Page 6 - Horace Drew

Commissioned as a Pilot Officer on probation, Service No: 1378317 under the Emergency
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Regulations, (General Duties Branch) on the 13 March 1945 Horace eventually rose in rank to
Flight Lieutenant and he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by the King on 7
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December 1945.

Completing 20 operations with 576 Squadron and with the war over Horace having undertaken in
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total 55 operations with 37 and 576 Squadrons was posted to 78 Squadron on the 9 May 1945.
78 Squadron were previously part of No. 4 Group stationed at RAF Breighton in North Yorkshire
but with No. 4 Group having been disbanded the squadron was transferred to Transport
Command, the units new aircraft would be the Dakota transport plane.

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His stay with 78 Squadron was short as on the 4 July 1945 he was posted to Headquarters
No. 46 Group at Harrow in Middlesex, one must presume on ground duties.
Horace was demobbed on the 12 December 1945 and returned home to his wife having served
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his Country well.

During the war, his wife Connie, in common with many other service wives, went to work as an
overhead crane driver at an engineering works in Chesterfield.
At the end of the war one of his pals suggested that they should move into commercial flying but
he was keen to return to a more normal family life, spending more time at home rather than flying
aircraft all over the world which would entail being away from home for long periods.

After the war Horace recommenced his employment with Steel Peech & Tozer on 1 February
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1946. But even though his job had been held open for the wars duration, he returned to find he
had lost out in terms of promotion to department colleagues who would have been too old to serve
in the forces. Nevertheless he remained loyal to the firm and completed more than 35 years’
service; 1930 to 1940 and 1946 to 1971.

They bought a house in Rotherham in 1946 so to be closer to his work at Templeborough. They
remained at the same address throughout his working life and into his retirement in 1971.

Initially, family holidays were spent at Skegness, staying at the Y.M.C.A. These holidays were
often shared with brothers, sisters and their families. Scotland was another favourite holiday
destination. After all the wartime travelling he no longer had the desire to travel abroad.

Connie, after leaving her wartime job, devoted her spare time to working for St Johns Ambulance
Brigade in Rotherham and rose to the rank of Divisional Officer.

During his retirement Horace’s hobbies included homemade wine making and he spent much of
his time listening to, recording and cataloguing classical music. He died in 1983 aged 70.

He was survived by his son Anthony and wife, a grandson, granddaughter and their children.