Page 9 - Derek Braithet Holland

Derek’s first operation from Fiskerton being on the 2 November to Dϋsseldorf, 18 of the
nd
Squadrons Lancasters taking part in this Main Force operation. The crew completed 36 operations
with an additional 2 aborted and were screened from further flying duties on 24 March 1945, their
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last operation being that day to the German City of Dortmund with 576 Squadron dispatching 10
Lancasters. The Main Force target being the Harpenerweg Oil plant, 173 Lancasters and 12
Mosquitos of No. 1, 6 and 8 Groups attacked the Harpenerweg plant at Dortmund and the Mathias
Stinnes plant at Bottrop. 3 Lancasters were lost on the Dortmund raid.

Derek Till, the crew’s pilot commented:
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‘We took off on two weeks leave the day after our last op on March 24 , thinking we'd have a great
beer-up when we all returned to Fiskerton. Unfortunately, I was recalled before my leave was up
and was immediately posted to Morecombe, where I drew tropical kit and was on a troopship to
India within a few days. So we never met again. All I recall is that ‘Shorty’ Shorthouse stayed on in
the RAF and was killed in a freak mid-air collision. I was not told why I was sent to India, but
learned much later that I was part of the scheme, ‘Tiger Force’, that was to stage several hundred
Lancasters through India to bases in Okinawa, where they would bomb Japan by night. Of course,
the atom bomb put an end to those plans and I wound up flying DC 3’s out of Rangoon
until my demob.’

Derek travelled to RAF Catterick in North Yorkshire to be stationed with an Aircrew Holding Unit
(ACHU) to await the RAF decision on his future posting. On the 6 June Derek was posted to
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No. 2 Air Gunners School (2AGS) at RAF Dalcross in the Highland region of Scotland (Inverness
Airport was constructed on the former wartime airfield after the war), and on the 13 June he was
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promoted to Temporary Warrant Officer.

His duties at the RAF station are not recorded but it is possible RAF Dalcross was post war
equipped with the new Mk7 Avro Lancaster or low air mileage Mk1’s or Mk 3’s for air gunner
training so Derek’s expertise would have been required to operate the Lancaster’s Merlin engines.

This link takes you to the airfield history

RAF Dalcross

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On the move once again, on the 20 November, Derek found himself at RAF Wheaton Ashton in
Staffordshire, This was the home to No. 21 (P) ATU (21 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit. As Derek
was a multi engine qualified flight engineer and whilst records show the Airspeed Oxford was the
station's main aircraft type it is thought that possibly Avro Lancasters were at this airfield at this
time and used for training of the Air Gunners. The record is not clear on this however.

This link takes you to the airfield history

RAF Wheaton Aston