| Flying Officer
Raymond H.H Dyer was serving as Navigator on board Lancaster
Mk.III PB377 coded TL-K during an operation to Potsdam on April
14/15, 1945. The aircraft departed Gravely at 1840hrs and some
time later while int he target area had an engine catch fire.
The pilot gave the order to abandon the aircraft and six of the
crew baled out, he then flew the aircraft back to Dutch
territory and also baled out. Five of the seven men aboard made
it safely to the ground and were eventually taken prisoner.
F/Sgt Tovey managed to evade capture and Sgt Reynolds was
killed, he is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
The crew consisted of:
|
Name |
Trade |
|
F/O V.B Bowen-Morris - POW |
Pilot |
|
Sgt W.G Reynolds |
Flight Engineer |
|
F/O Raymond Dyer - POW |
Navigator |
|
F/Sgt S.G. Silcock - POW |
Bomb Aimer |
|
F/Sgt C.S Gibbon - POW |
W/Op/AG |
|
F/Sgt J.W. Tovey - EVD |
Air Gunner |
|
F/Sgt E.G Meredith - POW |
Air Gunner |
Flying
Officer Raymond H.H Dyer was shot down twice, a double member of
the caterpillar club, the first time he made it back to allied
lines the second time he was on the run in Germany for 3 weeks
before he was caught and put in a POW camp. He was the
most senior officer in his POW Camp and when liberation was
imminent the Polish airmen begged him to not let the Russians have
them – they had heard stories of Polish service men just
disappearing.
 |
|
Raymond Dyer (L) with friend. |
F/O Dyer
decided that It would be best to get everyone to the English or
American front, so he marched the whole camp out, even though they
were still under the German guard and ultimately found the
American lines. Based on what we now know, he may have saved a lot
of lives by doing this.
F/O Dyer
was a Chief Navigator with 35 Squadron, his outstanding service
resulted in him receiving a Distinguished Service Order and Bar.
|
