Page 4 - James Edward Raw Rees

The information and images on this page were originally supplied by John Ward,
49 Squadron Association.

We would like to thank Owain Raw-Rees who is the Nephew of Squadron Leader Raw-Rees for
allowing the Webmasters to present the information below which was written by Squadron Leader
Raw-Rees’s Son Charles and also supplied an additional image of his late Uncle. Our grateful
thanks go to both for enabling us to complete the page dedicated to this outstanding officer and to
highlight his incredible service career of fifty Main Force operations.

James Edward Raw-Rees joined the Royal Air force at the outbreak of War after leaving
Llandovery College at the age of 18.

James, (Jim) served with bomber command as an air gunner. He completed two tours of
operations, the first was between September 1942 and May 23 1943 and the second was
rd
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between January 1944 and 21 May 1944.
His first tour was with 49 Squadron. Usually, when aircrew completed a tour of duty, they would
not normally be expected to volunteer for a second. They would normally be seconded as
Instructors, their experience of being on operations would have been considered highly valuable.
Between the end of the first tour in May 1943 and December 1943, Jim carried out Instructors
duties together with the testing of new equipment.

By the end of his first tour of duty, Jim had been promoted to Flight Sergeant, not only qualified as
an air gunner but also a ground instructor. During one of the operations Sergeant Hogg the pilot
was awarded the DFM. It is understood this was awarded for bringing the aircraft and crew home
beyond all odds.

In January 1944 he volunteered for his second tour of duty and was placed with 463 (Australian)
Squadron. He carried out a further 20 operations over Germany and France in a Lancaster
bomber piloted by Wing Commander Kingsford-Smith, again as a rear gunner or a
mid upper gunner.

During this time his crew also carried out practice sorties with 617 Squadron, known as the ‘Dam
Busters’. However the evening before the main raid Jim and his crew went absent without leave
to have a drink in a pub and they were suspended from taking part in the dam buster raid.

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On the 21 May 1944 at 23.30, Jim completed his 20 and last operation of his second tour of
st
duty flying to Duisburg as mid upper gunner.
Jim, commissioned and eventually promoted to Squadron Leader completed a total number of day
flying hours of 277 and 340 hrs 20 mins night flying hours. As a Flight Lieutenant in 1944 he was
awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal. Normally if you survived a tour of duty you would
be awarded a DFC or DFM. With Jim completing two full tours, it is surprising he was not awarded
a Bar to his DFC.