Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England.
Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England
Aircraft was attacked by a night fighter while dropping mines and was too badly damaged to make the return flight to the UK. Pilot decided to make for Sweden to avoid being POWs. Over Sweden he ordered the crew to bail out with the intention of going back over the sea where he would bail. Approaching the sea the aircraft went into a dive from which he was unable to recover. He was killed when it hit the sea. Subsequently the Swedish navy attempted to recover his body. Their attempt resulted in a mine exploding in the downed aircraft, injuring 4 and damaging the boat.
DFC Award presented to his mother 28 February 1946. The citation reads - "One night in February 1944, this officer piloted an aircraft Detailed to attack Leipzig. On the outward flight the aircraft was attacked by a fighter and before the enemy aircraft could be driven off the bomber sustained much damage. Soon afterwards three more fighters were encountered but they were successfully evaded. A little later the bomber was hit by fire from the ground defenses, more damage was sustained rendering the inter-communication system inoperative and cutting off the supply of oxygen to the rear of the aircraft. Although the aircraft became difficult to control, Flying Officer Blake confirmed to the target which he successfully attacked, afterwards flying the damaged bomber to an airfield in this country. This officer displayed skill, courage and resolution of a high order." Detail provided by H. Halliday, Orleans, Ontario.
Blake, William Vincent (Flying Officer)
Killed in Action 1944-April-23
Birth Date: 1922-November-16
Born:
Parents: William Albert & Helen Parr Blake, of Dundas, Ontario, Canada.
Spouse:
Home: Hamilton, Ontario
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Service
RCAF
Unit
428 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Usque Ad Finem To the Very End
Base
RAF Middleton-St-George
Rank
Flying Officer
Position
Pilot
Service Numbers
J/14132
Home
Hamilton, Ontario
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Finadagrave.com
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)Crew or Other Personnel
Halifax LW285
Unit Desciption
428 (B) Sqn Usque Ad Finem ("Ghost")
History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Wellington III, X, Halifax V, II, Lancaster X)
No 428 Squadron was the ninth long-range heavy bomber squadron and the 26th RCAF squadron formed overseas during the Second World War. It was formed at RAF Dalton in Yorkshire, England on November 7, 1942. The squadron was initially assigned to No. 4 Group RAF Bomber Command. With the creation of No. 6 Group RCAF, the squadron was reallocated on January 1, 1943 operating with it until April 25, 1945.
The squadron was originally equipped with Vickers Wellington Mk III and X, and its first operational mission was on January 26–27, 1943, when five Wellingtons bombed the U-Boat base at Lorient in Brittany, on the Bay of Biscay. In the early part of June 1943, the squadron moved to RAF Middleton St. George, Durham where it remained for the remainder of the war. Around this time the squadron was converted to Handley Page Halifaxes (Mk Vs, and later supplemented by Mk II Series IIA). In January 1944, Halifax bombers from No. 428 Squadron participated in the first high-level mining raid "Gardening", when mines were dropped by parachute from 15,000 feet (4,570 m) over Brest on 4/5 Jan and Saint-Nazaire on 6/7 Jan 1944. The squadron flew its last sortie with the Halifax on June 12, 1944 then converted to the Canadian-built Avro Lancaster Mk X, the first sortie taking place on June 14, 1944.
For the final phase of the air campaign against Germany, the squadron took part in day and night raids, with its last operational sortie taking place on April 25, 1945, when 15 Lancasters bombed anti-aircraft gun batteries defending the mouth of the Weser, on the Frisian Island of Wangerooge. The squadron remained in service in the United Kingdom until the end of May 1945, then flew to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia . The squadron was intended to be part of the "Tiger Force" to carry on the war against Japan, but the Japanese surrender led to the disbandment of the force. The squadron was therefore disbanded at Yarmouth in September 1945.
In the course of WWII operations, the squadron flew 283 missions involving 3467 individual sorties. 84 aircraft were lost and a total of 9378 tons of bombs were dropped. the aircrew earned 2 DSO's, 71 DFC's, 2 CGM's and 6 DFM's. Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1943-44, Baltic 1944, Fortress Europe 1943-44, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1943-44, Ruhr 1943-45, Berlin 1943-44, German Ports 1943-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1943-44. Wikipedia, Kostenuk and Griffin
Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)
Maps for Movements of 428 Squadron 1942-45
MAP 1: 428 Squadron Bases 1942-45 (marked in green). Right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab
428 Squadron History Summary 1942-45
History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Canuck)
The squadron was re-activated as the fifth Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck equipped squadron, on June 21, 1954, at RCAF Station Uplands as 428 All-Weather (Fighter) Squadron. It was re-activated, as one of nine Canadian based RCAF squadrons, to be operating under the new RCAF Air Defence Command, protecting North American airspace from Soviet intruders and long range bombers. The squadron was finally disbanded on 1 June 1961.