Lacey, William Morris (Flying Officer)
Killed in Action 1944-June-13
Birth Date: 1919-February-24
Born: Driver, Kindersley Census Division, Saskatchewan, Canada
Son of Frank Lacey and Allie Geneva (nee Morris) Lacey, of Sovereign, Saskatchewan
Home: Driver, Saskatchewan
Enlistment: Regina, Saskatchewan
Enlistment Date: 1942-05-29
Service
RCAF
Unit
419 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Moosa Aswayita Beware of Moose
Base
Middleton St George
Rank
Flying Officer
Position
Flying Officer
Service Numbers
J/27666
Prev: R/167558
Driver, Saskatchewan
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
International Bomber Command Centre
Saskatchewan Virtual War Memorial
www.findagrave.comCrew or Other Personnel
Lancaster KB731
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Mission
Lancaster Mk.X KB731
Bombing Cambrai France 1944-June-12 to 1944-June-13
419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Middleton St George
419 Moose Squadron (Moosa Aswayita) RAF Middleton St George. Lancaster X aircraft KB 731 VR-S was shot down by flak during a night attack against the marshalling yards at Cambrai, France. The Lancaster crashed near Vieux-Berquin, France
Pilot Officer GW Carruthers (RCAF), Flying Officer WM Lacey (RCAF), Flying Officer ER Lowe (RCAF), Pilot Officer DJ Applin (RCAF) and Pilot Officer M Larkin (RCAF) were all killed in action
Flying Officer RAL Forbes (RCAF) and BD Wilson-Law (RAF) bailed and survived to become Evaders
There were three 419 Squadron Lancaster aircraft and crews lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serials KB 714 and KB726 for additional information
419 Squadron RCAF 1941 to 1945 Crew of Lancaster KB731
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Lancaster serial: KB731
Avro Lancaster Mk. X RCAF Serial FM 213
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling, all three aircraft being four-engined heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the same wartime era.
The Lancaster has its origins in the twin-engine Avro Manchester which had been developed during the late 1930s in response to the Air Ministry Specification P.13/36 for a capable medium bomber for "world-wide use". Originally developed as an evolution of the Manchester (which had proved troublesome in service and was retired in 1942), the Lancaster was designed by Roy Chadwick and powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlins and in one version, Bristol Hercules engines. It first saw service with RAF Bomber Command in 1942 and as the strategic bombing offensive over Europe gathered momentum, it was the main aircraft for the night-time bombing campaigns that followed. As increasing numbers of the type were produced, it became the principal heavy bomber used by the RAF, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries serving within the RAF, overshadowing the Halifax and Stirling. Wikipedia
Lancaster Bomber
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Unit Desciption
419 (B) Sqn Moosa Aswayita ("Moose")
History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Wellington IC, III, Halifax II, Lancaster X)
419 (Bomber) Squadron formed at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, UK in 1941 as part of No 3 Group of Bomber Command. It got its name from its first commanding officer, Wing Commander John "Moose" Fulton, DSO, DFC, AFC. The squadron operated Vickers Wellington, then Handley Page Halifax and finally Avro Lancaster bombers through the course of WWII, with the squadron code letters VR. It was the third RCAF bomber unit to be formed in England. It started operations in January 1942, converting almost immediately from Wellington Mk ICs to Wellington Mk IIIs and then moving north to Leeming, Yorkshire, as part of 4 Group Bomber Command in August 1942. After short stays at Topcliffe and Croft , it moved to Middleton St. George, County Durham in November 1942, from which it flew until the end of hostilities. Here in November 1942 it was re-equipped with Halifax Mk IIs, which it flew for the next 18 months on the night offensive against Germany. In January 1943 it joined the newly formed 6 (RCAF) Group of Bomber Command.
In April 1944 the squadron began to convert to the Avro Lancaster Mk X, which was produced in Canada and flown across the Atlantic. The squadron remained continuously on the offensive until 25 April 1945, when it flew its last sortie. Squadron personnel flew a total of 4,325 operational sorties during the war from Mannheim to Nuremberg, Milan to Berlin and Munich to Hanover, inflicting heavy damage on the enemy. On completion of the war in Germany, the squadron was earmarked to become part of the proposed "Tiger Force" to continue the war against Japan. However, the Japanese surrender in August 1945 led to the disbandment of the squadron in at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia September 1945.
As a result of its wartime record, 419 Squadron became one of the most decorated units under the RCAF during the war. Over a span of roughly three-and-a-quarter years it logged 400 operational missions (342 bombing missions, 53 mining excursions, 3 leaflet raids and 1 "spoof") involving 4,325 sorties. A total of one hundred and twenty nine aircraft were lost on these operations. Members of the squadron accumulated 1 VC, 4 DSO's, 1 MC, 150 DFC's, 3 bars to DFC, 1 CGM, 35 DFM's: the VC was awarded posthumously to Flight Sergeant Andrew Mynarski for his attempts to help a fellow crew member escape from their burning aircraft. Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1942-44, Baltic 1942-44, Fortress Europe 1942-44, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1942-44, Ruhr 1942-45, Berlin 1943-44, German Ports 1942-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1942; 1944. Wikipedia, Kostenuk and Griffin
Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum)
Maps for Movements of 419 Squadron 1941-45
MAP 1: 419 Squadron Movements Dec 1941-Aug-42 (right-click on image to display enlarged new tab)
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MAP 2: 419 Squadron Movements Aug 1942-Jun 1945
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MAP 3: 6 Group Bomber Bases 1943-1945
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419 Squadron History Summary 1941-45
419 Squadron History Summary 1941-45 Page 2
History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Canuck, Silver Star, Freedom Fighter, Hornet)
The squadron was reactivated on 15 March 1954 at North Bay, Ontario , as an all-weather fighter squadron flying the CF-100 Canuck. It moved to the NATO Air Division base at Baden-Soellingen, Germany shortly after being formed. The squadron remained there until its disbandment in December 1962.
The squadron was again re-formed in December 1970, when it relocated to Cold Lake, Alberta as No. 1 Canadian Forces Flight Training School. It initially flew the T-33 Silver Star but then transitioned to the Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter. The squadron was on full active duty in November 1975 but disbanded again 20 years later when the CF-5’s were retired in June 1995.
The squadron was again reactivated as 419 Tactical Fighter (Training) Squadron on 23 July 2000. The squadron has since conducted Phase IV of the NATO Flying Training Canada (NFTC) program for the air forces of Canada, Austria, Denmark, Italy, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. This program trains basic jet pilots to become fighter pilots and prepares them for training on CF-188 class aircraft through instruction in Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground combat tactics over a six month period.
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Lancaster KB731 Mk.X - Bombing Cambrai France - 1944-06-12 to 1944-06-13
Squadron: 419 (B) Sqn (RCAF)
Start Date: 1944-06-12
Completion Date: 1944-06-13
Mission: Bombing
Operation: unspecified
Target City: Cambrai France
Target Specific:
Base: RAF Middleton St George
Take Off Time: 21:40
Squadron Code: VR-S
Radio Code:
Return Base:
Return Time:
Crash City: France
Crash Specifics: near Vieux-Berquin, 9km ESE of Hazebrouck
Crash Latitude: 0.00000000
Crash Longitude: 0.00000000
Crash Reason: flak
Flak Battery: unspecified
Enemy Claim:
COMMUNCATIONS
{{webimage,wardiaries.jpg,float:right;width:150px;,Book no longer in print}}671 aircraft - 348 Halifaxes, 285 Lancasters, 38 Mosquitoes - of 4, 5, 6 and 8 Groups to attack communications, mostly railways, at Amiens/St-Roch, Amiens/Longueau, Arras, Caen, Cambrai and Poitiers. (It is interesting to note that, with the exception of Caen, all of these targets were the sites of well-known battles of earlier wars and Caen was soon to be the scene of fierce fighting.)
Bomber Command's records state that the Poitiers attack, by 5 Group, was the most accurate of the night and that the 2 raids at Amiens and the raid at Arras were of reasonable accuracy. The target at Cambrai was hit but many bombs also fell in the town. The most scattered attack (also by 5 Group) was at Caen.
23 aircraft - 17 Halifaxes and 6 Lancasters - were lost from these raids; all of these losses were from 4 and 6 Groups. A Canadian airman, Pilot Officer Andrew Charles Mynarski from Winnipeg, was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his bravery on the Cambrai raid, His Lancaster, of 419 Squadron, was attacked by a night fighter and set on fire and the crew were ordered to abandon the aircraft. Mynarski was about to jump when he saw that the tail gunner was trapped in his turret and he went through fierce flames to help. The rear turret was so badly jammed that it could not be freed and the trapped gunner eventually waved Mynarski away. By the time he left the aircraft, Mynarski's clothing and parachute were on fire and he died while being eared for by French civilians soon after he landed. The tail gunner was fortunate to survive the crash and his report on Mynarski's courage led to the award of the Victoria Cross. Pilot Officer Mynarski is buried in the small village cemetery at Meharicourt, east of Amiens.
GELSENKIRCHEN
303 aircraft - 286 Lancasters and 17 Mosquitoes of 1, 3 and 8 Groups - carried out the first raid of the new oil campaign; the target was the Nordstem synthetic-oil plant (the Germans called the plant Gelsenberg A.G.), 17 Lancasters were lost, 6.1 per cent of the Lancaster force.
The attack opened with exceptional accuracy owing to good work by the Path- finders and to improved versions of Oboe sets now available. Later phases of the bombing were spoiledby the clouds of smoke from the burning target and by a rogue target indicator which fell to miles short of the target and was bombed by 35 aircraft. A German industrial report* shows that all production at the oil plant ceased, with a loss of i,000 tons of aviation fuel a day for several weeks, as well as the loss of other fuels. Gelsenkirchen's civil records also pay tribute to the accuracy of the attack; 1,500 bombs fell inside the oil-plant area. The civil records also describe the extensive damage in the nearby working-class district of Horst. A total of 270 people were killed, including 24 workers in the oil plant at the time of the attack, 23 foreign workers who were killed when their wooden barracks near by were hit, and 6 school- boy 'Fiakhilfersi'.
Minor Operations: 27 Mosquitoes to Cologne, 3 R.C.M. sorties, 39 Serrate and 13 Intruder patrols 9 Halifaxes and 5 Stirlings minelaying off Brest and St-Nazaire, 13 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 1,083 sorties, 40 aircraft (3.7 per cent) lost. The Bomber Command War Diaries, Middlebrook and Everitt
6 Bomber Group June 12/13, 1944
32 Lancaster from 408 and 419 Squadrons were joined by 60 Halifaxes from 420, 425, 426, and 432 Squadrons on an attack of the rail yards at Cambrai. The crews were over the target at between 4,000 and 6,000feet, releasing 745,000 lbs of high explosives. According to reports, this attack was accurate with serious damage being done.
While some of the group went to Cambrai, 89 Halifaxes from 424, 427,429, 431, 433 and 434 Squadrons were ordered to attack the rail yards at Arras. The crews were over the target at between 4,000 and 6,000 feet, releasing 705,000 lbs of high explosives. According to reports, serious damage was caused.
4 Halifaxes from 428 squadron were ordered on a mining operation to Lorient and Saint-Nazaire. The crews were over the garden at 12,000 feet, sowing 8@1500 and 8@1850 lb mines. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
419 Moose Squadron (Moosa Aswayita) RAF Middleton St George. Lancaster X aircraft KB 731 VR-S was shot down by flak during a night attack against the marshalling yards at Cambrai, France. The Lancaster crashed near Vieux-Berquin, France
Pilot Officer GW Carruthers (RCAF), Flying Officer WM Lacey (RCAF), Flying Officer ER Lowe (RCAF), Pilot Officer DJ Applin (RCAF) and Pilot Officer M Larkin (RCAF) were all killed in action
Flying Officer RAL Forbes (RCAF) and BD Wilson-Law (RAF) bailed and survived to become Evaders
There were three 419 Squadron Lancaster aircraft and crews lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serials KB 714 and KB726 for additional information
419 Squadron RCAF 1941 to 1945 Crew of Lancaster KB731
Search for France-Crashes 39-45