The signatories
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Pat Cardon |
Pat Cardon joined the RAF in 1932, and qualifying
as a pilot served as an instructor at the
Central Flying School at Upavon. In 1942 he was released for
operations, joining 15 Squadron at Mildenhall for his first tour,
flying Lancasters. For his second tour he volunteered for the
Pathfinders, and joined firstly 35 Squadron at Gravely on Halifaxes,
and then 582 Squadron at
Little Staunton, on Lancasters. He finished the war with 66 operations.
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Bob Knights |
Joining the RAF in April 1941, after training
as a pilot Bob Knights flew Wellingtons,
Manchesters, and then Lancasters, joining 619 Squadron at Woodall
Spa in 1943. Here he
completed 26 operations on his first tour. In January 1944 he
was posted to join Cheshire’s 617 Squadron, again at Woodall
Spa, where he completed 44 operations, including precision attacks
on factories, U-boat and E-boat pens, rocket sites, and three
attacks on the Tirpitz.
After the war he joined BOAC, and retired in 1975.
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Tony Iveson |
Tony Iveson fought in the Battle of Britain with
RAF Fighter Command, as a Sergeant
pilot, joining 616 Squadron at Kenley flying Spitfires, on 2
September 1940.
Commissioned in 1942, Tony then undertook his second tour transferring
to RAF Bomber
Command, where he was eventually selected to join the famous
617 Squadron, flying
Lancasters. He took part in most of 617 Squadron’s high
precision and pin-point bombing
operations, including all three sorties against the German battleship
Tirpitz, and went on
to become one of the most respected and prominent pilots in that
famous squadron.
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Bill North |
Flying Lancasters with 61 Squadron, in 1944 he
was shot down over northern France.
With his aircraft badly hit, he gave the order to bale out, but
as some of the crew had
damaged parachutes, he elected to stay with the aircraft and
crash-land. Despite being
badly wounded, he managed to land his Lancaster at night, and
every crewmember
walked away – two of them evading capture and returned to
England. Bill spent the rest
of the war a POW
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Dudley Burnside |
Dudley joined the RAF in 1935 and in 1937 went
to India flying on the North-West Frontier,
and Iraq. At the outbreak of war he went to Burma and in 1942
was fortunate to escape when his airfield was overrun by the
Japanese. Escaping back to England he took command of 195 Squadron
RCAF flying Wellingtons. In 1943 he became CO of 427 Squadron
on Halifax’s, later converting to Lancaster’s. In the
Korean War he commanded a Flying Boat Wing operating Sunderlands.
He retired from the RAF in 1962.
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Lawrence Curtis |
Joining the RAF in 1939, he was posted as a wireless
operator firstly to 149 Squadron, and then 99 Squadron on Wellingtons.
He then joined OTU on Whitleys before moving firstly
to 158 Squadron, and then 617 Squadron on Lancasters, where he
was Unit Signals Leader for 18 months. After bomber operations
he joined Transport Command in 1944.
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Ernest Rodley |
Posted to Bomber Command in 1941, Ernest Rodley
joined 97 Squadron flying Manchesters,
where in April 1942, he was awarded the DFC following the famous
Augsberg daylight raid.
After a period at Scampton he was posted back to 97 Squadron,
now part of 8 Group Pathfinders. His final command was 128 Squadron
flying Mosquitos. He flew 87 operational sorties.
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Fred Watts |
Fred Watts joined the RAF in 1940, and qualifying
as a pilot was posted to 630 Squadron in
1943 flying Lancasters out of East Kirby. He joined 617 Squadron
in 1944 and took part in
many of the precision operations that the Squadron was renowned
for, including raids on
V1 sites, V2 rocket bases, and all three attacks on the Tirpitz.
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M. Ben Brennan |
‘Ben’ Brennan volunteered for the RAF
in 1941, qualifying as a Flight Engineer in early 1943.
Converting to Lancasters, he was posted to join 619 Squadron
at Woodall Spa. In late 1943 he
went to 83 Squadron at Wyton, as part of the Lancaster Pathfinder
Force, before joining No 5
Group at Coningsby. He flew a total of 80 operations during the
war.
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James Castgnola |
Joining the RAF in 1941, James Castgnola graduated
as a pilot after training in America.
Returning to England he joined 51 Squadron in early 1943 flying
from Scampton and East Kirby.
In 1944 he was selected for 617 Squadron and took part in many
of the Squadrons
successes, including attacks on U-boat pens, and all three raids
against the Tirpitz.
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J. B. Tait |
J B Tait led an inspired career in Bomber Command
throughout World War II. He is best remembered for leading the
attacks against the German battleship Tirpitz. After several
attempts, often in appalling conditions, it was Tait and his
crews who finally sank the Tirpitz on 12 November 1944. By the
end of the war he had flown over 100 operational sorties.
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Bill Wilcox |
Bill was a Wireless Operator with 466 Squadron
on Wellingtons, before being posted to 640
Squadron on Halifaxes. In 1943 he joined 35 Squadron, part of
the Pathfinder Force, on
Lancasters. He remained with this unit until the end of the war,
completing nearly 60 operations.
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Leonard Cheshire |
One of the most courageous and determined bomber
leaders of World War II,
Leonard Cheshire flew four operational tours, starting in June
1940 with 102 Squadron.
In July 1943 he took command of 617 Squadron. During this time
he led the squadron personally on every occasion. In September
he was awarded the Victoria Cross for four and a half years of
sustained bravery during a total of 100 operations, leading his
crews with careful planning,
brilliant execution and contempt for danger, which gained him
a reputation second to none in
Bomber Command.
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Rod Learoyd |
On the day that war was declared Rod Learoyd
was on patrol flying Hampdens with 49 Squadron. On the night
of 12 August 1940, he and four other aircraft attempted to breach
the heavily defended Dortmund-Ems canal. For his supreme courage
that night he was awarded
the Victoria Cross. He later joined 44 Squadron, with the first
Lancasters, and then commanded
83 Squadron.
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Norman Jackson |
Norman Jackson joined 106 Squadron as a flight
engineer, and his 30th operational raid earned
him the Victoria Cross. While climbing out of the target area
over Schweinfurt, his Lancaster was hit by an enemy night-fighter
and the inner starboard engine set on fire. Although injured
by shrapnel he jettisoned the pilots escape hatch and climbed
out on to the wing clutching a fire extinguisher, his parachute
spilling out as he went. He succeeded in putting out the fire
just
as the night-fighter made a second attack, this time forcing
the crew to bale out. Norman was swept away with his parachute
starting to burn but somehow survived the fall to spend ten
months as a POW in a German hospital.
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Leonard Trent |
Leonard Trent was in the war from the start,
and at a time when aircrew losses were appalling. In May 1943,
before Trent took off for the Amsterdam powerstation raid, he
said, “I’m going over the target whatever happens”.
Of the twelve Ventura aircraft that set out against murderous
fighter attacks and heavy flak, only Trent made it to the target
– he was as good as his word. Trent was shot down on the
return home, but his VC ranks amongst the most courageous of
all.
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