern Italy and I finished up with 216 Transport Command at 64 Staging Post in Malta until my Demob in February 1947.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.