大象传媒

This is the story of a friend of mine, William Wait, also known as Chum or Noel, who went to become an apprentice printer at the Lichfield Mercury. He lived opposite the Lichfield Mercury, in Bird Street, Lichfield at the Swan Hotel where his father was the Head Gardener. When the war came he volunteered, aged seventeen and a half, and joined the RAF and trained to be a rear gunner.

He eventually was chosen to join the Dambuster 617 Squadron, whereby although he did all of the low-flying (hedge-hopping) training, he did not actually take part in the famous Dambusters raid. He had joined a crew of which two or three, including the pilot, were Canadians, and they were successful in completing their first tour of over 30 raids, whereby they could then take a three month break. Unfortunately the Canadians in the crew wanted to carry on because, if they completed another fifteen ops, they could then obtain six months leave which would enable them to go home to Canada. Due to their friendship and comradeship they all decided to carry on.
Thirteen ops later, this happened.

They were on a bombing mission to bomb the u-boat Pens in Brest when a rear gunner of another Lancaster called to his Skipper and said 鈥淥ne of the Lancs behind is going down鈥�. The Skipper said 鈥淐an you see the letter?鈥� and he replied 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 V for victor鈥�. Yes it was V for victor, of which Chum Wait was the rear gunner, piloted by FO Cheney RCAF, who was 21 years old. They had just completed bombing when there were three accurate bursts, in quick succession, the last scoring almost a direct hit in the bomb bay. The navigator and wireless operator were severely wounded by fragments. Cheney asked for a new course to return home but the starboard engine failed and caught fire. They began to descend from eighteen thousand feet because the oxygen masks were torn. Cheney then noticed a fire in the starboard wing and gave the order to bail out.

They all bailed out with difficulty, some over the land and some over the sea. The aircraft came down in a gentle spin emitting much flame and smoke and crashed into the bay, at Ste Anne-le-Palud and the remains of the aircraft can still be seen resting on the bottom, in about 25 feet of water.

Several of the crew, who landed on the land were found and hidden by the local farmers in their barns. Of those three who ditched in the sea two of them were saved by local fishermen but unfortunately Chum Waite, who had also been wounded, drowned and his body was washed up on the shore at Douarnenez. His body was then hidden under a tarpaulin and eventually given a funeral and buried by the local villagers in a small cemetery by the sea wall, together with two other members of the air crew.

As a matter of interest, the members of the crew who survived the crash were hidden by the French and were eventually able to return to England and continue with their duties. Several members of the crew who survived, have visited Douarnenez over the years and thanked the people who helped to conceal them and evade discovery by the Germans.

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