William Edward Wall Holmes

Killed in Action 1942-August-01

Flight Sergeant William Edward Wall Holmes RCAF

Birth Date: 1922

Born:

Parents:

Spouse:

Home: Estevan, Saskatchewan

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

14 OTU- Operational Training Unit

Base

Rank

Flight Sergeant

Position

Navigator

Service Numbers

R/97505

Home

Estevan, Saskatchewan

Memorial Location

Runnymede Memorial Surrey
Panel 104

14 Operational Training Unit (Keep With The Pack). Hampden aircraft P 5344 was on bombing operations over enemy territory when the pilot momentarily lost control of the aircraft off the Dutch Coast and instructed the crew to prepare to abandon aircraft. The pilot regained control about five seconds later but in the interim FS Holmes had bailed out. The pilot made a safe forced landing in a cornfield near Waterbeach, England and the aircraft was flown out after the corn was harvested.

Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Hampden serial: P5344

(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.

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