Roy Whalley DFC and crew - 576 Sqn - RAF Elsham Wolds - 1944.
Failed to Return - 3/4th May 1944 - Lancaster I - ME586 - Op Mailly-Le-Camp
Roy Whalley ( pictured above ) was a former pupil at St Joseph’s College in Blackpool and a member of the local ATC.
This crew were posted to 576 Sqn Dec 43 from 101 Sqn at Ludford Magna.
Whilst with 101 Squadron they flew the following operations:-
10/11/43 - Modane – Sgt R Whalley
22/11/43 - Berlin – Sgt R Whalley – Hit by flak and pilot wounded.
Their 576 tour was as follows :-
29/12/1943 – Berlin – JA715 – Sgt R Whalley
01/01/1944 – Berlin – LM381 – Sgt R Whalley
02/01/1944 – Berlin – LM381 – Sgt R Whalley
05/01/1944 – Stettin – JA715 – Sgt R Whalley
14/01/1944 – Brunswick – JB744 – Sgt R Whalley
20/01/1944 – Berlin – JB744 – Sgt R Whalley
21/01/1944 – Magdeburg – JB744 – Sgt R Whalley
15/02/1944 – Berlin – ME586 – Sgt R Whalley
19/02/1944 – Leipzig – ME586 – Sgt R Whalley
20/02/1944 – Stuttgart – ME586 – Sgt R Whalley
24/02/1944 – Schweinfurt – ME586 – Sgt R Whalley
25/02/1944 – Augsburg – ME586 – Sgt R Whalley
15/03/1944 – Stuttgart – ME586 – W/O R Whalley
18/03/1944 – Frankfurt – ME586 – W/O R Whalley
22/03/1944 – Frankfurt – ME586 – W/O R Whalley
24/03/1944 – Berlin – ME586 – W/O R Whalley
26/03/1944 – Essen – ME586 – W/O R Whalley
30/03/1944 – Nuremberg – ME586 – W/O R Whalley
22/04/1944 – Dusseldorf – ME586 – P/O R Whalley
24/04/1944 – Karlsruhe – ME586 – P/O R Whalley
27/04/1944 – Friedrichshafen – ME586 – P/O R Whalley
01/05/1944 – Lyons - ME586 – P/O R Whalley
03/05/1944 – Mailly-le-Camp – ME586 – P/O R Whalley – FTR - Probable night fighter victim. Crashed at Oeuilly, France.
Possible claim by Oblt Dietrich Schmidt 8/NJG1 - near Chavanges South West of St Dizer (BK 7): 2,300m at 00:03 (Film C. 2027/I Anerk: Nr. 35). Crashed Oeuilly 9km NNW of Epernay. Per John Jones
This aircraft was the third to be lost. Oblt Schmidt aircraft was not identified but the kill was confirmed on 18 August 1944 .
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L to R- Back row, Sgt Scott, Roy Whalley, Fred Burgess, Jeremiah McCool. Front row - Cyril Vandevelde, Jack Ward and Stanley Barr.
Roy Whalley (Back row 2nd left) and his crew of 576 Sqn were lost on the Mailly attack on the 3/4th May 1944. Roy and four of his crew are buried in the church yard at Oeuilly, Marne. This was their 26th trip of a very hard tour. Night fighter victim.
The Lancaster they flew on this raid was ME586, pictured in the background. Roy was awarded a DFC early in his tour which was not gazetted till the 6th June.
Sgt Norman Scott had been replaced as rear gunner in this crew by Sgt Norman Reilly ( pictured above - back row right ) in mid April. Reilly, who came from Hull, was a "spare bod" at Elsham Wolds at the start of his second tour. He had completed his first tour with 100 Sqn.
Norman Scott
Roy and his Wireless Operator, Fred Burgess, both came from Blackpool. I seem to recall a member of the Burgess family has done considerable research on this crew. Some of this was published in the Blackpool evening paper many years ago.
The blazing Lancaster crashed into the hillside near the village of Oeuilly which I have visited incidentally. Roy and his two gunners, Sgt Reilly and Sgt Jeremiah McCool were killed outright. Air Bomber, Sgt Stanley Barr, baled out and was shot by German soldiers whilst suspended helpless in his parachute from a tree. Flight Engineer, Sgt Cyril Vandevelde, baled out and was captured.
P/O Roy Whalley DFC RAFVR – Pilot – 22 - 576 Sqn - Son of Arthur and Fanny Whalley of Blackpool, Lancashire – Oeuilly Communal Cemetery, France.
Sgt Cyril Vandevelde RAFVR ( pictured above ) – Flight Engineer – 576 Sqn - POW
Cyril Vandevelde escaped by parachute and landed neat Epernay. He walked south for 2 days in the hope of reaching the Spanish frontier. He was eventually given shelter by 2 blacksmiths in a small village. They took him to a French family and he was hidden in the marshes at Mourmelon-le-Grand and provided with civilian clothing. Cyril joined the local Marquis and was involved in raids on German supply dumps. He was finally captured when he and an American airman were betrayed by the son of the family of farmers who was sheltering them. He was incarcerated in Chalons-sur-Marne prison before being transferred to the notorious German Gestapo prison at Fresnes in Paris. After a series of extremely brutal interrogations and unspeakable experiences his identity was established and he was transferred into the custody of the Luftwaffe at the Dulag Luft interrogation centre in Frankfurt and from there to a POW camp.
In 1945 he was forced marched west away from the advancing Russians and eventually liberated by advancing Allied forces.
F/S Stanley James Barr RAFVR ( pictured above ) – Air Bomber – 22 – 576 Sqn - Son of Percy and Katie Elizabeth Barr of Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire - Oeuilly Communal Cemetery, France.
Sgt John Duncan Ward RAFVR ( pictured above ) – Navigator – 576 Sqn - POW - Camp L3 - POW No 8119
Jack Ward also baled out and survived but was captured whilst evading in Paris engaging in counterfeit money operations. He was subjected to brutal interrogation at Fresnes Prison near Paris and then transferred to Buchenwald Concentration Camp with 160 other aircrew in Aug 44 and to Sagan POW camp two months later.
Sgt Fred Burgess RAFVR ( pictured above ) – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner – 23 – 576 Sqn - Son of George and Annie Burgess of Thornton, Blackpool, Lancashire - Oeuilly Communal Cemetery, France.
Sgt Jeremiah McCool RAFVR ( pictured above ) – Air Gunner – 26 – 576 Sqn - Son of Jeremiah and Mary McCool; husband of Charlotte McCool, of Nitshill, Glasgow - Oeuilly Communal Cemetery, France.
Sgt Norman Parry Reilly RAFVR – Air Gunner – 21 – 576 Sqn - Son of Michael and Beatrice Ethel Reilly of Hull - Oeuilly Communal Cemetery, France.
Fred Burgess was killed when he baled out too low and his parachute failed to deploy in time. I also believe Stanley Barr was shot by German soldiers whilst suspended helpless by his parachute from a tree . A tragic end to a fine crew.
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3 May 1944 – Mailly-Le-Camp – France - Panzer Army Depot - Night. 18 aircraft detailed. There was 8/10ths cloud over base and this continued becoming gradually more broke until it was clear over Reading to the south coast. From there to the target and back it was clear with only slight ground haze. The target itself was clear.
The red spot fires put down were slightly scattered and were dropped 5 to 10 mins late. This may have been due to slight confusion caused by the Germans giving orders and cutting in on the Master of Ceremonies using the same frequency. This overcome the crews reported fair results in their bombing.
Flak was heavy with searchlights nil. At the rendezvous point there were many sightings of enemy aircraft and in greater numbers than usual. Many combats were reported.
P/O Reed and crew were twice attacked by Ju 88s and were badly shot up. The rear gunner was killed and the mid upper gunner missing. The rest of the crew were injured and although the aircraft was badly damaged he was able to make a successful landing with his undercarriage damaged and his rear turret burnt out and almost shot off. P/O Blackie made an emergency landing at Woodbridge. He was attacked by a Ju 88 which set fire to the starboard engine and shot up the starboard wing. His gunners claimed a Ju 88 after the first attack. He landed at Woodbridge on 3 engines with no hydraulics or flaps. None of his crew were injured. P/O Whalley and crew are reported missing.
All the rest of the aircraft returned to base.
( 360 aircraft. Attack on German panzer camp and depot at Mailly. Confusion caused by communication issues and delays in marking led to a delay in bombing with the force orbiting the holding point for some minutes. During this period the German fighters made contact with the bombers and inflicted considerable losses in a comparatively short time. When the force was finally cleared to attack the bombing was accurate with considerable damage and casualties within the base. See 2 Items written about this raid in the Articles and Misc Section of this website. )
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The Blackpool Incident.
I do recall hearing a story about Roy and his crew which amused me. Roy was a Blackpool boy and his parents still lived there. I believe they ran a bakery or something similar. Roy and his crew were on an air test and decided to fly over to Blackpool and land and visit his mum who had a good supply of cakes and buns for them.
On arrival over Blackpool they requested permission to land at Squire’s Gate. This was denied for some reason. They requested permission again saying they had an engine problem. Again they were denied permission to land.
In a fit of pique Roy Whalley decided to put on an impromptu show for the Blackpool populace. He flew down the beach at almost zero feet hopping over each pier in turn. Then did 2 circuits and Blackpool Tower. Then out along the main Blackpool Preston road at about 50 feet. May well have got into trouble for that.
Morren’s crew were involved in something similar when they put on a show for RAF Finningley. The pilot’s girlfriend was stationed there apparently. That would be Dec 43.
This pic shows the general area of the crash site which was in vineyards on the hillside opposite the village of Oeuilly.
A pic of the graves with the Mayor of Oeuilly, 2 members of the Whalley family, several vets and 2 ATC that accompanied the party.
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Compiled and written by David Fell. Cyril Vandevelde photo and background information courtesy of Colin Pateman with other photos from my own archive. Roy Whalley photo courtesy of the St Joseph’s College Blackpool website. Also John Jones for his input
Incidentally I do recommend Colin Pateman’s book about Flight Engineers - Fuel Fire and Fear. This is available on Amazon and digitally on Google.
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