THIS IS FINDON
VILLAGE
— www.findonvillage.com created
by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex,
U.K.
BILLY PATIENCE
Copyright Valerie Martin 2003.
Before the outbreak of war,
William (Billy) Patience had been a young gardener employed in the fine grounds
by Colonel Ulric Oliver Thynne at Muntham Court in Findon. Billy's
parents were Mr & Mrs Ronald W. Patience of Penshurst so he may have lodged in
Findon. The
war was virtually the beginning of the end for Muntham and its employees.
The staff at the great house was depleted to one cook, a lady's maid, a butler
and various dailies who came to the "big house" from the
village. They struggled to keep everything going as best they could while
the Canadian troops were stationed on the estate.
Billy joined up and became an air gunner (1893740) with 97 Squadron,
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and flew
in Lancaster bombers. His Avro Lancaster B.MK.III was serial number
ND840 and coded OF-J. This particular Lancaster was ordered in 1941 to Air
Ministry Specifications under Contract No. 1807. No.97 Squadron 'Straits
settlements' (B) Squadron belonged to No.5 group, R.A.F. Bomber Command.
The crew of Billy's Lancaster on SUNDAY 6TH
AUGUST 1944 comprised:
Flying Officer G.C. Bucknel — Royal Australian Air Force
Flight Sergeant L. Barlow — Royal Air Force
Flight Sergeant L.B. Daitz — Royal Air Force
Flying Officer Rodney Arthur Vincent James
D.F.C. — Royal Air Force (flying as an observer on this particular
operation)
Flight Sergeant R. McAllister — Royal Australian Air Force
Flight Sergeant G.C. Dyke — Royal Air Force
Sergeant William (Billy) R. Patience — Royal
Air Force
Sergeant L.D. Farmer — Royal Air Force
The "Target for tonight" was, in fact, a daytime bombing
raid on two V-1 'Buzz Bomb' supply sites located at Bois de Cassan and Foret
de Nieppe.
Billy's Lancaster departed its home base at R.A.F. Station
Coningsby in Lincolnshire at 09:18 hours (local time) en route to its mission.
The raid started to go hideously wrong when the Master Bomb
Aimer's instructions at Bois de Cassan were unfortunately misinterpreted. This
error resulted in more than half the strike force not dropping their intended
bombs on the scheduled targets.
Billy's bomber was in turn struck by a German fighter
aircraft piloted by one named Hans Waldman. This in turn put
his pilot, Flight Officer Bucknel out of commission. As a result of the
damage and absolute mayhem in the cockpit (which can only to this day be
imagined), the aircraft subsequently crashed at Eaubonne (Val d'Oise) France.
This small village is located 14 kilometers south - southeast of Pontoise.
|
The spot where the aircraft
crashed in Eaubonne
|
Billy at the age of nineteen, and the remaining six
crew were alas killed. Flying Officer R.A.V. James was the only
member of the stricken Lancaster to manage to bail out at the last minute.
He was at first hidden by inhabitants living close by and then helped to escape
to Paris and return to England by a local man, Mr. Bonhoure.
Before the airmen were buried their bodies were laid out at a
school in Eaubonne that had been converted to a hospital. Tributes and flowers
were taken there by the local French people. To avoid possible civil
unrest during those troubled days, the remains were then transferred to another
cemetery in Clichy, a few miles away, to be interred. Billy was one of the Muntham employees at Findon destined not to return from the dark days
of war.
Continue if you
would like to read
Were the Mysterious Mulberries Mulberries Seen From Findon?
THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — was launched
by Valerie Martin in January 1999 and will grow to be a historical record of life in Findon, West Sussex, U.K.
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