P/O Maldwyn W Williams RCAF - 103 Squadron - RAF Elsham Wolds – 1942 - Navigator.
Failed to Return - 19/20th May 1942 - F/L P E Rees RAFVR and crew - Vickers Wellington IC - Z1141 - Op St Nazaire.
Maldwyn Williams was born in Bettws, near Newtown, in mid Wales. His father was a minister in the area.
The family moved to the United States in 1920 for a brief period and then moved to Canada in 1926. “Maldie”, as he was known, attended the high school at Listowel Ontario and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1938. He then attended Knox College, a Presbyterian theological institution.
He joined the RCAF as a pilot trainee in 1940 and was transferred to the Air Observer course. On successful completion of his training he left for Britain in September 1941. He was ordained as a Presbyterian minister before going overseas.
After a period of further training he was posted from OTU to 103 Squadron at Elsham Wolds on the 7th May 1942.
On the night of the 19/20th May 1942 Maldwyn was sadly killed taking part in his first operation. On this night 103 Squadron detailed 5 crews to bomb the German U Boat base at St Nazaire on the West coast of France. The crew, of which Maldwyn was a part, consisted of:-
F/L P E Rees RAFVR
F/S L C Taylor RCAF
P/O M W Williams RCAF
Sgt B W Harris RAF
Sgt H C Watson RCAF
Sgt W Mitchell RCAF
They took off from Elsham Wolds in a Vickers Wellington 1C serial number Z1141 at 2248. It was reported that there was slight heavy and light flak over the target by the returning crews. Wellington Z1141 was shot down in flames in the vicinity of the target. There were no survivors from the crew who now rest at Escoublac-La-Baule War Cemetery 13 km West of St Nazaire.
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F/L Patrick Elmore Rees RAFVR - Pilot - 103 Sqn - Escoublac-la-Baule War Cemetery, France
F/S Leonard Clayton Taylor RCAF ( pictured below ) – Pilot – 20 - 103 Sqn - Son of Alfred and Isabel Taylor, of Moffat, Ontario, Canada - Escoublac-la-Baule War Cemetery, France
P/O Maldwyn Wyn Williams RCAF ( Pictured at top of page ) – Air Observer – 103 Sqn - Escoublac-la-Baule War Cemetery, France
Sgt Bernard William Harris RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner – 22 – 103 Sqn - Son of Thomas Joseph and May Lizzie Harris, of High Wycombe Buckinghamshire - Escoublac-la-Baule War Cemetery, France.
Sgt Howard Cameron Watson RCAF ( pictured below ) – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner – 23 – 103 Sqn - Son of Reuben C. and Ethel A. Watson, of Durham, Ontario, Canada - Escoublac-la-Baule War Cemetery, France.
Sgt Wallace Mitchell RCAF ( pictured below ) – Air Gunner – 22 – 103 Sqn - Son of John W. and Lena Mitchell, of Jerome, Idaho, U.S.A. - Escoublac-la-Baule War Cemetery, France.
F/S Leonard Clayton Taylor RCAF
Sgt Howard Cameron Watson RCAF
Sgt Wallace Mitchell RCAF
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I believe Maldwyn is unique in that he flew operationally as an ordained minister of religion. I know of no other and certainly not one that was killed.
Maldwyn’s brother, Ivor, also served with the RCAF and flew Spitfires with 443 ( RCAF ) Squadron as part of the 2nd TAF. I am grateful to him for providing the photograph and background information concerning his late brother.
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19 May 1942 - St Nazaire
103 Squadron detailed 5 aircraft for this attack on the French port of St Nazaire. The weather was fine over the base with patches of fog in the Channel area becoming nil over north west France and in the St Nazaire area. Visibility was good but the darkness was intense. One crew failed to take off due to the last minute illness of the captain. Two aircraft failed to locate the target owing to thick haze and sea fog and one aircraft did not return, that of F/L K P Rees and crew.
The aircraft which did drop its bombs made its attack from 10000 ft and say its bombs burst across the dock area. Two photographs were attempted by this aircraft and two by another. All aircraft dropped nickels to fall on Bayeux. Crews reported the defences to be inaccurate slight heavy flak and light flak.
As part of the Minor Operations that night Bomber Command detailed 65 aircraft to attack the French port of St Nazaire Minor Operations: 65 'freshmen' crews to St Nazaire but bombing results were poor, 9 aircraft minelaying off Lorient and near Heligoland, 13 aircraft on leaflet flights to France. 1 Wellington lost on the St Nazaire raid.
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Wellington Z1141.
This was something of a veteran machine having been lost on its 27th operation with no Early Returns and only one Did Not Take Off. It was the regular aircraft of Canadian Johnnie Tett and crew who flew it 20 times
Item compiled and written by David Fell with thanks to the Williams family in Canada. Other crew photos courtesy of the Canadian Virtual War Memorial
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