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One man’s War - A bit about the RAF
by
John Robert Laws 1921- 2008
Part 4
It was now mid-September and the crew and I went to Marston Moor in Yorkshire to convert on to Handley Page Halifax which were to be our operational aircraft. The Halifax was a good strong business like aircraft with four radial engines each giving 1600hp. It weighed some thirty tons when loaded. We spent just a month there doing some forty hours flying, including just eight hours night flying.
A fortnight later we were at Lissett and stated local flying from there on 5th November and our operational flying began 16th November with a daylight trip of less than five hours to Julich. By the end of November we had done five ops,, the second of which we were diverted to Carnaby on FIDO (Fog Intensive Dispersal Of) due to fog. Carnaby was an emergency landing strip about three miles long, equipped with pipes down either side with a series of jets from which fuel could be sprayed and ignited. The effect was rather like descending into Hell, as we came down between two or three miles lines of raging fire.
December was quiet for us, just one trip to Cologne on the 30th. Training of various sorts went on all the time, gunnery, navigation and practice bombing.
I recall one occasion when one of our little practice bombs failed to release in the air but fell off with a mighty bang when we had taxied back to our dispersal and filled the aircraft with smoke. We got out in record time but there was no damage.
Far dodgier was an occasion when a 500lb bomb failed to come off its hook over the target in the wing bomb bay but fell out through the bomb bay doors when we landed. It was of course dark we only knew that a shower of sparks was following us down the runway. Fortunately it could not explode as the safety pin was still in (it comes out on the way down) It got pretty hot with the friction however and the bods sent out to wee what had happened didn’t stay long to examine it.
January 1945 saw us busy again with a couple of night trips and a daylight trip in fine weather, over a snow covered Saar valley. It was all night trips in February, including a couple of over 8 hours duration. These ops do not separate themselves clearly in my memory, sometimes an isolated incident sticks in the mind like the flak nakedness of being lit up by searchlights and a quick corkscrew to get away, or the sight of a thick curtain of flak over the target ahead of us. Generally one was too busy to worry much about either what was going on around us or our own safety.
'Window' might have to be dropped out, at particular points to confuse the radar and often we would turn in on to the target at the last moment having feinted a passing movement. Their might be changes of height and then it was bomb doors open and a final straight run in at a steady speed with the bomb aimer giving corrections till the final “bombs away”, when I put the nose down a bit and the speed up with another course change. In the midst of a lot of aircraft about and no lights showing a good lookout was essential.
It was usual for the target to be lit up with flares and incendiaries, but if the ‘pathfinder’. force was a minute late and very embarrassing if then the main force had to circle over the target with considerable danger of collision. Inaccurate timings were fortunately rare.
In daylight the squadron flew as a ‘gaggle’ led by a Vic formation of three crews with some experience.
In the air squadrons were led by flight lieutenants and on the ground by squadron leaders.
The leading Vic formed an aiming point for the flak of course and it was while leading the squadron in daylight we suffered our only hit from flak. This put one engine out of action and forced us hand over to number two and to creep back at a lower level on the remaining tree engines which brought us safely home a little behind the rest. When you land on three engines everyone turns out to see the fun and we were greeted with ‘we didn’t expect to see you back’.
Our operational flying continued through February, March and April, the last trip being to Wangarooge on 25th April, and the last op the squadron did just before the German surrender. After that it was a quick change, we did trips bomb dumping and some navigational practice including a trip over Hamburg and Kiel with one or two ground based colleagues from the squadron as passengers to see that it was all for real. Then we started taking aircraft over to Ireland for storage or disposal, so my last trip in a ‘Halifax’ was one hour to High Ercall on 22 June 1945.
C
A New Tale Tomorrow
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Family Events from our database for today April 21
1718 - Burial: Jane LAWS-5866, Richmond on Thames SRY UK
The River Thames at Richmond Surrey
1734 - Baptism: Robert LAWES-42239, Ryton DUR UK
1822 - Birth: William LAWS-42064,
1822 - Baptism: James LAWS (Shoemaker) -31008, Diss NFK
1834 - Marriage: John LAWS (Shipwright & Plumber) -44246 and Jane ROBINSON-44247,
Newcastle upon Tyne NBL UK
Newcastle Upon Tyne NBL
1838 - Burial: Edward LAWS-8699, St.James Clerkenwell MDX, Harl Soc Vol XX
1839 - Baptism: William LAWS (Grocer / Innkeeper / Coal Merchant) -7436, Chertsey SRY UK
1866 - Birth: Jane Jennifer LAWS-9528, Stokesley NRY UK
1874 - Birth: Cyril Edward LAWS (Bank & Stock Exchange Doorkeeper) -37056, Mile End MDX UK4
1878 - Death: William Thomas LAWS-50962, Gaspe, Quebec CANADA
1878 - Death: James LAWS (Army Nurse (Twin) -3895, Franklin Kansas USA
1898 - Birth: Florence Ethel LAWS-29582, Winnsboro, Wood Co, TX USA
1902 - Burial: Eliza LAWS-119602, Wareham DOR UK
Wareham in Dorset
1907 - Marriage: Herbert LAWS (ARMY Private 21260) -4576 and Lily ALLARD-54448,
Littleport CAM UK
Littleport Cambridgeshire
1915 - Birth: Ralph Bousquet LAWES (BOAC E/O) -124432, Croydon SRY UK
1915 - Birth: Hilda Kate LAWES-58412,
1916 - Military: Discharge of Malcolm William LAWS (ARMY Private 17/1158) -50797, Residence
Great Horton WRY UK
1918 - Birth: Grace Lillian LAWS-120160,
1918 - Residence: John James LAWS (Baker) -45856, Los Angeles CA United States
1918 - Residence: John Newton LAWS (Motor Fitter or Plumber) -45855, Walgrove Los Angeles CA United States
1919 - Discharged: Benjamin Charles LAWS (ARMY Acting Sgt 7228) -8787,
1928 - Marriage: John W FUNK-41241 and Mattie LAWS-41239,
1938 - Marriage: Leslie Michael IRWIN-3517 and Dorethy May LAWS-3490,
1945 - Death: Richard N LAWS (Pvte 1st Class US ARMY 20845858) -120032,
1954 - Miscellaneous: John William LAWS (Accounts Clerk) -123102,
1954 - Miscellaneous: Leslie LAWS(Manufactures Agent) -123101,
1955 - Miscellaneous: Harold LAWS (Retired Surveyor) -3205,
1955 - Miscellaneous: Annie Winifred LAWS (Spinster) -116901,
1959 - Miscellaneous: Frederick George LAWS (Decorator) -124844,
1959 - Miscellaneous: William Sidney LAWS (Foreman Pipe Maker) -124843,
1959 - Estate to: George LAWS (Smallholder) -7723,
1959 - Residence: Anthony Weedy LAWS (Coal Miner) -47335, Chopwell DUR UK & Death Shotley Bridge DUR UK
1962 - Birth: Harry James LAWS (Jnr) -40438, TX USA
1966 - Birth: Buddy D LAWS-123364,
1970 - Death: Ellen LAWS-39166,
1985 - Death: Edna Grace LAWS-48689, Crown Point, Lake Co IN United States
1989 - Death: George LAWS-37576, Nunthorpe
1990 - Death: Alan George Holman LAWES-35186, St Ives NSW AUSTRALIA
1994 - Death: Betty Jean LAWS-42404,
1997 - Death: Joe E LAWS-41432, AR (Newspaper - Arizona Republic)
2004 - Death: Carolyn Sue LAWS (Hosiery Worker)-34480, Valdese General Hospital, Hickory NC
2004 - Burial: Sandra LAWS-34454, Sunset Memorial Park, Spartenburg SC
2010 - Death: Eric LAWS-115377, Wigton CUL UK
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