F/L William Ralph "Bill" Crich DFM RAF - 103 Squadron – 1940/1941/1943 – Pilot.
Also 15 Squadron in 1942/43
AASF Battle of France – Fairey Battles, Bomber Command – Fairey Battles, Vickers Wellingtons Avro Lancasters and Short Stirlings.
I am most grateful to Dani Cameron for her contributions to this item
Above – Left-Bill Crich and Right-Bill Crich with a group of RAF and French comrades in France
William Ralph Crich was born at Malta in 1914. After having moved first to Derbyshire, Great Britain, the family moved to Edinburgh. Ralph had three sisters, Irene, Dorothy and Lilian. He married and had a son, Ron.
During an attack with his 103 Sqn Fairey Battle on Amiens/Bernaville,France, his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Sergeant Crich had to make a forced landing, but managed to reach his base the following day. On June 10th, 1940, Sergeant Crich attacked a target in the vicinity of Vernon, France in his 103 Sqn Fairey Battle I, K9409. The plane was severe damaged, but Crich managed to press through the attack and to reach base. His DFM was awarded for this action.
..........
The Squadron returned to the UK and were based at RAF Newton. Crich flew 1 operation on Battles before the Squadron converted to the Vickers Wellington.
“In Bomber Command with 103 Squadron, on January 9th 1941 he was in a Vickers Wellington, the mainstay of the night-bomber offensive against Germany.
They took off from Newton, Nottinghamshire, to make a night attack against the synthetic oil producing plant at Gelsenkirchen in the Ruhr Valley. The bomb load comprised five 500 lb. high explosive bombs and bundles of “Nickels” (leaflets) to be released in the target area. Wellington R3215 piloted by Sgt. Crich, dropped bombs on target from 13,000 ft., seen to burst in factory buildings. Heavy and accurate flak was reported around the target area, and they were hit.
The observer pinpointed his position over the Dutch Coast, as twenty miles off course. Short of fuel and without radio communications after an hour, the pilot realised that the position was hopeless and was left with the choice of abandoning the aircraft or attempting a forced landing.
On the ground in a field near “White House Farm” Llanover near Abergavenny a searchlight unit stood-to. Orders had been given to treat all aircraft in the vicinity as “hostile” and any assistance in landing that the searchlight unit could have given was therefore withheld.
Sgt Crich lowered the undercarriage and selected a field in which to land. The snow camouflaged the slope of the field down to the River Usk. Not allowing for the unseen slope he burst a tyre on landing and came to a halt, feet from electric wires slung across the field! Had they been hit the aircraft would have burst into flames. The six crew suffered cuts and bruises, and one a broken arm. A guard was mounted to keep the gathering crowd at bay. After being patched up, the crew were given lavish hospitality at the home of Major D Berrington, Pant Y Goitre House. (His own son was to be killed 18 months later, near Ross on Wye, piloting a Halifax.) “ - Dani Cameron
….......
In February 1941, still flying with 103 Sqn, Sergeant Crich had to ditch with his crew in the North Sea. They were adrift for two days before being rescued.
Sgt William R Crich RAF and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Newton – 1940/41
Ditched on Return – 9/10th February 1941 – Wellington I – T2610 – Op Hanover
Crew - Sgt Farley, Sgt Layfield, Sgt Waern DFM, Sgt Chadd and Sgt Cameron.
Above – Norman Cameron
Farley broke collar bone, Chadd sprained shoulder and Cameron injured his arm.
“10th February 1941 the same crew from RAF Newton were returning from a successful general attack over Hanover and were hit by flak. They were 30-35 miles off the coast, East of Aldburgh. Their Wellington had an engine failure and the crew could not gain height, so the captain decided to ditch in the sea. At 75mph the aircraft stalled and at 10ft “pancaked” into the sea. The gunners were ordered to leave their turrets, and the flotation gear was prepared. There was no time to jettison 250 gallons of fuel or guns and ammunition. Cameron, the tail gunner, was last to leave, by which time he was up to his waist in water - and a non- swimmer. Sergeant Pilot Farley, despite a broken collar bone, pulled him clear and he only sustained muscular injuries to his arm at this stage. Neither injured man was properly braced for the crash.
The dinghy was released automatically by immersion switch. At first it was found to be only partially inflated, and turned over. The two mooring lines, the wireless, the wireless aerial and sundry other lines were all entangled but eventually cut loose. The ration container, distress signals and paddles were lost at this time. The crew mustered three water bottles each three quarters full, drogue, fluorescent dye and nine dinghy leak stoppers. Otherwise they had nothing. The crew sat on the narrow inflated rim. They crossed and re-crossed their own sickly green fluorescent wake all night. The following morning at 19.00 hours two Blenheims were sighted twice within a mile or two of the dinghy at about 1,000ft. The crew, each wearing his yellow hat waved a large white scarf but failed to attract attention.
A Wellington appeared making a square search and passed at less than 1,000 feet and only 300yds away, but did not see them despite attempts to attract it using a mirror as a heliograph. The motion of the swell made members of the crew so sea-sick, as well as cold and wet, that one of the crew wanted to let himself slip over the side into the waves.
On the second day a strong easterly wind sprang up. By using a white scarf as a sail and their flying boots as a paddles and bailers they advanced towards the coast. At 22.00 hours that night three ships were seen within hailing distance. Each ship answered and the last one stopped. It was the SS Tovelli. The airmen were exhausted and suffering from exposure and severe frost bite of the feet. Too weak, from lack of food, to help themselves they had to be hauled up the sheer side of the ship with the help of sailors. (This experience was allegedly the catalyst for canopies being added to the dinghies.)
His RAF record shows “missing” - 10/2/41 scored out, and 13/2/41 “reported safe” Meanwhile at a pub near Newton a wake had been held for them which was remembered still in the 1960s — and quite a reception awaited them. Survivors’ leave did not apply. “ - Dani Cameron
Above – Danish Freighter SS Tovelli
Crich resumed ops with a new crew on the 13th March 1941. His new crew were :-
Sgt Munro, Sgt Pengilley, Sgt Mitchell, Sgt Maclean and Sgt Beaumont
Crich completed 4 more operations on Wellington's before being tour expired and posted.
He returned the 103 Squadron who were now based RAF Elsham Wolds in February and in the following 10 weeks completed his second tour of 20 operations this time on Lancasters.
He was then posted and later that year ended up with 15 Sqn flying Short Stirlings
In the night of 20th-21st November 1942, during a mission as Pilot Officer in No 15 Sqn, Short Stirling BK595 he was forced to make an emergency landing at Playa de Aro in Spain and was at first interned before reaching England.
..........
After the war Crich flew with BOAC. He died in a plane crash during a landing on July 16th, 1947 in BOAC, AVRO 658 York C.1, G-AGNR. The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from the UK to Calcutta through Malta, Cairo, Basrah, Karachi and Delhi. Because of poor visibility at Basrah, the crew accepted a diversion to Shaibah. The York crashed in bad visibility on the 4th landing attempt.
It was a tragic end for a fine airman to have survived so much war service and be killed in a peace time accident 2 years after the war ended.
On a personal note I am amazed that this man, who must have completed 50 operations at least, did not get a DFC or more.
..........
Crich tour details
William Crich's time with 103 Squadron was amongst the most varied and interesting. He flew Fairey Battle's in the Battle of France but little of these operations are known as the Squadron records were destroyed during the later stages of the retreat. Early in the Battle of France he survived a forced landing and was able to return to his Squadron. He was also awarded a DFM for one determined effort on the 10th June 1940 in an attack on bridges at Vernon
103 Squadron Bomber Command Total 27
1 on Battles
6 on Wellingtons
20 on Lancasters
07-Sep-40 – Calais – Battle – L5525 – Sgt WR Crich - Landed at Digby due to fuel shortage.
09-Jan-41 – Gelsenkirchen – Wellington – R3215 – Sgt WR Crich - Lost on return. SOS transmitted. Force landed at Abergavenny.
10-Feb-41 – Hanover – Wellington – T2610 – Sgt WR Crich - Ditched on return - Bombed target. Port engine failed. Ditched. 3 crew injured. Rescued by SS Tovelil after 48 hours in dinghy
13-Mar-41 – Hamburg – Wellington – T2999 – Sgt WR Crich
21-Mar-41 – Lorient – Wellington – R1217 – Sgt WR Crich
30-Mar-41 – Brest – Wellington – R1217 – Sgt WR Crich
06-Apr-41 – Brest – Wellington – R1217 – Sgt WR Crich
03-Mar-43 - Hamburg – Lancaster – W4333 – F/O WR Crich
05-Mar-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED528 – F/O WR Crich
08-Mar-43 – Nuremberg – Lancaster – ED612 – F/O WR Crich
09-Mar-43 – Munich – Lancaster – ED646 – F/O WR Crich
22-Mar-43 - St Nazaire – Lancaster – W4821 – F/O WR Crich
26-Mar-43 - Duisburg – Lancaster – ED725 – F/O WR Crich
27-Mar-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – ED725 – F/O – WR Crich
29-Mar-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – ED725 – F/L WR Crich
03-Apr-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED725 – F/L WR Crich
04-Apr-43 – Kiel – Lancaster - ED725 – F/L WR Crich
08-Apr-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED725 – F/L WR Crich
09-Apr-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED725 – F/L WR Crich
13-Apr-43 - La Spezia – Lancaster – ED725 – F/L WR Crich - Landed at Westcott
16-Apr-43 – Pilsen – Lancaster – ED725 – F/L WR Crich
26-Apr-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED725 – F/L WR Crich
27-Apr-43 - St Jean du Luz/Biscay coast – Lancaster – ED725 – F/L WR Crich - Searched for pinpoint for 45 minutes but could not locate.
30-Apr-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED725 – F/L WR Crich
04-May-43 – Dortmund – Lancaster – ED725 – F/L WR Crich
12-May-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED725 – F/L WR Crich
13-May-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – ED725 – F/L WR Crich
This does not include the ops he flew with 15 Squadron which are unknown
..........
Wellington T2610
This machine completed 3 operations being lost on the 4th.
22-Dec-40 – Ostend – Wellington – T2610 – F/O RD Max
01-Jan-41 – Bremen – Wellington – T2610 – F/L JW Havers - Landed in snowstorm at base
16-Jan-41 – Wilhelmshaven – Wellington – T2610 – S/L Mellor
10-Feb-41 – Hanover – Wellington – T2610 – Sgt WR Crich - Ditched on return. Bombed target. Port engine failed. Ditched. 3 crew injured. Rescued by SS Tovelil after 48 hours in dinghy
Item compiled by David Fell with considerable input by Dani Cameron some years ago.
The photos came mostly from my own archive except the photo of Norman Cameron which is from the Cameron family. Norman Cameron was a most interesting airman with an amazing career and I will add a page about him in due course
..........
Further Information concerning Bill Crich whilst serving with 15 Squadron courtesy of John Jones.
Bill Crich 15 Squadron
15 Squadron Stirling I BK595 LS-A
Torino - Fiat Works - 20/21st November 1942.
Took off from RAF Bourn at 18:20.
An engine failed near the Alps. Sqn Ldr Wyatt continued and bombed his target. He was later forced to make an emergency landing at Playa de Aro Spain. No injuries reported
They were detained hours later by the Civil Guard and led to Barcelona for interrogation. Later they were retained in the Balneario Alhama of the Aragonese population of Alhama de Aragón, about 30 km from Calatayud and just over 100 km from Zaragoza.
On 15 February 1943 the seven crew were repatriated, while the remains of the aircraft were collected and transferred to the Parque Eventual de Cataluña, which was the military garrison at the Sabadell aerodrome in the years of the postwar period.
Crew
Pilot: Sqn Ldr Michael Wyatt DFC - Interned
Pilot: Plt Off William Ralph Crich DFM MiD - Interned
Flight Engineer: Sgt Alfred J H Ames - Interned
Navigator: Plt Off H S F Daborn - Interned
Observer: Sgt. Gordon A F Clary - Interned
Air Gunner: Sgt. Ernest F Henry - Interned
Sgt. John F Heal - Interned
Below - Remains of Stirling BK595
....................
|
