Serial Number:
116450
RAF Trade:
Air Gunner
Date of Enlistment:
November 1940
Rank Achieved:
Flight Lieutenant
Operational Sorties:
32 Ops with 149 Squadron,
3 Ops with No. 11 Operation Training Unit (O.T.U.),
6 Ops with 12 Squadron
and 25 Ops with 156 Squadron.
Date of Birth:
December 1909
Awards:
Distinguished Flying Cross
5/2/1943
Personal Details:
Eric Townsend
was the twelfth and last child of Sidney George Townsend and
Kate Townsend (nee Chamberlayne) of Llywn-y-gaer, a farm near
Raglan, Monmouthshire.
After joining
the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, he was posted to RAF
Manby in November 1940 for four weeks gunnery training, flying
in Battles, Blenheims and Wellingtons. A further eight weeks
training was completed in March / April 1941 in Wellingtons at
RAF Harwell. Whilst at Harwell, he experienced his first
mission over enemy territory on a ‘Nickel’ raid to Paris
dropping propaganda leaflets.
In April
1941, he was posted to 149 Squadron at RAF Mildenhall as a Rear
Gunner, completing 32 missions in Wellingtons. On 31 missions,
his pilot was P/O Dougie Foreman, later promoted to Flight
Lieutenant and awarded the DFC.
In November
1941, Eric attended the Central Gunnery School at Chelveston,
flying in Hampdens and Wellingtons, qualifying as a Gunnery
Leader on 7 January 1942.
From April to
July 1942, Eric was instructing with 11 O.T.U at Bassingbourn.
During this time, ‘Bomber’ Harris was implementing his ‘1,000
Plan’, sending 1,000+ bombers to Cologne (night of 30 May),
Essen (1 June) and Bremen (25 June). To make up the numbers,
training aircraft were called into action and Eric flew as a
Rear Gunner in Wellingtons on these 3 missions with pilot P/O
Campbell.
August 1942
brought a posting to 12 Squadron at RAF Binbrook, where he
completed 6 missions as Rear Gunner in Wellingtons (pilot S/LDR
Blomfield) over six weeks. Not being wholly happy with the crew
he was flying with, he volunteered for the new Pathfinder
Force.
So, in late
September 1942, he joined 156 Squadron at RAF Warboys as a Rear
Gunner teaming up with 21 year old pilot Lighton Verdon-Roe (son
of Sir Alliott Verdon-Roe OBE). They completed 23 missions
together in Wellingtons and Lancasters over the next six
months.
With Bomber
Command’s losses, never knowing whether today was to be your
‘last day’ meant that flight crew enjoyed themselves in ways not
to be encouraged in peacetime. On one occasion, Lighton, with
Eric on board, flew a Lancaster under Tower Bridge, London. On
a second occasion, he flew the aircraft – banked, it wouldn’t
have got through otherwise - between brickwork chimneys in
Peterborough.
In February
1943, Eric was awarded the DFC. His last mission with 156
Squadron (photo reconnaissance over Nuremburg) was on 8 March
1943. Lighton Verdon-Roe went down with his aircraft and all
the crew Eric had flown with (except JD Mitchell) over Duisberg
on the night of 12 May 1943.
In June 1943,
Eric married Jean Shackleton, a former ‘Miss Huntingdon’
(Huntingdon – just down the road from Warboys). It wasn’t easy
finding a bestman, given the losses Bomber Command was
experiencing. One by one, Eric’s first three choices went down
on missions, his fourth choice and eventual bestman was a Met
Officer – ‘Pat’ Patterson.
After 65
missions over enemy lines, he had the opportunity of promotion
to Squadron Leader, a role that would have meant at least one
mission a month. Believing he had ‘pushed his survival luck’ to
the limit, he declined and saw out the war in non operational
flying with postings to N.T.U. Gransden Lodge, N.T.U. Upwood, 17
O.T.U. Gunnery Flight Turweston and A.C.H.U. Bruntingthorpe and
in the RAF Equipment branch at Hemswell and Bicester.
After the war
Eric used his pre-war farming experience, in agricultural
machinery and seed sales roles. He died in October 1981. His
wife, a son and daughter survived him.
Author
– Ian Townsend, son
Ops prior to joining 156
Squadron:
|
149
Squadron Aircraft – Wellingtons Pilot – P / O
Foreman, except * S/LDR Cookson and ** S/LDR James |
|
15 / 4 /
41 |
KIEL
|
*
|
|
23 / 4 /
41 |
BREST
|
**
|
|
26 / 4 /
41 |
HAMBURG |
|
|
30 / 4 /
41 |
KIEL |
|
|
3 / 5 /
41 |
COLOGNE
|
|
|
5 / 5 /
41 |
MANHEIM
|
|
|
7 / 5 /
41 |
BREST
|
|
|
8 / 5 /
41 |
HAMBURG |
|
|
15 / 5 /
41 |
HANOVER
|
|
|
2 / 6 /
41 |
DUSSELDORF |
-
Returned with engine trouble |
|
11 / 6 /
41 |
DUSSELDORF |
|
|
12 / 6 /
41 |
HAMM |
|
|
16 / 6 /
41 |
DUSSELDORF |
|
|
18 / 6 /
41 |
BREST
|
-
Hydraulics shot up Crash landed Lakenheath |
|
22 / 6 /
41 |
BREMEN
|
|
|
25 / 6 /
41 |
BREMEN
|
|
|
1 / 7 /
41 |
BREST |
|
|
3 / 7 /
41 |
ESSEN |
|
|
14 / 7 /
41 |
BREMEN |
- In
electrical storm for three hours |
|
17 / 7 /
41 |
COLOGNE
|
|
|
20 / 7 /
41 |
COLOGNE |
|
|
23 / 7 /
41 |
MANNHEIM |
|
|
25 / 7 /
41 |
HAMBURG
|
|
|
2 / 8 /
41 |
HAMBURG
|
- Landed
Stradishall |
|
5 / 8 /
41 |
MANNHEIM |
|
|
31 / 8 /
41 |
COLOGNE |
|
|
3 / 9 /
41 |
BREST |
|
|
7 / 9 /
41 |
BERLIN |
|
|
11 / 9 /
41 |
KIEL |
|
|
28 / 9 /
41 |
GENOA
|
- Landed
Hampstead Norris |
|
30 / 9 /
41 |
STETTIN
|
|
|
1 / 11 /
41 |
KIEL
|
- Held
in searchlights and shot up by fighter |
|
11
O.T.U. Aircraft – Wellingtons Pilot – P / O
Campbell |
|
30 / 5 /
42 |
COLOGNE |
- 1,000
plan |
|
1 / 6 /
42 |
ESSEN |
- 1,000
plan |
|
25 / 6 /
42 |
BREMEN |
- 1,000
plan |
|
12
Squadron Aircraft – Wellingtons Pilot – S /
LDR Blomfield |
|
1 / 9 /
42 |
SAARBRUCKEN |
- 1 x
4,000 |
|
2 / 9 /
42 |
KARLSRUHE |
- 1 x
4,000 |
|
4 / 9 /
42 |
BREMEN |
- 1 x
4,000 |
|
13 / 9 /
42 |
BREMEN |
- 1 x
4,000 |
|
14 / 9 /
42 |
WILMHELMSHAVEN |
- 1 x
4,000 |
|
16 / 9 /
42 |
ESSEN |
- 1 x
4,000 |
