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Gray, Thomas Died

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Personal Information

Rank Sgt
Forename(s) Thomas
Surname Gray
Gender M
Age 26
Decorations VC
Date of Death 12-05-1940
Next of Kin Son of Ernest Arthur and Susannah Mary Gray, of Odd Down, Bath, Somerset.
GRAY T 627

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Fairey Battle I
Serial Number P2204
Markings PH-K

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Belgium
Burial/Memorial Place Heverlee War Cemetery
Grave Reference Coll. grave 6. F. 14-16.
Epitaph IN LOVING MEMORY

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 172
GRAY T 627

Location

Row -
Panel 172
Column -
Line -

Directions From the Chadwick Centre, take the central path towards The Spire.

Phase 2
Panel Number 172

Enlistment Information

Service Number 563627
Service Royal Air Force
Group AASF
Squadron 12
Squadron Motto Leads the field
Trade Observer
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location Industrieweg, Veldwezelt, Limburg Province
Country Belgium
Memorial Type Brick pillar, inscribed marble tablet & stencilled information board
Memorial Text
Translation "A memorial to the crew of Fairey Battle P2204 of 12 Sqn, lost on 12 May 1940 attacking bridges over the Albert Canal"
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Location Wickenby Airfield, Wickenby, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Memorial with Sculpture of Icarus & Information Board
Memorial Text Royal Air Force Wickenby No1 Group Bomber Command 1942-1945 In memory of one thousand and eighty men of 12 & 626 Squadrons who gave their lives on operations from this airfieldin the offensive against Germany and the liberation of occupied Europe Per ardua ad astra This memorial commemorates the 1080 aircrew killed on operations with Nos 12(B) and 626 Squadrons whilst based at Royal Air Force Wickenby 1942-1945. The design and Building of the memorial in 1981 was funded by subscription from members of the Wickenby register.
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Location In front of the mess esplanade, Mailly-le-Camp, 10 - Aube Prefecture
Country France
Memorial Type Stone memorial sculpture, inscribed marble tablets and inscribed metal plaque
Memorial Text En souvenir des heros de la RAF. Qui ont participe au bombardment du camp de Mailly. Unites de la RAF engagees dans le raid sur Mailly-le-Camp, la nuit du 3 au 4 May 1944. N° 9-12-44-49-50-57 61-83-97-100-101 Special Duties Flight-103-105-106-166- 169-192-207-460 (RAAF)-463 (RAAF)-467 (RAAF)-550-576-617- 619-625-626-627-631
Translation "In memory of the RAF heroes who took part in the bombing of Mailly Camp. RAF units engaged in the raid on Mailly-le-Camp, the night of 3-4 May 1944. Squadrons that took part: N° 9-12-44-49-50-57 61-83-97-100-101 Special Duties Flight-103-105-106-166- 169-192-207-460 (RAAF)-463 (RAAF)-467 (RAAF)-550-576-617-619-625-626-627-631"
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Miscellaneous Information

One of five Battles lost by 12 Squadron in this near-suicidal operation
VC Citation (London Gazette 11th June 1940): "Flying Officer Garland was the pilot and Sergeant Gray was the observer of the leading aircraft of a formation of five aircraft that attacked a bridge over the Albert Canal which had not been destroyed and was allowing the enemy to advance into Belgium. All the aircrews of the squadron concerned volunteered for the operation, and, after five crews had been selected by drawing lots, the attack was delivered at low altitude against this vital target. Orders were issued that this bridge was to be destroyed at all costs. As had been expected, exceptionally intense machine-gun and anti-aircraft fire were encountered. Moreover, the bridge area was heavily protected by enemy fighters. In spite of this, the formation successfully delivered a dive-bombing attack from the lowest practicable altitude. British fighters in the vicinity reported that the target was obscured by the bombs bursting on it and near it. Only one of the five aircraft concerned returned from this mission. The pilot of this aircraft reports that besides being subjected to extremely heavy anti-aircraft fire, through which they dived to attack the objective, our aircraft were also attacked by a large number of enemy fighters after they had released their bombs on the target. Much of the success of this vital operation must be attributed to the formation leader, Flying Officer Garland, and to the coolness and resource of Sergeant Gray, who in most difficult conditions navigated Flying Officer Garland's aircraft in such a manner that the whole formation was able successfully to attack the target in spite of subsequent heavy losses. Flying Officer Garland and Sergeant Gray did not return."
Born 17 May 1914, Urchfont and attended Warminster Secondary School. Enlisted as a Halton apprentice 27 August 1929 (20th Entry), graduating three years later as an aero engine fitter. He was then posted to No. 40 Squadron, equipped with Fairey Gordon bombers. Seeking to supplement his mechanic's duties, he volunteered for flying duties as an air gunner. He found that he preferred this to his normal duties and undertook formal training in this role. In due course, he earned the air gunner's sleeve badge.
His VC was presented to his next of kin at Buckingham Palace on 24 June 1941 .
Four of his brothers also served in the RAF.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

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Fellow Servicemen

Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.

Name Outcome
Garland D E (F/O) Died
Reynolds L R (LAC) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 12-05-1940
End Date 12-05-1940
Takeoff Station Amifontaine
Day/Night Raid Day
Operation Airborne 08:22 hrs from Amifontaine, France with orders to destroy a metal bridge spanning the Albert Kanaal at Maastricht (Operation Veldwezelt).
Reason for Aircraft Loss Shot down in a hail of fire alongside the target, Garland and his observer were both awarded Victoria Crosses for this action, the RAF's first of the war, but, strangely, there was no award for their gunner

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Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.