Flt Lt Frank Donald Wallace DFC (120873) RAFVR - 103 Squadron - RAF Elsham Wolds - 1944.
Transferred to 156 Squadron late September 1944
F/L Wallace pictured May 1945 front row middle with his air and ground crew
At around 0356 hours on Wednesday the 5th of April 1950, Douglas C47A Dakota (VT-CJD) of Deccan Airways departed the runway at Calcutta’s Dum Dum Airport and climbed slowly away into the darkness. Engaged on a routine cargo flight to Assam, the twin-engine aircraft was heavily loaded with iron and metal goods. A few minutes into the flight the crew made a radio call to the control tower stating that an engine had failed and that they they were returning to the airport to make an emergency landing. Unfortunately, however, the aircraft stalled and came down in a paddy field near the village of Hatiara, about 4 km south of the runway. All three crew members were killed instantaneously, including the captain, Frank Donald ‘Don’ Wallace, an experienced instructor pilot and decorated former RAF Pathfinder.
Frank Wallace was born in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, on the 24th of April 1918, one of six children to William and Alice Wallace (nee Kirton). For the majority of his early years, he lived in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. After leaving school Frank joined Southend Flying Club, managing to gain his Private Pilots Licence at the age of 17 on the 16th of April 1936. Unfortunately, on Wednesday 22nd of July, the British Aircraft Company Super Drone (G-AEAN) he was flying stalled and crashed into bungalows in Wells Avenue, Rochford; the young pilot being extremely lucky to walk away with minor injuries.
Despite the crash, Frank’s thirst for flying remained undiminished. He subsequently enrolled with both Cinque Ports and Herts and Essex Flying Clubs, steadily building his flying hours and qualifying for further categories on his licence. In 1938 he gained employment as an assistant flying instructor at Newcastle Upon Tyne Aero Club and in 1939 he was working as a flying instructor and part time Air Defence Cadet Corps instructor at Dyce Airport in Aberdeen.
Following the outbreak of war, Frank volunteered his services and was accepted for enlistment in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a trainee pilot. Allocated the service number 904829 and the rank of Sergeant, he attended No. 61 Flying Instructors Course at the Central Flying School, RAF Upavon, between the 16th of October and the 25th of November 1939. During the course he flew a mixture of Tutor, Harvard, Hart, Oxford and Anson aircraft, whilst learning the strict methods of instruction employed by the Service. He also qualified as a Link Trainer instructor.
Sergeant Wallace joined 14 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) at RAF Kinloss, Morayshire, on the 1st of December 1939. During his time in Scotland he was employed teaching junior officers how to fly twin-engine Airspeed Oxford aircraft. Frank moved with 14 SFTS to RAF Cranfield in April 1940, but only spent 5 weeks there, before moving to 1 Air Observer Navigation School (AONS) at RAF Prestwick back in Scotland. At 1 AONS, Frank was employed as a Staff Pilot on Avro Anson twin engine aircraft, allowing trainee navigators to practice their new art in the rear of the aircraft. He departed Prestwick for pastures new on the 28th of November 1940.
Frank was next posted to 45 Air School at Oudtshoorn in South Africa. He took his first trip, a familiarisation flight, in Anson 1179 on the 7th of February 1941, and for the next 2 months he was employed in his old role of flying instructor. Following a brief attachment to the Central Flying School at Bloemfontein in May he moved to E Flight, 42 Air School, where he flew Northrop Nomad aircraft in a Target Towing role. In September that year he was on the move again, this time to 66 Air School at Youngsfield where he completed a six-week Navigation Course. He returned to 42 Air School in October and resumed flying Ansons as a Staff Pilot, the boredom being alleviated by the occasional coastal patrol. Frank was commissioned in the rank of Pilot Officer on the 11th of February 1942 and promoted to Flying Officer on the 1st of October.
Flying Officer Wallace finally left South Africa in January 1944, returning to the UK for a short course at 1 School of Beam Approach at RAF Watchfield in Wiltshire. In April he joined No. 39 Course, 30 Operational Training Unit (OTU), operating at RAF Hixon and its satellite at Seighford, in Staffordshire, where he, and the remainder of his crew, learned to operate Vickers Wellington bombers. Finishing his OTU course on the 17th of June, three days later he married Miss Isabel Margaret Fraser in Holburn West Church, Aberdeen, his best man being his navigator, Sergeant William Ivor Davies (later Flight Lieutenant DFC).
The next phase of training saw Frank and his new crew operating HP Halifax aircraft with 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit at Lindholme in Yorkshire. On the 11th of August 1944 he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant and on the 12th his crew joined No. 27 Course, 1 Lancaster Finishing School, at RAF Hemswell in Lincolnshire. They completed conversion to this iconic aircraft on the 26th of the month.
On the 4th of September 1944 they joined A Flight, 103 (Bomber) Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds. Flt Lt Wallace and his crew flew their first operational sortie on the night of the 12th of September against the industrial city of Frankfurt. On the 16th they bombed the airfield at Leeuwarden in support of Operation MARKET GARDEN and the following day they conducted a shorter daylight sortie against Gravelines in France. After successfully applying to join the Pathfinder Force, the crew was posted to the Pathfinder Navigation Training Unit (NTU) at RAF Warboys in Huntingdonshire on the 24th of September. During their short period at Warboys they flew on three occasions conducting cross-country navigation and bombing training sorties.
On the 3rd of October the crew travelled to the nearby airfield of RAF Upwood, where they became members of B Flight, 156 (PFF) Squadron. Frank’s first operational sortie with the Pathfinders was a daylight operation in Lancaster GT-O against a synthetic oil plant in the Rhur town of Sterkrade on the 6th of October. He flew three more ops that month, Cleves (7th), Duisberg (14th) and Wilhelmshaven (15th). Piloting Lancaster III GT-T (PB593 ‘T for Tommy’) against Wilhelmshaven, Frank’s aircraft lost an engine on route to the target but he pressed on and bombed from a low altitude. As a result, his Lancaster was hit by anti-aircraft fire and caught fire. After extinguishing the fire, his aircraft was then attacked by 2 x Ju.88 night-fighters in the area of Heligoland and the crew fought a running battle to within sight of the English coast. Despite the challenges, he successfully landed the bomber at RAF Wyton, where it was subsequently declared unserviceable.
During November, Frank operated against Oberhausen (1st), Dusseldorf (2nd), Neuss (27th), Essen (28th) and Duisberg (30th). On the 3rd of December 1944, he joined 26 other Lancasters and 3 Mosquitos of 8 Group on a daylight raid against the Urft Dam in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany. He took their regular aircraft (GT-T) on night raids against Karlsruhe (4th), Opladen (20th), Bonn (21st), Cologne (30th) and Osterfeld (31st). In the New Year, the crew operated against Saarbrucken on the 14th and Zeitz (Leipzig) on the 16th. Having completed 20 operational sorties, Frank and his crewmates had gained enough experience to be employed as ‘Blind Illuminators’ using the H2S radar system. In this role they operated against Goch on the 7th of February and Politz on the 8th. On the 14th of February they acted as a Blind Support Marker on a raid against Chemnitz, and claimed a Me. 163 Rocket Fighter destroyed. The last sortie of the month saw the crew attack Pforzheim on the 23rd of February.
In March 1945, Frank operated against Chemnitz (5th), Dessau (7th), Hamburg (8th), Essen (11th), Homberg (14th), Hanover (15th), Nuremberg (16th) and Hanau (18th). The first three operations of this month were flown in the Squadron’s centurion Lancaster ND875 (GT-Q). Despite the war drawing to a close, April was the crew’s busiest month, with a total of 7 operations flown as both ‘Blind’ and ‘Visual’ Markers. On the 4th they attacked Hamburg, on the 10th Leipzig, on the 11th Nuremburg, on the 14th Potsdam, on the 16th Schwandorf, and on the 18th Heligoland. Frank’s 41st and final bombing mission of the war was flown on the 25th against coastal batteries at Wangerooge.
However, Flt Lt Wallace final operational sorties of World War 2 were probably his most rewarding. On the 3rd of May they took Lancaster GT-O to mark drop zones at the Hague for food deliveries to the starving Dutch (Op MANNA) and on the 7th they conducted a transport flight from Brussels bringing 24 ex-POWs back to the UK (Op EXODUS).
He left the Squadron on the 15th of May with an ‘Exceptional’ assessment in his Flying Log Book and was posted to 77 Squadron at Full Sutton, but in what capacity is not known. On the 25th of May 1945, he was awarded the Permanent Award of the Pathfinder Force Badge.
The award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Flt Lt Wallace was announced in the London Gazette of the 18th of September 1945. The citation states
“F/Lt F. D. Wallace is on his third tour of operational duty. The great majority of his sorties have been as Target Marker, during which he has attacked such heavily defended targets as Essen, Nuremberg, Leipzig and Zeitz. On one occasion in October, 1944, this officer was detailed for an attack against Wilhelmshaven. Shortly after crossing the English coast adverse weather conditions were encountered with severe icing. Although one of his engines became unserviceable F/Lt Wallace pressed on and attacked the target from a low level. Severe anti-aircraft fire was experienced at that height causing damage and fire to his aircraft, but with great skill and despite continuous attacks by two enemy aircraft to within ten miles of the English coast this officer flew the bomber safely back to base.
F/Lt Wallace is a skilful pilot and captain of aircraft of outstanding ability. He has materially contributed to the high standard of operational efficiency attained by his squadron."
On the 12th of November 1945 he was posted to 1384 Heavy Transport Conversion Unit at Ossington in Nottinghamshire, where he converted onto Avro York aircraft. This was followed by a two-month refresher course with the Acclimatisation Flight at RAF Snaith. In March 1946 he attended a Radio Ranging Course at the Transport Command base at RAF Bramcote in Warwickshire. His next posting was to 1332 Heavy Conversion Unit at Dishforth where he conducted further training on Avro York aircraft. His final posting in the Service was with 242 Squadron at Oakington, from where he was finally demobbed on the 7th of October 1946.
Frank had a son, Alan Murray Wallace, who was born that year, and he gained employment with the newly formed Bharat Airways Ltd of Calcutta, India. Prior to leaving the UK Frank undertook a conversion course on Vickers Viking aircraft at Weybridge and another one at Filton on Bristol Type 170 transports. He flew a Bristol 170 Wayfarer (G-AHJN / VT- CJX) from Hurn to Calcutta on the 6th of December, thereby achieving over 3000 hours in his log book. His wife and nine-month old son joined him in India in 1947 and his second son, Neil, was born in December 1948. Frank worked for Bharat Airways for two years before becoming a 'free-lance' pilot. Following her husband's death, Isabel and the boys returned to Scotland on the 22nd of May 1950.
Item written by Lieutenant Colonel J R D Hipkins AGC (RMP) who also supplied the photo.
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