WW2 Distinguished Flying Medal Group of Five – Pilot Officer A.E. Gray, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (83 and 515 Squadrons)

A second world war DFM medal group of five awarded to Pilot Officer Albert Edward Gray, 83 and 515 Squadrons Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who sadly died in a flying accident in June 1943.

George VI Distinguished Flying Medal named to 946191 Sgt. A.E. Gray. R.A.F.
1939-45 Star unnamed as issued
Air Crew Europe Star unnamed as issued
WW2 Defence Medal unnamed as issued
War Medal 1939-45 unnamed as issued

The medals are in good condition. 

Albert Gray was born on 19th April 1921, the son of Albert Gray of 44 Julian Street, South Shields. 

He attended South Shields High School for Boys from 1933 to 1938 and then worked for his father as a clerk.  

On 11th January 1940 he enlisted in the RAF as an AC2 and was posted to 6 Recruit Training Pool at RAF Cardington.  On 16th February 1940 he was sent to 1 Wing 2 Electrical & Wireless School and on 6th September to 4 Bombing & Gunnery School.  On 6th October he was sent to 16 Operational Training Unit at Upper Heyford and was promoted Sergeant on 14th October.  From 5th Jan 1941 he spent a fortnight at RAF Finningley before joining 83 Squadron at Scampton on 19th Jan 1941.

83 Squadron were in 5 Group Bomber Command and equipped with Handley-Page Hampdens. Four months earlier Sgt John Hannah, another teenaged WOP/AG (wireless operator/air gunner) on 83 Squadron, had made national headlines when he had won the VC for extinguishing a fire in his Hampden and saving the lives of his crew. 

During Gray’s eight months on 83 Squadron, it was commanded successively by:

W/C D A Boyle AFC (Dec 40 – Feb 41) 

W/C W W Stainthorpe AFC (Feb 41)

W/C R A B Learoyd VC (Feb – Jun 41)

W/C H V Satterly DFC (Jun – Sep 41) 

W/C S O Tudor DFC (Sep 41 – Apr 42). 

Between 9th February 1941 and 12th October 1941 Gray flew 32 operations. The debriefing reports for each raid appear in 83 Squadron’s Operations Book. 

 On 27th October 1941, Group Captain R H S Spaight, Scampton’s Station Commander, recommended Gray for the DFM.
 ‘Sgt Gray has now completed 204.50 hours operational flying: a total of 32 sorties including two to Berlin consecutively, and a variety of flights such as Bremen, Hamm, Brunswick and Karlsruhe. On his fifth trip he was Air Gunner of an aircraft which attacked and sank an enemy ship of some 1,000 tons off the Frisian Islands. On another occasion, when the Navigator’s instruments were lost owing to enemy action, he brought the aircraft safely back to base by means of the visual loop indicator.
 He has taken an active part in the training of the Squadron’s Wireless Operator/Air Gunners, and has at all times been an inspiration and help to them both by his own outstanding personal example and his cheerful encouragement of others.’

On 30th October AVM John Slessor, OC 5 Group, endorsed the recommendation: Strongly recommended.    His DFM was gazetted on 23rd December 1943.

At the end of his tour, Gray returned to instruct at No 14 OTU at Cottesmore, which he joined on 10th November 1941.  At that time the OTU had on its strength 49 Hampdens, 21 Ansons, 4 Oxfords, 2 Lysanders and 1 Tiger Moth.  The Station was commanded by Group Captain A Leach MC.  On 23rd Dececember 41 14 OTU’s operational record book listed two Bars to DFCs, one DFC and four DFMs recently awarded to 14 OTU officers and NCOs.  Among them was Gray’s.  He was promoted Flight-Sergeant on 1st April 1942, celebrated his 21st birthday three weeks later and, on 28th April, attended an investiture at Buckingham Palace to receive his DFM from the King.

On 30th/31st May 1942 he flew in one of 30 Hampdens from 14 OTU detailed to bomb Cologne.  This was Harris’s first 1,000 Bomber Raid, designed to show his superiors, politicians, the press and the public what his new Command could achieve with sufficient resources.  By combing crews from OTUs, Coastal Command and other sources, he finally assembled a force which just exceeded the magic number.  Gray was flying in Hampden 5322 (‘U3’) captained by F/L D J Bell.   W/O D R Thomas and P/O C W Gray completed the crew.  They took off at 2255 and were among 27 aircraft from 14 OTU to reach and bomb the target.  ‘U3’s’ debriefing report reads:

 Target identified by bridges and confirmed by photograph. 2 x 250lb GP and 3 ½ x 90 x 4lb IB dropped at 0135 hrs from 10,000 feet.

Of 14 OTU’s 30 crews briefed for the op, one attacked an alternative target, one aborted because of a faulty compass, one returned on one engine but crashed on landing killing both pilots, one collided with a Halifax over England on return and only the captain survived, and one was shot down by a nightfighter over Holland and again only the captain survived (as a prisoner of war).

Two nights later Gray flew on Harris’s second – less successful – 1,000 bomber raid.  This time he flew with S/L G G Petty (captain), W/O D R Thomas and S/L G E Johnson in Hampden 1345 ‘B’.  Of the 27 crews from 14 OTU briefed for this attack on Essen, one failed to take off because of an unserviceable engine and two aborted because of compass failure and engine trouble respectively.  The remaining 24 crews bombed.  Petty’s crew’s debriefing report reads:

 2 x 250lb and 4 x 90 x 4lb IB dropped at 0123 from 10,000 feet. Target identified by flak and glow of fires.  Results unobserved. 

Although 14 OTU flew several more ops during the summer of 1942, Gray did not take part.  These two operations brought his total to 34.

After an eight-month ‘rest’ at OTU, on 27th June 1942 he was posted back to operations with the Special Duties Flight (Defiant Flight) at RAF Northolt.  In October 1942 this became 515 Squadron.  Part of 11 Fighter Group, the Squadron was commanded by S/Ldr S R Thomas DFC AFC, an experienced night-fighter pilot.  Equipped with Boulton-Paul Defiant Mark 2s, they were engaged in counter-measures against the German radar defences.

Working with the A&AEE at Boscombe Down and TRE at Malvern, their Defiants countered the German radar system, Freya, using equipment code-named Moonshine.  Carried by Boulton Paul Defiants of the Special Duties Flight (later 515 Squadron), a single set retransmitted a portion of the Freya signal amplifying the apparent return. Eight aircraft with Moonshine could mimic a force of 100 bombers.  Moonshine was first tested operationally on 6th Aug 1942.  As the system required formation flying, it could only be used in daylight, where it could draw German fighters onto British fighters leaving another area relatively free for a British bombing raid.  The second countermeasures system, Mandrel, was a noise jammer which overwhelmed the signals from Freya. It was first used operationally by 515 Squadron on 5th/6th December 1942.  Individual aircraft were sent to orbit fixed positions 50 miles (80 km) off the enemy coast.  By using nine aircraft, a 200-mile (320 km) gap could be knocked into the German’s radar coverage, while further jammers were carried in the bomber stream to counter the inland Freya network.  

On 515 Squadron Gray’s WOP skills were therefore at a premium.  When operating, the aircraft flew from RAF Tangmere, West Malling, Coltishall or Bradwell Bay.   During Gray’s tour, they moved first (in late October 1942) to RAF Heston and then (in late May 1943) to RAF Hunsdon in Hertfordshire.  He flew with various pilots, including the CO, but most often with F/Sgt Frederick Steel, aged 21, from Carlisle, who lived with his wife near Gateshead.  Between 6th September 1942 and 5th June 1943, Gray flew 33 more ops, bringing his total to 67 operations. 

Although they certainly would not have known it until the news broke next day, on 16th/17th May Steel and Gray were operating from West Malling in support of 617 Squadron’s Dams Raid.  Their flight (2255-0035) would have jammed the radar between the first and third (reserve) waves who crossed the North Sea from Southwold to the Scheldt estuary.

On 6th June 1943 Gray was commissioned Pilot Officer (145296) with a seniority date of 31st March 1943.  Sadly, he and Steel died in a flying accident two days later.  Gray’s records show that he died of his injuries.  The entry for 8th June 1943 in 515 Squadron’s Operations Summary of Events Book reads: 

 All eight aircraft away at forward bases left their respective bases for Hunsdon during the morning.  Seven of these arrived safely but F/Sgt F J A Steel (Pilot) and P/O A E Gray (Gunner) in aircraft AA435 left Tangmere at 1315 approx together with F/Lt A A Law in aircraft AA383.  Owing to foggy weather conditions the two machines became separated.  Aircraft AA435 crashed into a hill near Beachy Head and both the pilot and gunner were killed.  An investigation into the accident has been ordered by Headquarters No 11 Group.  Next of kin of both pilot and gunner were informed of the accident. 

On 15th June 1943 F/Lt F J McGarry represented the Squadron at Gray’s funeral at St Paul’s New Cemetery, Whitley Bay.  On the previous day he had attended F/Sgt Steel’s funeral at Gateshead Old Cemetery.  P/O Albert Gray is buried in Whitley Bay (Hartley South) Cemetery