大象传媒

On the night of 15th September, my birthday, we bombed the Dunlop Rubber Factory at Montlucon, France. There were 370 bombers on this operation. Wing Commander Dixie Deane DSO DFC, the master bomber, controlled the raid. Our duty was again supporter. It was a full moon period and the first four visual markers identified and marked the target by moonlight. Later on, more visual markers dropped their target indicators by the light of flares. All 26 buildings were hit, 12 of them destroyed and 10 others seriously damaged. The main rubber store was still blazing the next day. We bombed from 5,000 feet. That night we flew in Lancaster EE176 which carried out a total of 120 operations. On most operation on 97 Squadron we would take window. Window were strips of metallised paper dropped to disrupt enemy radar defences on their radar screens. Some nights it would be like Christmas with brown paper parcels in the cockpit. The strips were in small bundles and the navigator would tell me when to start windowing and for how long and at what rate which could have been one bundle every one or two minutes. There was an aperture just beyond the small step that went down into the bomb aimers compartment. I would sit on the step and put the bundles out. Quite often we would not use all the parcels.
After Montlucon there were more flying exercises and then on the 22nd September we went to Hanover. Our duty on that operation being Backers Up which was to put further target indicators on the previous markers before they burnt out in order that the target was marked throughout the raid for the main force to aim and bomb on. There were over 700 bombers on this operation and it was a great success ; only 26 aircraft were lost. Duration 5.40. The next night 23rd September we were on again. This time it was a spoof attack on Darmstadt. The purpose of the spoof raid was to draw fighters away from the main target of Mannheim. The spoof did not work. Darmstadt was too close to Mannheim and the enemy soon realised which was the major attack. Duration 5.40.
Again it was more flying exercises which included another short session for me flying the Lancaster mostly straight and level. We also did a cross country and used a H25. I should think for that exercise we had a competent set operator who gave our navigator some instruction.
Our next operation on the 27th September was a Backers Up over Hanover. There were 678 bombers on that operation, 38 were lost. Duration 4.55. Something happened between Jack Russell and Dick Wright after that operation which completely changed what we had set out to do. On 97 Squadron pilots, navigators and bomb aimers were debriefed away from the rest of the crew. After that Hanover operation we knew that jack and Dick had fallen out. We did not know why because there had been no indication while we were in the air. After that Dick was not seen again and Jack was no longer himself. He seemed withdrawn and silent. Our next operation on the 2nd October which was Munich. We had another navigator and it now seemed to me that the crew were falling apart. Our duty on Munich was Backers Up. The duration was 7.25. It was to be our last operation apart from John Dow the wireless operator.
Two days after Munich we did a night flying test of 30 minutes and then went on 7 days leave. We had done 36 operations and I thought that, with luck, on our return from leave after 9 more making 45 we could finish. On that leave I was not feeling too happy and so I went to see my two sisters. One lived at Tolworth, Surrey and the other in Esher, Surrey.
On our return from leave we received a shock. We were never told officially or given any explanation whatsoever, but we soon learned through other airmen that Jack Russell our pilot and Dick Wright , navigator had been posted to the American Air Force. I never saw either of them again. By the end of the year 1943 Jack had been killed and some time later I had a letter from Dick Wright who survived the war.
We hung about the Squadron until November seemingly forgotten. Although it was lovely autumn weather, as far as I can remember there were few operations because nearly every morning it was foggy. During that time I cannot recall seeing much of the gunners Wally and Ronnie or Nick the bomb aimer. John Dow, the wireless operator, and myself would go into Cambridge almost every afternoon. We usually walked to the main road and then caught a bus. In Cambridge we would have a look around and then book a bed at the Salvation Army or some other similar organisation which cost about 1/6d. We would then have a meal in a caf茅, and when the pubs opened, a few drinks and then to the Rex Dance Hall. In the morning we generally had a cup of tea and then caught a workmans bus from the Market Place that went to our camp at Bourn. The workmen got to know us.
It was into November when we had to see Group Captain Fresson DFC, the Station Commander. Before seeing him we had decided that if we were offered an experienced pilot we would continue operating. If not we would finish which we were entitled to do. In any case the way jack and Dick were posted while we were away on leave, and not a word of explanation, we didn鈥檛 like but that was the service. They did not have to explain anything unless it was a briefing for an operation. I did hear some time later that the reason that Jack Russell and Dick Wright were posted from the Squadron was because they had a big stand-up row in front of Air Vice Marshal Bennett at the debriefing after the Hanover operation on 27th September, but I never knew what it was really about. At our interview with Grp/Capt Fresson we decided to go on a rest which was usually for a minimum of 6 months after which you could be called back for a second tour of operations which was 20.
John Dow the wireless operator decided to stay. I believe he was organised with another crew. After about two days our postings came through. The two gunners Wally and Ronnie were posted to Silverstone as gunnery instructors. Where Nick Golden, the bomb aimer went I cannot remember. My posting was No 20 Operational Training Unit, Lossiemouth which was on the east coast of Scotland between Aberdeen and Inverness, and 5 miles north of Elgin. I then almost wished I had stayed.
After travelling with a railway warrant in the early morning from Cambridge railway station, I arrived at Lossiemouth railway station with some other airmen in the late afternoon. It was early November. After about 10 minutes, transport arrived and we were taken to the camp and after booking in I was taken to a site of Nissan huts about a quarter to half a mile outside the camp. Nearby the huts was a fair sized house with a round tower shaped room on one corner, and the house was known as Camp House. After being shown into a Nissan hut and dumping my kit near a spare bed, I was issued with sheets and blankets from a nearby store. The hut was almost full of aircrew of all catagories who I soon found out were ex-operational and were instructors. As No 20 Operational Training Unit, aircraft were twin engined Wellingtons, and as I was a flight engineer I could not quite understand why I had been sent there.

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