Page 60 - William B. Lake

Ron Worsdell’s Aircrew

Initially the aircrew (minus the Flight Engineer) were mustered during the early Operational
Training phase, which for Bill’s crew took place while they were at 21 OTU Moreton in Marsh. As
the Pilot, F/Lt Ron Worsdell would have initiated the process of the crew selection and approved
each potential crew member. As the Pilot he was also obligated to be in full command of the crew
during flight, both during training and operational flights. Once the crew was formed, he would
ensure that they develop their skills as a cohesive team in preparation for the operational phase.

Their aircrew skills were developed initially by training on twin engine Wellingtons at RAF Moreton
in Marsh (21 Operating Training Unit) and then progressed to four engine Halifax and Lancaster
aircraft. It was at the HCU stage that the Flight Engineer joined and completed the crew.

This length of time it took to go from aircrew formation to Operations would vary depending upon
the logistics of accommodating a large number of aircrews in multiple locations and suitable
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aircraft being available. For Ron Worsdell’s aircrew this corresponded to the 6 month period from
their arrival RAF Moreton in Marsh on 10 Oct’44 until the completion of the Heavy Conversion
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Unit Training at RAF North Luffenham. Upon their arrival at RAF Fiskerton on 12 April’45 it is
probable that they undertook some pre-operational flights to refine their skills.
By the time the they arrived at RAF Fiskerton, Ron Worsdell’s aircrew would have formed a close
bond. The performance of the aircrew was dependent on the skills of all the individual members.
Although they arrived at the Operations site towards the end of the war, the RAF bombing
campaign was still very active. Operational flights were being undertaken & losses were
still being incurred.

Operation Manna

It would have been a total surprise to them that their first Operational sorties (while the war was
still in progress) was to be the low level dropping of life-saving food supplies to the starving
population in The Netherlands.

Operation Manna – Flight Dates & Destinations

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Date 2 May 3 May 5 May 7 May
Destination Rotterdam Valkenburg Rotterdam Rotterdam

In The Netherlands the sites for the food drops were associated with the areas of greatest
population, and the drop locations were all associated with the main cities. The final agreement on
the food drops with the Germans was composed on 30 April but there were delays in German
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response. The Allies realised that the situation for the Dutch people was so critical that they
decided not to wait any longer and commenced the operation.

The difficulties of communicating with the Luftwaffe via phone to provide advance alerts of the
approaching aircraft combined with the low altitude required for the food drops (no parachutes)
made the operation inherently risky. In fact, 10 American crew lost their lives when their aircraft
ditched into the North Sea. After the war it was discovered that the British negotiators had severe
reservations about the German agreement not to shoot at the aircraft.