P/O Thomas Kitchener Wright RAFVR – 103 Squadron – Air Gunner
Tommy Wright
Tommy Wright's log book has recently been acquired by Bobby Grew who very kindly sent me a copy. It is a quite excellent document setting out the outstanding service of Tommy Wright from 1942 to 1944. Tommy flew 59 operations, all with 103 Squadron. Only Florent Van Rolleghem flew more operations with 103.
Seeing the full list it is quite remarkable that he flew with 13 different captains. All were distinguished airmen of considerable stature. Tommy also flew all 3 of the main Bomber types operated by 103 Squadron in Bomber Command – Wellington, Halifax and Lancaster. In addition Tommy flew as Air Gunner in Front, Mid Upper and Rear turrets during his 59 operations.
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Tommy Wright second from the left with an unknown Wellington crew. By the look of the snow and fog it was probably taken late Jan/early Feb 42. The man on the right may well be Taffy Pugh.
Tommy Wright's operations :-
28-Jan-42 – Munster - Point of aim - Wellington - W5690 – F/L DW Holford - Front Gunner
06-Feb-42 - Brest - German capital ships - Wellington - W5690 – F/L DW Holford - Front Gunner
11-Feb-42 - Brest - German capital ships - Wellington - X9666 – Sgt REV Pugh - Caught in search lights on run up to target. Unable to locate target. Bombed defences 2 miles south west - Front Gunner
21-Feb-42 - Mannheim and others - Point of aim - Wellington - Z8843 – F/S CL Bray RCAF - Jettisoned 500lb bomb on outward journey to enable aircraft to gain height - Front Gunner
03-Mar-42 - Paris - Renault motor factory - Wellington - W5690 – S/L DW Holford - Front Gunner
08-Mar-42 - Essen - Point of Aim - Wellington - R1347 – S/L DW Holford - Front Gunner
09-Mar-42 - Essen - Point of Aim - Wellington - DV611 – F/S CL Bray RCAF - Front Gunner
13-Mar-42 – Cologne – Point of Aim – Wellington – Q2617 - S/L DW Holford - Front Gunner
25-Mar-42 - Essen - Point of Aim - Wellington - X9666 – F/L CK Saxelby - Front Gunner
27-Mar-42 - St Nazaire - Operation Chariot - Wellington - T2617 – S/L DW Holford - Front Gunner
02-Apr-42 - Poissy - Ford motor vehicle factory - Wellington - DV697 – S/L DW Holford - Front Gunner
05-Apr-42 - Cologne - Point of Aim - Wellington - DV697 – Sgt JW Potts - Front Gunner
08-Apr-42 - Hamburg - Point of Aim - Wellington - DV697 – S/L DW Holford - Front Gunner
10-Apr-42 - Essen - Point of Aim - Wellington - DV612 – P/O JF Brookes - Front Gunner
12-Apr-42 - Essen - Point of Aim - Wellington - Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith - Early return - Generator unserviceable - Front Gunner
14-Apr-42 - Dortmund - Point of Aim - Wellington - Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith - Landed at Coltishall owing to petrol shortage. - Front Gunner
18-Apr-42 - Hamburg - Point of Aim - Wellington - DV759 – Sgt JW Potts - Front Gunner
25-Apr-42 - Rostock - Point of Aim - Wellington - DV612 – F/L CK Saxelby - Rear Gunner
29-Apr-42 - Paris/ Gennevilliers - Gnome Rhone factory - Wellington - DV578 – Sgt JW Potts - Front Gunner
04-May-42 – Stuttgart - Bosch plug factory - Wellington - DV697 – S/L DW Holford - Front Gunner
08-May-42 - Warnemunde - Point of Aim - Wellington - Z1152 – F/L CK Saxelby - Front Gunner
29-May-42 - Paris/ Gennevilliers - Gnome Rhone factory - Wellington - Z1140 - S/L DW Holford - Front Gunner
30-May-42 - Cologne - Point of Aim - Wellington - Z1140 – G/C HA Constantine - Front Gunner
01-Jun-42 - Essen - Point of Aim - Wellington - Z1140 – Sgt REV Pugh - Early return - Faulty stub exhaust - Front Gunner
02-Jun-42 - Essen - Point of Aim - Wellington - DV578 – W/O KF Edwards - Hit by flak. - Front Gunner
05-Jun-42 - Essen - Point of Aim - Wellington - Z1140 – S/L DW Holford - Front Gunner
06-Jun-42 - Emden - Point of Aim - Wellington - DV697 – S/L DW Holford - Front Gunner
08-Jun-42 - Essen - Point of Aim - Wellington - DV697 – S/L DW Holford - Front Gunner
11-Jun-42 - Ameland/Dutch coast - Mine laying - Wellington - DV697 – W/O KF Edwards - Front Gunner
22-Jun-42 - Emden - Point of Aim - Wellington - DV878 – F/L SH Fox - Front Gunner
25-Jun-42 - Bremen - Point of Aim - Wellington - Z1171 – F/L SH Fox - Front Gunner
02-Jul-42 - Bremen - Point of Aim B Wellington - Z1140 – G/C HA Constantine - Rear Gunner
01-Aug-42 - Dusseldorf - Point of Aim - Halifax - W1188 – S/L SH Fox - Mid Upper Gunner
07-Aug-42 - Duisburg - Point of Aim - Halifax - W1188 – S/L SH Fox - Mid Upper Gunner
18-Aug-42 - Flensburg - Point of Aim - Halifax - W1188 – S/L SH Fox - Mid Upper Gunner
27-Aug-42 - Kassel - Point of Aim - Halifax W1188 – S/L SH Fox - Mid Upper Gunner
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27-Jan-44 – Berlin – Point of Aim – Lancaster – JB736 – W/O N H Frost - Rear Gunner
30-Jan-44 - Berlin - Point of Aim - Lancaster - JB736 – W/O NH Frost - Rear Gunner
15-Feb-44 - Berlin - Point of Aim - Lancaster - JB736 – W/O NH Frost - Rear Gunner
19-Feb-44 - Leipzig - Point of Aim - Lancaster - JB736 – W/O NH Frost – Early return - Oxygen failure. Bombed Leeuwarden - Rear Gunner
20-Feb-44 - Stuttgart - Point of Aim - Lancaster - JB736 – W/O NH Frost - Rear Gunner
24-Feb-44 - Schweinfurt - Point of Aim - Lancaster - JB736 – W/O NH Frost - Rear Gunner
25-Feb-44 - Augsburg - Point of Aim - Lancaster - JB736 – W/O NH Frost - Early return - Oxygen failure to rear turret - Rear Gunner
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15-Mar-44 - Stuttgart - Point of Aim - Lancaster - ND411 – Sgt KW Mitchell - Landed at Burlingthorpe - Rear Gunner
18-Mar-44 - Frankfurt - Point of Aim - Lancaster - ND411 - Sgt KW Mitchell - Rear Gunner
22-Mar-44 - Frankfurt - Point of Aim - Lancaster - ND411 - Sgt KW Mitchell - Rear Gunner
24-Mar-44 - Berlin - Point of Aim - Lancaster - ND411 - Sgt KW Mitchell - Rear Gunner
26-Mar-44 - Essen - Point of Aim - Lancaster - ND411 - Sgt KW Mitchell - Rear Gunner
30-Mar-44 - Nuremberg - Point of Aim - Lancaster - ND411 - P/O KW Mitchell - Landed at Hunsden - Rear Gunner
09-Apr-44 - Gdynia Bay - Mine laying - Lancaster - ND411 - P/O KW Mitchell - Rear Gunner
10-Apr-44 - Aulnoye - Railway yards - Lancaster - ND411 - P/O KW Mitchell - Rear Gunner
23-Apr-44 - Borholm & Pomeranian Bay - Mine laying - Lancaster - ND411 – P/O KW Mitchell - Rear Gunner
24-Apr-44 - Karlsruhe - Point of Aim - Lancaster - ND411 – P/O KW Mitchell - Rear Gunner
26-Apr-44 - Essen - Point of Aim - Lancaster - ND411 – P/O KW Mitchell - Rear Gunner
27-Apr-44 - Friedrichshafen - Point of Aim - Lancaster - JB655 – P/O KW Mitchell - Hit by flak over target - Rear Gunner
01-May-44 - Lyons - Factory and railway yard - Lancaster - ND411 – P/O KW Mitchell - Rear Gunner
10-May-44 - Heligoland Bight - Mine laying - Lancaster - ND624 – P/O KW Mitchell - Rear Gunner
11-May-44 - Hasselt - Railway yards - Lancaster - NE117 – P/O KW Mitchell – Aborted - Returned with bombs as per instructions from Master Bomber - Rear Gunner
15-May-44 - Minelaying - Kiel Bay - Mine laying - Lancaster - LL963 – P/O KW Mitchell – Failed to Return - Probable night fighter victim. Crashed into sea near Avernako, Denmark. - Rear Gunner
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Tommy was lost with Ken Mitchell's crew on the 15th May 44.
P/O Thomas Kitchener Wright RAFVR - Air Gunner - 32 - 103 Sqn - Son of Robert Edmund Wright, and of Rosina Wright of Walthamstow, Essex - Runnymede Memorial
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Tommy flew with the following captains
Kenneth W Mitchell - 16
David W Holford – 13
Norman H Frost – 7
Sydney H Fox – 6
Clive K Saxelby – 3
J W Potts - 3
Richard EV Pugh - 2
Charles L Bray - 2
Kenneth F Edwards - 2
Donald P S Smith - 2
Hugh A Constantine - 2
John F Brookes - 1
Total 59 operations
Mitchell, Holford, Fox, Pugh, Bray and Edwards did not survive the war. Saxelby became a prisoner of war and resumed his RAF career post war. Flying with 467 Squadron in May 1944 Donald Smith was the sole survivor of his crew and evaded capture. Frost, Constantine and Brookes certainly survived the war. At the time of writing I am not sure about Potts who certainly survived his tour with 103 Squadron, was commissioned and became an instructor with the newly formed 103 Squadron Conversion Flight in June/July 1942
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Tommy also flew as Air Gunner in each of the 3 bomber turrets at one time or another as shown
Front gunner - 30
Mid upper Gunner - 4
Rear Gunner – 25
Total 59 operations
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He also flew the 3 main bomber types operated by 103 Squadron as follows :-
Wellington – 32
Halifax – 4
Lancaster – 23
Total 59 operations
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The log book records Tommy's superb service and it is such a tragedy that he did not survive. My grateful thanks to Bobby Grew for sending me a copy.
Written and compiled by David Fell. Photos courtesy of the late Phyllis Wright and Bobby Grew
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