大象传媒

鈥淩eference your request in recent 50-61 Squadron鈥檚 Newsletter, I was with 61 at Woolfox, when your father was our squadron commander, and I was operating on the night on which he was killed鈥�

鈥淲e were basically still a Hampdon squadron, but had just commenced re-equipping with the Manchester. This was a very popular aircraft at first because of its size and increased bomb load, but we soon became aware of the engine problems, which I am sure you must have heard about in your researches鈥�

鈥淭hree years ago, I had a book published (Timber鈥檚 War) that is not out of print but in it I make specific mention of your father although not by name鈥�

鈥淚 always had at the back of my mind that he was on a Berlin raid when he was killed, but from your note, I have obviously got it wrong鈥�

鈥淎 copy of my book was passed to the Association to be placed in our museum at Lincoln, so it is just possible that you could gain access to it, although it won鈥檛 tell you a lot. The book covers my own experiences whilst with 61 Squadron in Hampden days鈥�

鈥淭he two squadrons (144 and 61 move to North Luffenham from Hemswell, the former used Luffenham aerodrome whilst we operated from a satellite base, (Woolfox) just a few miles away, alongside the A1. As a matter of interest, that airfield is still there in parts, just on the right hand sides of the A1, travelling northwards, and just north of Stamford. It was from this base that your father took off on that raid鈥�

鈥淲ould I be right in saying that he was at one time a good rugby player? What do I remember of him?鈥�

(He was right about being a rugby player)

鈥淗e was extremely popular and took part in operations as often as the powers that be would allow鈥�

鈥淲hen he wasn鈥檛 operating, you could always see him standing alongside the taxiway, to wave us off and wish us God speed鈥�

鈥淥n the night in question, he had most of his section heads on board, so the effect on the squadron was most dramatic. I am not over emphasising matters when I say that we were absolutely stunned, but the fact that he took one of the early Manchester鈥檚 on such a raid was so typical of the man鈥�

鈥淎s far as I am concerned, your father was a born leader, admired by 鈥渢he boys of his squadron鈥�.

鈥淚f you haven鈥檛 already done so, perhaps you can come along to the squadron memorial service and march past in June and see the wonderful memorial which stands at Skellingthorpe Keith Coldron will you details.鈥�

鈥淒ug out an old squadron photograph which I鈥檝e had photo copied, not too well, although this was taken 58 years ago, I think I have it right in marking your father at the bottom.鈥� (He was right with that)

鈥淚 do hope that other will come forward and top up the information, and I wish you success in your research. A fine man who deserves to be remembered by us鈥�

Yours sincerely Eric Woods 61 Squadron RAF.

This letter really did touch my heart I only wished that he was my real father, as I said; he was my mother鈥檚 first husband.

I wrote to (鈥淪quadron Leader Cam Weir鈥�) who was working with George most of his time before becoming Wing command himself after George鈥檚 death.

On the 28th March 1999 I received letter from Cam from BC Canada

鈥淚 apologise for not answering your letters. Am sure you are disappointed that I have not written sooner.

The problem has been that I have been quite ill. I am legally blind, have a 50% hearing loss and both my wife and I have keeping the doctors busy. I now use white cane because of my blindness and because my cancer condition has spread into my bones. I had 2 weeks in hospital. I use a magnifying glass for reading and writing so I hope you will be able to read this letter. First I admire your desire to research your Father鈥檚 Air Force Career. That is very commendable; I wish I could be of some positive help. However, my records are very skimpy but I will relate what comes into my mind. You ask about Geo鈥檚 (George) wing number, I think you mean his Service Number that I do not have. My service period with your father Geo, Valentine was quite short. I met him first at Hemswell in November 1940. He was commanding 61 Squadron and I joined him as his senior Flight Commander. Geo. was a good Squadron Commander and was respected by us all. He was a good pilot and committed himself whole - heartedly to our operational duties. I remember his smile 鈥� he had a good sense of humour. From Hemswell, 8 months later 61 Squadron moved to North Luffenham and then Woolfax Lodge. A month later, in August 1941, I was wounded by flak, and I did not see Geo, again as I was in hospital. While I was recovering I received word that Geo. Had been shot down on a raid on Berlin. I took command of the Squadron at that time. He was a great lose to us. I have been through my records, photos etc, but I have nothing further that I can tell you. Before I met Geo, in Nov 1940. He had already won the D.S.O (Distinguished Service Order) but I don鈥檛 know the details. This is a very high-ranking decoration you may be able to tract it.

So Val I hope at last that I have been able to satisfy some of your curiosity concerning your father. I do apologue again for not writing sooner Sincerely Cam Weir.鈥�

I must admit I was very lucky to receive his last two letters, as it was not long after this that he died from cancer.

I needed to write one more letter in the hope of finding some photographs of George, so I wrote to Chief of the Air Staff. And received a letter- it read:

Thank you for your letter dated 15 December 1999. Although I cannot help directly with your research of Wing Commander Valentine, I have contacted the Air Historical Branch of the Royal Air Fore on your behalf. The Air Historical Branch has access to a significant amount of data and should be able to address a number of your queries, including squadron association details. I have passed your letter to them and they should respond in due course.

From there I received letters from

Imperial War Museum (RAF) and Hendon War Museum London (RAF) with mostly what I been looking for including:

The Manchester 16x12 photograph-print of the Avro Manchester group of 61 Squadron with George and Cam in it also the document explaining how he was KIA with other high ranking officers.

In a letter seeking information on records that showed Wg Cdr G E Valentine was the Captain of the Manchester Bomber No L7388 that took off from RAF North Luffenham at 20.30hrs on the 2 September 1941 for a raid on Berlin. It was later reported that this aircraft was hit by Berman flak while over the target area, killing all seven crew members.

Their details are as follows.

Wing Commander, W/Cdr G E Valentine DOS 鈥� 1st Pilot

Fight Lieutenant, F/LT A S Harrison DOS 鈥� 2nd Pilot
Group Captain, G/Capt J F T Barrett DOS 鈥� Bar DFC
Sergeant, Sgt E E Dowse
Sergeant, Sgt J E Nichoison
Sergeant, Sgt W D Hamer RNZAF
Fight Officer, F/O L Duckworth

W/Cdr Valentine and his fellow crewmembers are buried in the 1939-1945 War Cemetery in Berlin.

Since reading the full document of this and some very important letters, it all added up, like this document, and I was becoming to realise that my mother鈥檚 first husband was not my father and yet almost all letters I received referred to him as 鈥測our father鈥�.

Now that I had got all I needed and looked back on Wing Commander George along with his brother and a cousin in the RAF, they lived on after the war for some years both have now passed away.

I have come to the end of my research regarding George, who I thought was my father, my mother鈥檚 first husband, I could not use the words 鈥榤y father鈥� because I鈥檓 not sure, but he WAS my mother鈥檚 first husband.

My mother later married a Royal Artillery officer and after many years divorced. She remarried a Royal Navy officer 鈥� sounds like 鈥淭hree offices and a mother!鈥�
I will never know who was my real father was I can only believe it could be the Royal Artillery officer but am still unsure because his surname was NOT Valentine.
Something didn鈥檛 quite add up from my mother but only she who knows who the real father was, I was two years too late as she had already died.

I no longer need to hold onto this extraordinary, incredible, history of George. I鈥檓 so amazed and so proud of him. I would like to share this same interest in keeping these memories for the next generation to come and feel proud of him too, but wish he was my father,

A fine man who deserves to be remembered.

I laid a wreath on Remembrance Day - Sunday 14th November 2004

We should ALL remember them

鈥淲hen you go home, tell them of us and say 鈥�

For your tomorrow we gave our today鈥�

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