Veteran's Viewpoint
Veteran’s Viewpoint by Ron Clark DFC
Sergeant Ron Clark and his all-NCO crew were posted to 100 Squadron at Waltham from 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit at Lindholme, Yorkshire, in May 1943. Ron’s crew consisted of: Sgts Harold ‘Benny’ 
Bennett (Flight Engineer), Jim Siddell (Navigator), Doug Wheeler (Bomb Aimer), ‘Lish’ Easby (Wireless Operator), Les Simpson (Mid-upper Gunner) and Geoff Green (Rear Gunner). As a ‘sprog’ crew they were fortunate to be given a brand new Lancaster, serial number EE139, which had just been delivered. The crew’s first flight in this Lancaster was carried out on 2nd June 1943, when they took it on a local air test in daylight for 45 minutes. Their first ‘op’ in the aircraft was on 11th June, when they were sent, along with over 780 other bombers, to bomb the rail yards and factories in the heavily-defended city of Dusseldorf, during the full ferocity of the so-called ‘Battle of the Ruhr’. Losses amongst the heavy bomber crews were such that by mid-June only two of the crews who had reformed 100 Squadron and started flying operations in March, were still left on the Squadron strength. Throughout June 1943, nine crews from 100 Squadron, one third of the unit’s strength, had been lost. The chances of Ron and his crew surviving 30 ops and completing their tour did not look good. Ron’s crew named their Lancaster ‘Phantom of the Ruhr’ and it is this aircraft that the BBMF Lancaster, PA474, is currently painted to represent. Ron Clark flew the real ‘Phantom’ on 32 occasions, logging over 165 hours on the aircraft. He was captain of the aircraft for 25 of the ops it flew with 100 Squadron. The crew went to Hamburg four times, Berlin and Cologne on three occasions each and Manheim twice. Their other targets included Dusseldorf, Bochum, Turin, Essen, Remscheid, Nuremburg, Peenemunde, Leverkusen, Rheydt, Milan and Munich. On the crew’s last trip in the ‘Phantom’ it was badly shot up over Mannheim on the night of 23rd/24th September 1943, and they were fortunate to get the aircraft home. Ron was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for this feat; his Flight Engineer, ‘Ben’ Bennett, received the DFM. The ‘Phantom’ was so badly damaged that this was the last time that Ron and his crew flew in it, but it was repaired and went on to complete 121 ops.
The Merlin engines spluttering into life were evocative of the sound which once echoed in the villages around Lincolnshire, whose names became etched in the memories of the survivors of the Lancaster squadrons based on the airfields nearby and named after them.
Parked by the Lancaster at RAF Coningsby were the imperishable symbols of our survival in 1940 – the Hurricane and Spitfire. They made up the famous BBMF trio, which millions of people expect to see leading the flypasts at the great State occasions, and which appear at many high-profile events around the Country. They were on show for members of the Lincolnshire’s Lancaster Association, the enthusiastic supporters of the BBMF, on their annual visit to RAF Coningsby.
Foremost in my mind when asked to write the ‘Veteran’s Viewpoint’ for this brochure, which heralds another busy year for the BBMF in 2011, was that I have been able to get to know some of the dedicated and highly-experienced members of the Flight and something of the ethos of today’s RAF. They generously continue to support the Bomber Command Memorial Project as well as keeping alive the memories of those who served in the RAF. I have certainly enjoyed the welcome and the hospitality they extend to veterans.
In October 1943 my aircraft was still languishing in the hangar at Waltham under repair as we flew low overhead on our way to form a new squadron at Kelstern. We had christened her “Phantom of the Ruhr” and she had shared our “baptism of fire” on operations, but she would go on to join that exclusive “ton-up” group of 35 Lancasters which miraculously survived a hundred or more operations.
At that time, it was beyond my imagination that over 60 years later she would be recalled to life by the BBMF in the form of its own repainted Lancaster, PA474. I had the great pleasure and privilege to unveil her on my first visit to Coningsby in 2007. It was an extraordinary moment in the hangar full of people. Sadly, only one of my crew, Lish Easby, was able to be present to see the amazing reproduction of the artwork on the nose of the aircraft, originally painted by my flight engineer “Ben” Bennett. It seemed only right that my battledress jacket should also be recalled to duty that day and, to everyone’s surprise and amusement, BBMF Lancaster Captain, Flight Lieutenant Ed Straw, found it a perfect fit and then wore it to fly the aircraft.
It is comforting to know that these iconic aircraft are in the care of the Memorial Flight, a living memorial for all those who prevailed in 1940, and for the bomber crews who after the ‘Blitz’ made the enemy ‘reap the whirlwind’ in his heartland but at great cost.
I sincerely hope the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will continue to commemorate all who have served in the Royal Air Force, and that future generations may cast an eye aloft and take a moment to remember when they hear that unique sound of Merlin engines.
Images:
Header image: ( Larger size) Lancaster 'Phantom of the Ruhr' (Photographer: Steve Buckby)
Image 1: ( Larger size) Ron Clark DFC
Image 2: ( Larger size) Ron Clark DFC in front of the BBMF Lancaster (Photographer: Jarrod Cotter)
Image 3: ( Larger size) Flt Lt Ed Straw and Ron Clark DFC
