Conroy, Robert Fitzgerald (Flying Officer)

Evader 1943-06-12

Birth Date: 1921-April-14

Born: Middle Stewiacke, Colchester County, Nove Scotia

William D Conroy & Bertha E Conroy

Home: Middle Stewiacke, Colchester County, NS (parents)

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: Unknown

Service

RCAF

Unit

429 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Fortunae Nihil Nothing to chance

Base

RAF East Moor

Rank

Flying Officer

Position

Flight Sergeant

Service Numbers

J/17939
Prev: R/55965

Home

Middle Stewiacke, Colchester County, NS (parents)

Target

Dusseldorf Germany

Flying Officer Conroy had previously survived in 429 Squadron Wellington BJ-755 AL-Z that crashed 1943-03-05 during take-off from RAF East Moor due to an engine failure

Sadly, Flying Officer Conroy would be killed in action 1944-03-24 flying again with 429 squadron in Halifax aircraft LV 914 AL-V on an operation to Berlin, Germany. Flying Officer Conroy stayed in control of his aircraft so that his crew could bail out and was lost with the aircraft

RAF Evaders, The Comprehensive Story of Escapers and Their Escape Lines, Western Europe, 1940-1945 by Oliver Clutton-Brock page 358

unvetted Source Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire

Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Wellington HE593

Male Head

Warrant Officer 2 Burns, James Nicholas Gerard (RCAF)
Air Gunner (Rear)
Killed in Action
1943-June-12
Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, Nijmegen, Netherlands

Flying Officer Conroy, Robert Fitzgerald (RCAF)
Pilot
Evader
1943-June-12
cemetery unknown

Pilot Officer Densmore, George Robert (RCAF)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Action
1943-June-12
Woensel Cemetery, Eindhoven, Netherlands

Warrant Officer Class I Leitch, Glenn Arthur (RCAF)
Navigator
Killed in Action
1943-June-12
Woensel Cemetery, Eindhoven, Netherlands

Warrant Officer 2 Nelson, Gordon Arthur (RCAF)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1943-June-12
Woensel Cemetery, Eindhoven, Netherlands

Wellington B. Mk. X HE593

Bombing Dusseldorf Germany 1943-June-11 to 1943-June-12

429 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF East Moor

429 Bison Squadron (Fortunae Nihil) RAF East Moor. Wellington BX aircraft HE 593 AL-Z was shot down by night fighter pilot Oberfeldwebel Bruno Eikmeier of the 2/NJG 1, flying a Bf 110 G-4 from Gilze-Rijen airfield, Netherlands during an operation against targets in Dusseldorf, Germany. The Wellington crashed near Zijtaart, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands

Warrant Officer Class 1 GA Leitch (RCAF), Pilot Officer GR Densmore (RCAF), FS GA Nelson (RCAF), and Sergeant JNG Burns (RCAF)(USA) were all killed in action

FS RF Conroy (RCAF) was lone survivor from his crew and became an Evader. FS Conroy was aided by various people in the Bourgogne Escape Line and eventually made it to Gibraltar from where he returned to the UK and his unit 1943-10-02

There were three 429 Squadron Wellington aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serials HF 542 AL-O and HZ 355 AL-G for additional information

unvetted Source Crash Site Vickers Wellington B Mark X - Zijtaart - TracesOfWar.com

unvetted Source Aviation Safety Network

unvetted Source Results

unvetted Source Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire

unvetted Source Wellington X HE593, [Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database]...

Vickers Wellington

Source: Harold A Skaarup Web Page
Vickers Wellington B. Mk. III (Serial No. X3763), coded KW-E, No. 425 'Alouette' (B) Squadron, RCAF, late summer of 1942

The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson, a key feature of the aircraft is its geodetic airframe fuselage structure, which was principally designed by Barnes Wallis. Development had been started in response to Air Ministry Specification B.9/32, issued in the middle of 1932, for a bomber for the Royal Air Force. This specification called for a twin-engined day bomber capable of delivering higher performance than any previous design.

The Wellington was used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, performing as one of the principal bombers used by Bomber Command. During 1943, it started to be superseded as a bomber by the larger four-engined "heavies" such as the Avro Lancaster. The Wellington continued to serve throughout the war in other duties, particularly as an anti-submarine aircraft.

It holds the distinction of having been the only British bomber that was produced for the duration of the war, and of having been produced in a greater quantity than any other British-built bomber. The Wellington remained as first-line equipment when the war ended, although it had been increasingly relegated to secondary roles. The Wellington was one of two bombers named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, the other being the Vickers Wellesley.

In August 1936, an initial order for 180 Wellington Mk I aircraft, powered by a pair of 1,050 hp (780 kW) Bristol Pegasus radial engines, was received by Vickers; it had been placed so rapidly that the order occurred prior to the first meeting intended to decide the details of the production aircraft. In October 1937, another order for a further 100 Wellington Mk Is, produced by the Gloster Aircraft Company, was issued; it was followed by an order for 100 Wellington Mk II aircraft with Rolls-Royce Merlin X V12 engines. Yet another order was placed for 64 Wellingtons produced by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. With this flurry of order and production having been assured by the end of 1937, Vickers set about simplifying the manufacturing process of the aircraft and announced a target of building one Wellington per day.

A total of 180 Wellington Mk I aircraft were built; 150 for the RAF and 30 for the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) (which were transferred to the RAF on the outbreak of war and used by 75 Squadron). In October 1938, the Mk I entered service with 9 Squadron. The Wellington was initially outnumbered by the Handley Page Hampden (also ordered by the Ministry to B.9/32) and the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley (to B.34/3 for a 'night' bomber) but outlasted both rival aircraft in service. The Wellington went on to be built in 16 separate variants, in addition to two training conversions after the war. The number of Wellingtons built totalled 11,462 of all versions, a greater quantity produced than any other British bomber. On 13 October 1945, the last Wellington to be produced rolled out.Wikipedia

Wikipedia Vickers Wellington

unvetted Source RCAF - Vickers Wellington

YouTube YouTube Vickers Wellington documentary

unvetted Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page

429 (B) Sqn Fortunae Nihil ("Bison")

History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Wellington III, X, Halifax II, V, III, Lancaster I, III)

No 429 Squadron was the 10th bomber unit and 27th squadron formed by the RCAF overseas in WWII. It was formed in November 1942 at East Moor, Yorkshire, UK as part of No 4 Group of RAF Bomber Command. On April 1, 1943 it became part of No 6 (RCAF) Group at No 62 (RCAF) Base, still remaining at East Moor until August 1943, when it moved to Leeming, Yorkshire as part of no 63 (RCAF) Base: it remained at Leeming until its disbandment in May 1946. It undertook strategic and tactical bombing operations. After the cessation of hostilities in Europe, it remained in England and transferred to No 1 Group, where it was engaged in transporting troops from Italy (Operation DODGE).

The squadron, with squadron code AL, flew Vickers Wellington Mks III and X until August 1943, when it re-equipped with Handley-Page Halifax Mk II, which it flew between August 1943 and January 1944, and Mk V between November 1943 and March 1944. These were superseded by Halifax Mk III aircraft in March 1944. In March 1945, the squadron re-equipped with Lancaster Mk I and III. In summary of its activities, it flew 3221 sorties, including airlifting 1055 PoWs back to England, for the loss of 71 aircraft. 9356 tons of bombs were dropped. The squadron was awarded45 DFCs and 2 Bars to DFC, 1 AFC, 1 CGM and 7 DFMs. Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1943-45, Baltic 1943-45, 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,Moyes, Kostenuk and Griffin

Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)

Maps for Movements of 429 Squadron 1942-46

MAP 1: 429 Squadron Bases 1942-46 (marked in green). Right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab

429 Squadron History Summary 1942-46

History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Buffalo, Hercules, Globemaster)

The squadron was reactivated at St. Hubert, Quebec on 21 August 1967 as a Tactical Transport Unit. It flew de Havilland CC-15 Buffalo aircraft for the Canadian Forces Mobile Command and was integrated into the Canadian Armed Forces on 1 February 1968. In August 1981 it was renamed 429 Transport Squadron and moved to CFB Winnipeg . The final move was in 1990 to 8 Wing in Trenton, Ontario . The squadron was disbanded in 2005.

Two years later in August 2007, 429 Squadron was again re-activated, this time operating the CC-177 Globemaster III strategic transport aircraft. It used these new aircraft in support of Canada's operations in Afghanistan.

Previous Events

1943-March-05 Flight Sergeant Survived

Wellington B. Mk. III

429 B Sqn RCAF

429 Bison Squadron (Fortunae Nihil) RAF East Moor. Wellington III BJ 755 AL-Z crashed while taking off for an operation to Essen, Germany due to an engine failure

FS RF Conroy (RCAF) survived, injured