Relyea, William Robert Bain

Killed in Action 1941-07-22

Birth Date: 1917

Born:

Son of William O. Relyea, and of Edna Relyea, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Home: Toronto, Ontario

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: Unknown

Service

RCAF

Unit

44 Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Fulmina Regis Lusta The king's thunderbolts are righteous

Base

Rank

Sergeant

Position

Sergeant

Service Numbers

R/62627

Home
Google MapToronto, Ontario
First Burial
Google MapSt Michael Churchyard, Waddington, Lincolnshire, Uk
44 Rhodesia Squadron (Fulmina Regis lusta). Sergeant Relyea was killed when his Hampden aircraft AD 983 crashed during a flying battle at Lindumhall, Lincoln City, England.Addendum: Hampden aircraft AD 983 was on a mine-laying operation off the Frisian Islands and crashed on returning to England. Sgt.s J.A. Connolly (RAF), P.J. Lynch (RAF), and D.M. Bruce were also killed.

Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Hampden AD983

Sergeant Relyea, William Robert Bain (RCAF)
Observer
Killed in Action
1941-July-22
St Michael Cemetery, Waddington, Lincolnshire, UK

Handley Page Hampden

(RCAF Photo via Chris Charland)(Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page)
Handley Page Hampden (Serial No. P5428), of No. 32 Operational Training Unit at RCAF Patricia Bay, British Columbia, in the torpedo-bomber training role between May 1942 and February 1944.
60f996f359e4fd46b048f0cf_Handley-Page-Hampden--Serial-No--P5428---No--32-Operational-Training-Unit-at-RCAF-Patricia-Bay-in-the-torpedo-bomber-training-role.jpeg image not found

Handley Page developed a modern stressed-skin mid-wing monoplane, powered by Bristol Pegasus radial air cooled engines, with its first flight in 1936. It had the most advanced wings available at the time, giving it a remarkably low landing speed of 73 mph for an aircraft of its size, with a top speed of 265 mph. The Hampden had a short, narrow but tall main fuselage with a very slender tail unit. This configuration led to the nicknames "Flying Panhandle" and "Flying Suitcase". At the end of the war, no complete or partial Hampden aircraft were retained for museum display.

The Hampden served in the early stages of the war, bearing the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and in the first 1000-bomber raid on Cologne.In Canada, Hampdens were built by six companies that formed Associated Aircraft. There were three in Ontario and three in Quebec, hence they were identified as the Ontario Group and Quebec Group. They supplied all the the components to the two assembly plants. The Ontario Group's assembly plant was at the Malton Airport, while the Quebec group's assembly plant was at the St. Hubert Airport. Canadian Museum of Flight and Harold A Skaarup web page

YouTube Handley Page Hampden in Flight

Wikipedia Wikipedia Hampden Bomber

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Kestrel Publications Hampden - Kestrel Publications