Palmer V.C pathfinder fact sheet
Title
Palmer V.C pathfinder fact sheet
Description
Includes biographic details, service history and account of last operation for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. Completed 111 operations on three squadrons, took part in Cologne 1000 bomber operation. Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross twice. Detailed account of last operation and mention of losses. Includes drawing of Lancaster, Mosquito, Victoria Cross and 75, 149, 109 squadron badges.
Temporal Coverage
Spatial Coverage
Language
Type
Format
One page printed document
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
SPalmerRAM115772v10034
Transcription
PALMER V.C. PATHFINDER
[sketch]
Squadron Leader Robert Anthony Maurice Palmer V.C., D.F.C. and Bar
Robert Palmer was born on 7 July 1920 at Gillingham, Kent. His father gained one of the earliest flying licenses & served in the RFC. & Robert’s dreams were of flying while a schoolboy at Gravesend & Gordon Schools. On leaving school he was employed in the Borough Surveyors’ Department. With WW11 imminent he joined the V.R. as a pilot trainee on 22 August 1939. He graduated as a Sergeant Pilot on 7 September 1940.
His first operational posting was to 75 RNZAF Squadron as a 2nd. pilot at Feltwell where he did 3 operations 16 – 26 November. He formed his own crew as Captain flying Wellingtons with 149 Squadron at Mildenhall, where he completed his tour with another 27 operations.
[crest] [crest] [crest]
From the “London Gazette”
“This Officer has completed 111 operations. Most of them involved deep penetration of heavily - defended territory; many were low level marking operations against vital targets; all were executed with tenacity, high courage and great accuracy. . . He was always selected to take part in special operations against vital targets . . . He displayed conspicuous bravery. His record of prolonged and heroic endeavour [sic] is beyond praise.” 23 March 1945.
[sketch of a Victoria Cross]
[sketch of a Lancaster]
Lancaster III of 582 PFF Squadron Little Staughton,
In February 194[deleted]2[/deleted]1 he was posted as an instructor at 20 OTU at Lossiemouth. He was commissioned a year later. While there he took part in the ‘1000 Bomber’ raids at Cologne & Essen. His efforts to return to an operational squadron were frustrated until January 1944 when he joined 109 Squadron, helped by his Flight Commander S/Ldr Ian Bazalgette who also joined the PFF & was to be granted a posthumous VC in August 1944. Palmer’s vast experience as an instructor allowed him on to Oboe target marking after only 4 bombing operations in a mosquito. Of 80 operations with PFF, 61 were marking attacks.
Palmer’s 100th operation took place on 10 September 1944 when dropped Target Indicators on German troop positions at Le Havre. By then he had been awarded his first D.F.C. A bar came on 8 December
[sketch]
Path Finder Badge
His Navigator for 72 operations was S/L. Ray Esler DSO, DFC & Bar until they crashed on take-off & Esler was severely injured in his back.
[sketch of a Mosquito]
Mosquito XVI. often flown by Palmer. It was flown by F/L E Carpenter & F/O W. Lambert DFM. as Reserve at Cologne.
Palmer took part in several daylight formation attacks flying in his usual Mosquito & in the leading Oboe Lancaster.
[sketch]
S/Ldr. A. Carter DFC, F/O W. Dalgarno (582) F/Lt. G. Russell DFC (109 Sqdn.) were killed.
F/Lt. Owen Milne DFC 582 Sqdn Pilot. Killed
[sketch]
F/Sgt. Bert Mundy, WOP. 582 Sqdn. Killed
[sketch]
Only survivor was F/Sgt. Russ Yeulett DFM Rear Gunner.
[crest]
Oboe was a radar bombing device of great accuracy – the most successful of the war. However, it required flying an absolute course, height and speed for at least 10 minutes on the bombing run. On 23 December 1944, flying in the Oboe-equipped Lancaster ‘V’ he led the Reserve Oboe Mosquito ‘E’ & 8 Lancs. of 582 Sqdn in a daylight formation to Cologne-Gremberg Marshalling Yards. Intense, predicted ‘seen’ flak hit them as they began the Oboe run. The port outer & the bomb-bay were soon on fire; then the port inner & tail plane were lost – but Palmer kept on to make a perfect Oboe ‘cope’. Had Palmer released too soon, the remainder would have followed suit. ‘V’ was seen to spiral to earth immediately its bombs had gone. Fighters attacked in strength on the already damaged formation; the Mosquito, on 1 engine & on fire, was shot down as were 4 other Lancs. 105 & 582 Sqdns provided a second formation; all were damaged. 105 & 35 Sqdns provided the 3rd formation; again all were hit. 2 aircraft of 35 Sqdn. collided on the way out with the loss of both crews.
F/O Parratt & Sgt Shirley in ‘F-Freddie’ were trapped in it as it spun out of control & hit an ammunition truck on the target: they survived to tell the tale!
Capt. E. Swales SAAF. survived an attack by 5 fighters, shot 2 down & was awarded the DFC. Exactly 2 months later he was awarded a posthumous VC as Master Bomber over Pforzheim.
F/O Reif was killed on the last op. of his tour.
109 SQDN
[sketch]
Squadron Leader Robert Anthony Maurice Palmer V.C., D.F.C. and Bar
Robert Palmer was born on 7 July 1920 at Gillingham, Kent. His father gained one of the earliest flying licenses & served in the RFC. & Robert’s dreams were of flying while a schoolboy at Gravesend & Gordon Schools. On leaving school he was employed in the Borough Surveyors’ Department. With WW11 imminent he joined the V.R. as a pilot trainee on 22 August 1939. He graduated as a Sergeant Pilot on 7 September 1940.
His first operational posting was to 75 RNZAF Squadron as a 2nd. pilot at Feltwell where he did 3 operations 16 – 26 November. He formed his own crew as Captain flying Wellingtons with 149 Squadron at Mildenhall, where he completed his tour with another 27 operations.
[crest] [crest] [crest]
From the “London Gazette”
“This Officer has completed 111 operations. Most of them involved deep penetration of heavily - defended territory; many were low level marking operations against vital targets; all were executed with tenacity, high courage and great accuracy. . . He was always selected to take part in special operations against vital targets . . . He displayed conspicuous bravery. His record of prolonged and heroic endeavour [sic] is beyond praise.” 23 March 1945.
[sketch of a Victoria Cross]
[sketch of a Lancaster]
Lancaster III of 582 PFF Squadron Little Staughton,
In February 194[deleted]2[/deleted]1 he was posted as an instructor at 20 OTU at Lossiemouth. He was commissioned a year later. While there he took part in the ‘1000 Bomber’ raids at Cologne & Essen. His efforts to return to an operational squadron were frustrated until January 1944 when he joined 109 Squadron, helped by his Flight Commander S/Ldr Ian Bazalgette who also joined the PFF & was to be granted a posthumous VC in August 1944. Palmer’s vast experience as an instructor allowed him on to Oboe target marking after only 4 bombing operations in a mosquito. Of 80 operations with PFF, 61 were marking attacks.
Palmer’s 100th operation took place on 10 September 1944 when dropped Target Indicators on German troop positions at Le Havre. By then he had been awarded his first D.F.C. A bar came on 8 December
[sketch]
Path Finder Badge
His Navigator for 72 operations was S/L. Ray Esler DSO, DFC & Bar until they crashed on take-off & Esler was severely injured in his back.
[sketch of a Mosquito]
Mosquito XVI. often flown by Palmer. It was flown by F/L E Carpenter & F/O W. Lambert DFM. as Reserve at Cologne.
Palmer took part in several daylight formation attacks flying in his usual Mosquito & in the leading Oboe Lancaster.
[sketch]
S/Ldr. A. Carter DFC, F/O W. Dalgarno (582) F/Lt. G. Russell DFC (109 Sqdn.) were killed.
F/Lt. Owen Milne DFC 582 Sqdn Pilot. Killed
[sketch]
F/Sgt. Bert Mundy, WOP. 582 Sqdn. Killed
[sketch]
Only survivor was F/Sgt. Russ Yeulett DFM Rear Gunner.
[crest]
Oboe was a radar bombing device of great accuracy – the most successful of the war. However, it required flying an absolute course, height and speed for at least 10 minutes on the bombing run. On 23 December 1944, flying in the Oboe-equipped Lancaster ‘V’ he led the Reserve Oboe Mosquito ‘E’ & 8 Lancs. of 582 Sqdn in a daylight formation to Cologne-Gremberg Marshalling Yards. Intense, predicted ‘seen’ flak hit them as they began the Oboe run. The port outer & the bomb-bay were soon on fire; then the port inner & tail plane were lost – but Palmer kept on to make a perfect Oboe ‘cope’. Had Palmer released too soon, the remainder would have followed suit. ‘V’ was seen to spiral to earth immediately its bombs had gone. Fighters attacked in strength on the already damaged formation; the Mosquito, on 1 engine & on fire, was shot down as were 4 other Lancs. 105 & 582 Sqdns provided a second formation; all were damaged. 105 & 35 Sqdns provided the 3rd formation; again all were hit. 2 aircraft of 35 Sqdn. collided on the way out with the loss of both crews.
F/O Parratt & Sgt Shirley in ‘F-Freddie’ were trapped in it as it spun out of control & hit an ammunition truck on the target: they survived to tell the tale!
Capt. E. Swales SAAF. survived an attack by 5 fighters, shot 2 down & was awarded the DFC. Exactly 2 months later he was awarded a posthumous VC as Master Bomber over Pforzheim.
F/O Reif was killed on the last op. of his tour.
109 SQDN
Collection
Citation
“Palmer V.C pathfinder fact sheet,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed June 14, 2025, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/collections/document/38291.