Tom Bint - 626 Squadron & RAF Wickenby

12 Squadron

THE CREW

626 Squadron

TOM BINT

626 SQUADRON & RAF WICKENBY

A FAMILY LETTER  

BOMBER COMMAND PHOTOS 

COMMONWEALTH GRAVES  

LUFTWAFFE FORUM

MAJOR   SCHNAUFER

The crew of HK539

Tommy Bint  first left, Cecil (Nat) Nathanson is next, then Canadian Johnny Gibson, Aussie F/Sgt Stan Jones, Pilot Officer Fred Bladon, and the wireless operator F/Sgt (Chris) Christie extreme right.

In  1937, Measham born Fred Bladon joined the RAF as an 16 year old aircraft apprentice at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire. He was at Halton for 3 years and passed out as an aircraft fitter. 

In January 1942 he began his aircrew training with 10 weeks at ITW (Initial Training Wing) Stratford-on-Avon.  From there to the 28 EFTS (Elementary Flying School) at Pendeford Airfield, Wolverhampton for 6 weeks on Tiger Moth DH82s.

He was then posted to the RAF  Service Flying Training Schools in Canada where he progressed through three courses. At De-Winton near Calgary, on Tiger Moths for an 8 week course of day and night instrument flying and use of the Link Trainer (an early flight simulator), to Medicine Hat also in Alberta, for 3 months instruction on both single and twin-engined aircraft - flying Oxfords and Boeing Stearmans, followed by 5 weeks at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan for some cross-country training, where he finally qualified for his 'wings'.

On returning to the UK as a Sergeant Pilot he was posted to No. 3 AFU  RAF South Cerney near Cirencester for 10 weeks  instruction on Oxford and Anson twin engined aircraft, his preparation to fly Wellington, Halifax and Lancaster bombers.

On the 13th of June 1943 Fred's next posting was to 26 OTU (Operational Training Unit)  located at  RAF Wing in Buckinghamshire . He left on the 11th of October as the  skipper of a new crew trained to fly Wellington bombers.

Quotes from an another aircrew member's arrival at RAF Wing around that time - from Biography of Peter A. Weston

I arrived at 26 O.T.U. RAF Wing and after a couple of days settling in, all recently arrived aircrew for the new course were assembled in a large room to sort ourselves out into 6 member crews, Pilot, Navigator, Radio/Radar, Bomb Aimer, 2 Gunners, (Flight Engineer would be picked up later at H.C.U. (Heavy Conversion Unit)

We were all milling around sizing each other up and enjoying the goodies ie. tea, coffee, sandwiches, cake's etc. I was approached by a Pilot and a Navigator asking me if I would join them to which I agreed and they said lets look for the others we need, eventually we found what we were looking for and we all appeared to be compatible which is a very important point. After registering as a crew we arranged to go to the local pub for a beer or two and get better acquainted with each other, as it turned out we had a very good crew as it proved later.

The aircraft were Vicker's Wellingtons, mostly Mk.10's, very well used and clapped out, to quote a RAF expression. The normal type training ensued after the Pilot had finished his conversion onto the Wimpy, ie. circuits and bumps day and night, and fighter affiliation day and night. For the gunners there was gunnery using cine camera, bombing practice (25lb bombs), combat manoeuvres, lots of cross country flights day and night. All this was terminated by doing a couple of Bullseye trips.

Fred Bladon and his crewmates were  over the next 3 months sent to HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit) Stradishall, 199 Squadron Lakenheath and HCU Blyton for further training on Stirlings and Lancasters.

Posted to 626 Squadron, RAF Wickenby on January 31st 1944.The crew were only to fly on 5 ops together.

During February and March 1944 they flew over Germany on 5 hazardous missions. En route to their first Stuttgart  raid in Lancaster HK539 to bomb the Bosch factory on February 20th they had an encounter with a German Wild Boar Fw 190 fighter near Epinal, NE France but luckily survived. 

Their next 'op' in Lancaster HK539 to Schweinfurt on February 24th to bomb the ball-bearing factories was also the first operational flight with 626 Squadron by the new Squadron Commander, Wing Commander Quentin Ross who flew as second pilot with W/O Gallagher in LL772. That night saw the loss of 626 Squadron's LL797 and its crew. It was led by F/O Hutchinson DFC and was apparently shot down over NE France by a night fighter. It should have been their last flight of a 30 operation tour.

The 15th of March saw Fred Bladon and his crew in HK539 returning to bomb Stuttgart and once more encountering an Fw 190 near Epinal. This time Aussie tail-gunner F/Sgt Stan Jones after instructing the Skipper to corkscrew, inflicted damage to the night fighter after he opened fire with a long burst starting at 500 yards range. He witnessed a large blue flash (probably electrical) as the bullets found their mark. The fighter departed without firing a shot.

On the 18th of March Frankfurt was the target. The squadron was led by Wing Commander Ross crossing  between Dunkirk and Ostende. At Frankfurt Fred Bladon in HK539 spotted and ignored an obvious decoy site south of the city with dummy red target indicators while F/Sgt Bernyk pilot of DV244 spotted a similar decoy 20 miles north of the city. Cloud hampered the operation of night fighters and no aircraft from the squadron were lost. Overall, of the 846 aircraft on this raid 22 did not return.

The 22nd of March saw another Frankfurt raid. Lancaster JB599 piloted by F/O Kewley was shot down near Osnabruck and all the crew were killed before reaching the target. They had only been with 626 squadron for little over a month. 

Fred Bladon in HK539 again that night, reported his bomb aimer Sgt Nat Nathanson had successfully discharged the full bomb load over the 8 red target markers.

Of 816 aircraft employed on this raid, 33 did not return.

Fred Bladon tragically lost his crew who were flying with another pilot, the Squadron C.O, Wing Commander Quentin Ross. Lancaster HK539 was shot down while returning from the March 24th/25th 1944 raid on Berlin .

Though completely devastated by the loss of his friends, after a short home leave he had to return to Wickenby and choose a new crew. 

He was always convinced that if he had been the pilot on that tragic night, his mates would have survived the war. He proved his battle skills, flying ability and bravery by completing an arduous 30 operations tour with 626 Squadron. 

Flying Officer Fred Bladon received the DFC in September 1944.

Sgt Cecil (Nat) Nathanson

Part of Nat's training as a bomb-aimer in early 1943 was at Carberry, Manitoba in Canada. RCAF Station Carberry was a World War 2  air training station located near Carberry, Manitoba, Canada. The Royal Air Force opened No. 33 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) here in December 1940. As with all RAF training facilities in Canada, the station was subject to RCAF administrative and operational control and and formally became part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in 1942. The school closed in November 1944.

Welcome to Carberry, Manitoba!

Carberry Tower

Wingless - Nat the LAC -  front 2nd from right?

Only a few names readable on rear of photo. Bone, W J Massey (from Liverpool), Welch, Lidbetter, White, and  Buckingham.

With Wings-Some showing their new Sergeant's stripes.

Some barely legible names on back of photo. Sgt Kidd, Sgt Black, Sgt Legiol, Sgt Phillips, Sgt Massey, Sgt Bone, Sgt Saunders, Sgt Buckingham, Sgt Horton, Sgt Nathanson, P/O Fox

Some 1943 Canadian hospitality from the Word family of Dominion Street, Winipeg?   Corporal Strange, Mick Carter, Nat, Mo Word, Len  Buckingham, and Mr Word

Len Buckingham, Mick Carter and Nat

Fred and Johnny's Crew              

Tommy, Chris, Fred, Nat, and Stan

Tommy Bint was from Berkshire, Charles (Chris) Christie from Cleadon Park, South Shields, Fred Bladon from Measham, Leicestershire, Cecil (Nat) Nathanson from Tottenham, and Stanley Jones from Toowong, Brisbane, Australia. We believe Johnny Gibson probably took this photo. He was from Vancouver, Canada.

Cecil  (Nat) Nathanson  from Tottenham

The 24 year old bomb-aimer was the son of Hyman and Leah Nathanson.

PO John Gibson J85485 RCAF – 30 year old Navigator the son of William Brown Gibson & Sarah Gibson from Vancouver. He received his commission in early 1944.