10 July is also a date that is a total insult to those still fighting in the Far East on land, sea and air. Especially, for our interest, including the last air war VC Lt. Robert Hampton Gray V.C. – why not commemorate the 60th anniversary of VJ-Day on the day as well. They can find the money to send us to war for spurious reasons, but cannot commemorate previous sacrifices.

Robert Hampton Gray V.C. Citation

For great bravery in leading an attack to within fifty feet of a Japanese destroyer in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire, thereby sinking the destroyer although he was hit and his own aircraft on fire and finally himself killed. He was one of the gallant company of Naval Airmen who, from December 1944, fought and beat the Japanese from Palembang to Tokyo. The actual incident took place in the Onagawa Wan on the 9th of August 1945. Gray was leader of the attack which he pressed home in the face of fire from shore batteries and at least eight warships. With his aircraft in flames he nevertheless obtained at least one direct hit which sank its objective.

Lieut. R.H. Gray, D.S.C., R.C.N.V.R., of Nelson, B.C., flew off the Aircraft Carrier, H.M.S. “Formidable” on August 9th 1945, to lead an attack on Japanese shipping in Onagawa Wan (Bay) in the Island of Honshu, Mainland of Japan. At Onagawa Bay the fliers found below a number of Japanese ships and dived in to attack. Furious fire was opened on the aircraft from army batteries on the ground and from warships in the Bay. Lieut. Gray selected for his target an enemy destroyer. He swept in oblivious of the concentrated fire and made straight for his target. His aircraft was hit and hit again, but he kept on. As he came close to the destroyer his plane caught fire but he pressed to within fifty feet of the Japanese ship and let go his bombs. He scored at least one direct hit, possibly more. The destroyer sank almost immediately. Lieutenant Gray did not return. He had given his life at the very end of his fearless bombing run.

Hi Allan You hum it and I’ll play it Paul

But do I hum as a Merlin or a Griffon !!?? 🙂

Hi Crazymainer – lucky his wingman didn’t get hit by the flak as well – our Government wants to celebrate/commemorate the end of WW2 in July (so they don’t miss their holiday no doubt) when so much went on in the Burma/Pacific areas between May and August, including this award of the VC and those of of the crew of HMS XE3 – The crippling of Japanese cruiser Takao, on 31 July 1945 by HMS XE3 in Singapore Harbour. The commanding officer, Lieutenant IE Fraser, and the diver, Leading Seaman JJ Magennis, were both awarded the Victoria Cross for this action.

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/citations/gray

Lt. Robert Hampton Gray
Onagawa Wan, Japan
August 9th, 1945
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve

————————————————————————–

Robert Hampton Gray was born in Trail, British Columbia, on the 2nd of November 1917, the son of a Boer War veteran. He received his early education in a public school and high school in Nelson, B.C. and then spent a year at the University of Alberta in Edmonton followed by two years at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. In 1940 he was selected as one of seventy-five candidates for commissions in the Navy. He was one of thirteen who qualified as pilots in the Fleet Air Arm. In 1944 he was a lieutenant on H.M.S. ‘Formidable’. For his brilliant work during the attack on the German battleship ‘Tirpitz’ in Alten Fjord he was Mentioned-in-Dispatches. In July 1945 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for aiding in the destruction of a destroyer in the Tokyo area and on the 9th of August he won the Victoria Cross as recorded in the citation. Lieutenant Gray has no known grave as neither he nor his plane were ever found, but his name is inscribed on the Sailor’s Memorial in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His Victoria Cross is on loan to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.
Citation
‘For great bravery in leading an attack to within fifty feet of a Japanese destroyer in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire, thereby sinking the destroyer although he was hit and his own aircraft on fire and finally himself killed. He was one of the gallant company of Naval Airmen who, from December 1944, fought and beat the Japanese from Palembang to Tokyo. The actual incident took place in the Onagawa Wan on the 9th of August 1945. Gray was leader of the attack which he pressed home in the face of fire from shore batteries and at least eight warships. With his aircraft in flames he nevertheless obtained at least one direct hit which sank its objective.

Lieut. R.H. Gray, D.S.C., R.C.N.V.R., of Nelson, B.C., flew off the Aircraft Carrier, H.M.S. “Formidable” on August 9th 1945, to lead an attack on Japanese shipping in Onagawa Wan (Bay) in the Island of Honshu, Mainland of Japan. At Onagawa Bay the fliers found below a number of Japanese ships and dived in to attack. Furious fire was opened on the aircraft from army batteries on the ground and from warships in the Bay. Lieut. Gray selected for his target an enemy destroyer. He swept in oblivious of the concentrated fire and made straight for his target. His aircraft was hit and hit again, but he kept on. As he came close to the destroyer his plane caught fire but he pressed to within fifty feet of the Japanese ship and let go his bombs. He scored at least one direct hit, possibly more. The destroyer sank almost immediately. Lieutenant Gray did not return. He had given his life at the very end of his fearless bombing run.’

This one has a small painting of the action
http://www.fleetairarmoa.org/pages/fleet_air_arm_history/vcs.htm#gray

Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray, a Canadian who became one of the FAA’s most popular and courageous pilots. On the 9th August 1945 he led his section of Corsairs in a shipping strike off the island of Honshu.

Gray’s aircraft was set on fire, but he bombed his target before crashing into the water. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the fourth and last naval airman to be so honoured.

http://www.shearwateraviationmuseum.ns.ca/tour/vcgallery.htm has the ships bell of HMS Formidable on show – about the only thing I haven’t found now is the name of the Japanese Destroyer he sank. No doubt it is out there on the web!! 🙂 cheers – Allan

Anything in the book about when he was the CO of 132 (City of Bombay) squadron and then WingCo Flying of 125 Wing at all that can be scanned please ? 🙂 – Towards the end of 1943, he was posted to 122 Squadron as a flight commander, but in January 1944 he took command of 132 ‘City of Bombay’ Squadron flying Spitfire IXb’s, as part of 125 Wing

On 29 April 1944, while on operations over Deelen airfield in Holland, a Bf110 shot down two of the squadrons Spitfires before Geoffrey Page went in and claimed another, although the German pilot was to survive the incident. It is interesting to note here that the German Bf110 that Page had shot down was flown by Major Hans-Joachim Jabs who Geoffrey Page met after the war and the two became close friends.

125 Wing ORB for 7 July 1944 states “News was received that W/C Flying of 125 W/Cdr Stewart is going on rest and S/L Page D.F.C. is to be made W/C Flying an appointment which gave a great deal of pleasure to everybody.” However, on 5 October, at B.82 Grave, he crashed during landing, smashing his face on the gun-sight and injuring his back, and was again hospitalised leaving 125 Wing on 6 October 1944.

125 Wing ORB – 6/10/44

END OF A TOUR Wing Commander Page D.F.C., and Bar has returned to England on completion of his Ops tour. The Wing will miss him. Wing Commander J. Wray D.F.C. becomes the new Wing Commander Ops in W/Cdr Page’s place.

cheers

Allan

John Cooper says “This year (Jan 1st) was issued for public consumption eg a TOP SECRET document from Harold Wilsons Govt in 1974 as to whether or not a Christmas Card from the UK Cabinet should be sent to the Govt in the USSR who had recently (then)invaded the Chechovslovak Republic (CSSR). It was deemed by the Cabinet NOT to send a Christmas Card but Wilson overruled the order for diplomacy!” – This is interesting as I always thought the Soviets, and neighbouring Warsaw Pact countries, marched into Czechoslovakia on 20 August 1968, after Alexander Dubceks “Prague Spring” of the same year. I attended an FIM (Motorcycle) Rally in Praha in 1970 and I was amongst the first large group of westerners into the country since the Soviet Invasion. And we were followed everywhere by people interested in seeing us after the Soviet clampdown. I well remember coverage of Jan Palachs suicide by fire in January 1969, and personally seeing machine gun bullet scars on buildings in Wenceslas Place the following year. So why would the British Government worry about a Christmas card six years later? On the point about the Duke of Kent, I believe the rear gunner (F/Sgt Jack) was the only survivor. See http://www.rafoban.co.uk/index.htm for more details of the incident. cheers – Allan

I’ll be doing my utmost to sort all the criticisms I made of the place!

Congratulations Ian – no doubt the interviewers read your comments on this board and realised you are just the man for the job 🙂 cheers – Allan p.s. Does this still leave you time for your Radar archive work, and the forthcoming book? 🙂

Hello VoyTech – I live in Cornwall or I would love to go personally and check at the PRO/NA !! 🙂 🙂 More likely 15 June is the date that some poor harassed clerk at 83 or 84 Group Support Unit wrote up the cards. 🙂
I also know that 453 (RAAF) squadron shows changes on AM78’s as taking place on 3 November 1943, when they were at Skeabrae, when the actual change over from 341 (Alsace) squadron took place at Perranporth on 15 October. So the AM 78’s are not a 100% accurate source of information – but, until something better (!!??) comes along, they are an essential part of the jigsaw!! 🙂 also, not all 541’s show serial numbers, some squadrons just recorded code letters I believe 🙁 – cheers – Allan