207939 Sgt. John Ralph Marwood Perry Royal Air Force 431 Squadron from:East Boldon My name is Jack Perry, I am 88 years old and living in Australia. In 1944 I was stationed at Croft assigned to 431 Squadron. We came from the Heavy Conversion Unit at Topcliffe. I was an RAAF engineer placed with the Canadian crew led by Flying Officer George Edward Kircher.
Our crew consisted of:
- Pilot Flying Officer George Edward Kircher, 26 years old
- Navigator Flight Lieutenant Burch, 28 years old
- Bomb Aimer Flight Sergeant Kenneth West, 26 years old
- Wireless Operator Warrant Officer Jack Dempsey, 30 years old
- Mid Upper Gunner Sergeant Wilfred Sheane, 23 years old
- Tail Gunner Sergeant Thomas Murison, 26 years old
- Flight Engineer (Crew Chief) Sergeant John Ralph Marwood Perry, 21 years old
Memorable Operations.
On a daylight raid to Norway to a submarine pen, we left Croft in a Halifax about noon and headed north over Scotland. Near the north of Scotland we crossed the path of a Fokker Wolf 200, 4-engine German bomber. I waved to the tail gunner who ignored me. We led the attack into the Fiord and bombed a flack ship in the harbour with a direct hit down the funnel. The tail gunner confirmed this and our pilot was awarded the Air Force Cross. During the attack we had a direct hit to the fuselage of our Halifax. We flew back at wave top level to conserve fuel. The return height was miscalculated and 17 planes were lost over Scotland as they crashed into the mountains. George Kircher was an experienced bush pilot and saved us with some clever manoeuvers when he saw the mountains.
We left Croft in a Lancaster for Chemnitz, Germany on a night bombing raid. Our track took us over Berlin at about 26,000 feet and we experienced severe icing on the aircraft. There were fighters even at that height so I manned the front gun turret. We released our bombs over the city and headed home. Over the English Channel we crossed the path of a squadron of Flying Fortresses headed for France. We dived to avoid them and I heard a noise from the bomb bay. I discovered a bomb that had been frozen in place and released itself once the ice had melted. I quickly opened the bomb bay and dropped it into the English Channel. We landed at Croft after the longest trip we ever made in a Lancaster of more than 9 hours.
We journeyed to the Kiel Canal on a daylight raid to bomb submarines and submarine factories in the city of Kiel. When we took off the undercarriage and wheels would not retract until we manipulated the manual lever. The fuel situation became dire on our return and we were forced to land at Scarborough on the coast. We had 4 red fuel lights signifying the total lack of fuel on board and landed with no time to spare.
This is a letter that George Kircher sent to my mother.
Dear Mrs Perry,
Possibly you’re wondering who I am and why I am writing. I am George, Skipper or whoever Jack calls his pilot. I am one of the seven men in his crew. We did all our trips or operations together. We are all well and here to talk about it for several important reasons. First we were a very good crew for we got along well together. We had faith and confidence in each other. Jack was one of the fellows who made it a good crew. It must have been difficult as he was the only member that was not Canadian. There is really no difference but to him we must seem a strange lot with ways of our own to say and do things.
Regardless our crew cooperated and worked together perfectly and that is one of the reasons our tour was successful. Sgt Jack Perry was the youngest member in our crew and he was our Engineer. He had a very important job which he knew how to do and knew that job very well.
Through skies of flack and Jerry fighters he remained calm and collected, doing his job or his duties as they should be. A mistake could have meant the end for us all but they were not made.
Jack has proved himself a man with the right to live and enjoy the future. You can be very proud of your son for he has done a great job.
I had hoped to get up to meet you some time and may before I leave. Having been so close to home was nice for Jack in ways but if you were told of all he was doing and going through it must of been hard for you. He was one of seven men who were all for one and one for all each minute of each day or each operation in our mind as possibly our last.
I could go on for hours or pages but I am not a speaker or a writer. From these few lines I hope some of our feelings are conveyed to you. Some time when Jack is home I would appreciate it if you give him this. He will understand it but more importantly I want him to know his crew think he is tops and want to thank him and show they will never forget him and that they appreciated him in that crew.
Sincerely, Skipper & Crew, George Kircher
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