Operations with 102 Squadron Pocklington and 10 OTU detachment, St Eval

Operations with 102 Squadron Pocklington and 10 OTU detachment, St Eval

At the back a map showing targets for operations in the Ruhr and rest of Germany as well as France and north Italy. There are two indications for German night fighters damaged and shot down. At the top a newspaper cutting headlined 'Huge explosion in chemical town - Wuppertal get 1500 tons of bombs'. Over the top a further cutting headlined 'Hawes man wins DFM' and provides account of Flight Sergeant Sayer's actions in winning the Distinguished Flying Medal and a further congratulatory newspaper cutting. In the centre left a newspaper cutting concerning Wing Commander H R Coventry with some of his targets. To the right a photograph of seven aircrew, three sitting and four standing behind. At the bottom a photograph of a Halifax with many personnel standing in front and hangars in the background. On the reverse 'Operations with 102 Squadron, Pocklington and 10 OTU (detachment) St Eval'.

One page map, four newspaper cuttings and two b/w photographs

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PSayerT16010006, PSayerT16010007, PSayerT16010008, PSayerT16010009

[Background Map]
[inserted] Peenemunde [/inserted] [symbol]
[highlighted] Hamburg [/highlighted]
[highlighted] Hannover [/highlighted]
[inserted] Berlin [/inserted]
[inserted] Bochum [/inserted]
[highlighted] Essen [/highlighted]
[inserted] Wuppertal [/inserted]
[inserted] Krefeld [/inserted]
[inserted] [indecipherable] [/inserted]
[inserted] Monchen Gladbach Rheydt [sic] [/inserted]
[inserted] Leverkusen [/inserted]
[inserted] [indecipherable] [/inserted]
[symbol][symbol]
[inserted] [underlined] Shot Down [/underlined] [/inserted]
[inserted] Frankfurt [/inserted]
[inserted] Bay of Biscay Anti-Sub Patrols [/inserted]
[symbol][symbol]
[inserted] [underlined] Damaged [/underlined] [/inserted]
[highlighted] Mannheim [/highlighted]
[highlighted] Nuremberg [/highlighted]
[inserted] Le Creusot [/inserted]
[inserted] Mont Bellard [/inserted]
[highlighted] Milan [/highlighted]

[paper cutting 1] On Active Service

Hawes Man Wins D.F.M.

Residents of Hawes and Upper Wensleydale have heard with pleasure [indecipherable words] D.F.M. has been awarded to Flight [missing word] Thomas Sayer, [missing word], of The Hawes.

The citation says; “The majority [missing words] sorties [indecipherable word] by this airman as [missing words] of aircraft have been directed against [missing words] defended objectives in Germany. In [missing words] while on a sortie against Wuppertal, [missing words] for handling of his aircraft enabled his [missing words] to shoot down an attacking enemy [missing word]
On another occasion his aircraft was damaged in combat with a fighter before reaching the target. Despite this, Flight-Sergt. Sayer continued his flight and bombed the objective. He is a very reliable and capable captain, who has invariably displayed great courage and determination.”

Flight-Sergt. Sayer, who is only 21 years of age, joined the R.A.F. in April, 1939. He went in as a clerk and volunteered for flying duties in 1940. Part of his training was in America, and his [sic] gained his wings and returned to England as Sergeant-Pilot. He had finished one tour of 30 operations over enemy territory. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Sayer, of The Firs, Hawes, and was born at Thoralby, near Aysgarth, and educated at Yorebridge Grammar School. He is now Flight-Sergt. Instructor. [/paper cutting 1]

[paper cutting 2] Best congratulations to Flight-Sergt. Thomas Sayer, of The Firs, Hawes, and to his parents, on the award of the the[sic] Distinguished Flying Medal for his successful flight to Germany and back under particularly difficult conditions. Tom is a member of our congregation, and was confirmed in our Church in 1936. We all rejoiced to read of his success. [/paper cutting 2]

[paper cutting 3] MONDAY, MAY 31 [missing number]

HUGE EXPLOSIONS IN CHEMICAL TOWN

Wuppertal Gets 1,500 Tons of Bombs

THE R.A.F. on Saturday night found a new and vital target in the great battle for the Ruhr when they made their seventh devastating attack this month on Germany’s greatest war production area.

The new target was Wuppertal, important German chemical works centre some 40 miles from Dusseldorf. It was the first time this town had been raided.

The attack was heavy and concentrated and made “in very great strength.” Well over 1,500 tons of bombs were rained on the town. Thirty-three of our planes are missing. Two enemy fighters were destroyed by our bombers.

By the time the attack on Wuppertal was over, smoke from the fires burning in the city had reached a height of 15,000ft. Scores of fiercely burning fires had merged, one pilot said, into one huge conflagration.

The Germans did everything they could to stop our bombers. As soon as they reached the Ruhr, scores of searchlights tried to pick them out, heavy and light anti-aircraft guns put up an intense barrage and night fighters were up in force.

But over Wuppertal itself, says the Air Ministry News Service, the defences gave out. One pilot said there were only about a dozen heavy guns and one or two searchlights, and later arrivals said that there was no opposition at all. [/paper cutting 3]

[photograph]
W/CDR. H.R. COVENTRY.
R.A.F.

Berlin, Duisburg, Düsseldorf and Essen have been among the targets of this “outstanding captain.”

[photograph]

[photograph]

[page break]

OPERATIONS WITH No. 102 Sqdn., POCKLINGTON AND No. 10 O.T.U (DETACHMENT), ST. EVAL.