HARPUR BCC
Harpur, Bernard Caldwell Culy Died
Personal Information
| Rank | Sgt |
| Forename(s) | Bernard Caldwell Culy |
| Surname | Harpur |
| Gender | M |
| Age | 19 |
| Date of Death | 29-06-1941 |
| Next of Kin | Son of The Revd. Alexander Caldwell Harpur (born 19 July 1880, Huntongdon) and Constance Harpur (born 6 January 1887), of St. Mary's Rectory, Glemsford. Date of marriage 10 October 1912, Wisbech. |
Aircraft Information
| Aircraft | Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V |
| Serial Number | Z6568 |
| Markings | KN-B |
Memorial Information
| Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
| Burial/Memorial Place | Glemsford (St. Mary) Churchyard |
| Grave Reference | South of church. |
IBCC Memorial Information
| Phase | 2 |
| Panel Number | 177 |
Enlistment Information
| Service Number | 929132 |
| Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
| Group | 4 |
| Squadron | 77 |
| Squadron Motto | Esse potius quam videri (To be, rather than to seem) |
| Trade | Pilot |
| Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
| Location | Holy Trinity Church, Elvington, North Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Stained Glass Window & Roll of Honour |
| Memorial Text | Memorial windows and Roll of Honour for 77 Sqn. R.A.F. |
| Location | Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington North Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Marble Column with Metal Sculpture and Plaques |
| Memorial Text | Memorial to 77 Sqn. R.A.F. City of Lancaster's own |
| Location | Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Memorial Gardens, Propeller, Inscribed Marble Tablets |
| Memorial Text | In everlasting homage to the courage of those who have found their winged victory through the skies of Yorkshire |
| Location | Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Propeller Unit & Inscribed Marble Tablets |
| Memorial Text | They made the supreme sacrifice so that you & I may go in peace with freedom. 4 Group 1939 - 1945. |
| Location | Heslington Hall, York, North Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaque |
| Memorial Text | Heslington Hall 1941 - 1945, 4 Gp Headquarters Bomber Command. In remembrance of those Air & Ground personnel who made the supreme sacrifice that we all may walk in peace with freedom |
Miscellaneous Information
| Born 6 October 1921. One of five children born between 1913 and 1923: Alexander William Culy (born in Wisbech 15 July 1913), John Fellowes Culy (born 23 March 1916 and registered in Sudbury), Constance M. (born 1918 and registered in Sudbury), Bernard Caldwell Culy (born 6 October 1921 and registered in Sudbury) and Elizabeth S. (born 1923 and registered in Sudbury). Culy was the maiden name of their paternal grandmother. Alexander was the vicar of Acton Church from 1916-1937 and the family lived in Acton Vicarage. Bernard attended a private Prep School in Acton before joining Sudbury Grammar School on 15 September 1931 as a fee-paying day boarder. He attended this school until 1938. His older brothers Alexander (known as Alec) and John attended the same school: Alec 1923 – 1930 and John 1928 - 1934. The family moved to The Rectory (now 18 Tye Green), Glemsford when Alexander became vicar of Glemsford Church in 1937. Harpur Road in Glemsford is named after Alexander. Bernard was on the committee of the Lads’ Club. |
| Bernard passed the Cambridge School Certificate in July 1937 at the age of 15 and left Sudbury Grammar School on 29th March 1938 to study at the College of Estate Management and Chartered Surveyors in London, where he passed his preliminary Surveyors’ examination. He became articled to the Chartered Surveyors Messrs. Bidwell and Son of Cambridge. They had a high opinion of him and promised that his place would always be kept open for him when he left them to join the Royal Air Force as a volunteer. This company is still in operation, but no records from Bernard’s time have been kept. Bernard volunteered for the Fleet Air Arm, but was not called up. After the age limit was lowered to 18, he enlisted into the Royal Air Force Voluntary Reserve at the earliest opportunity after his 18th birthday, in the autumn of 1939. He was immediately accepted by the Royal Air Force for training as a pilot and qualified as a sergeant-pilot in April 1941, when he was posted to the Bomber Command and joined 77 Squadron. He was a steady pilot, “very keen and confident”, in the words of his report after he obtained his wings. He was Second Pilot on a raid from RAF Topcliffe in Lincolnshire on 17 April 1941 to bomb Berlin and was involved in raids as Second Pilot to Hamburg on 6 May and Bremen on 8 May and raids in June to Brest on the 10 May, Schwerte on the 12 May and Dusseldorf on the 18th, when the aircraft was hit by flak and had to land at Bircham Newton near Kings Lynn. Bernard graduated to Aircraft Captain and flew on missions on 21 June 1941 to Dusseldorf and 2h June 1941 to Koln. The target on the night of 27/28 June 1941 was Bremen, when out of an attacking force of 35 Whitleys, 11 were lost. The weather conditions that night were exceedingly poor. Bernard took off at 22.38 on 27th June 1941 from Topcliffe. Having run the gauntlet of flak over Bremen, during which the aircraft had been hit, and then having escaped the seemingly constant presence of enemy night fighters, Bernard had managed to get the aircraft back across the North Sea and heading for home. His Whitley was damaged and the engine leaking glycol, but Bernard had nursed the aircraft to within sight of the Yorkshire coast before he was then forced to ditch in the sea. They radioed a message to say that they were ditching around a hundred miles off the Yorkshire/Lincolnshire coast, east of Flamborough Head, near the Dutch Friesian Islands. On 29 June 1941, Hampden AD764 from 50 Squadron took off from Lindholme airfield at 17.55hrs to undertake a search of the North Sea in an attempt to locate the dingy containing Bernard and his crew. They located it at 19.12hrs and dropped a Lindholme rescue dingy near to it. Shortly after dropping the dingy, the Hampden plane was attacked by four Me109s and over a five minute period received several cannon and machine gunfire strikes before they were able to fly into cloud and lose the attacking aircraft. The Hampden pilot received an injury to the shoulder during the course of the attacks and, despite the aircraft’s hydraulic system being damaged, the crew managed to land safely at Lindholme. Bernard was transferred into the Lindholme dingy and the crew were picked up by Royal Navy ship after three days afloat in an open dingy. However, Bernard died on Sunday 29th June 1941 shortly before rescue came on Monday 30th June. He was 19 years old. His death was registered in Yarmouth, suggesting his body was landed there. The other crew members (Flying Officer D F E C Dean, Pilot Officer L A Kayes, Sergeant S R Mayston and Sergeant W F Thuell) were uninjured. |
| Bernard’s body was taken home for burial on Thursday evening, with the funeral being on Friday afternoon. The coffin was draped with the Union Jack and was carried by members of the Home Guard. They were met at the gate of Glemsford Church by the full choir and clergy. Mrs Cutting played ‘O Rest in the Lord’ before the simple and beautiful service, which was conducted by the Rev W.B. Gill. The 23rd Psalm was sung and the lesson was from the 15th chapter of St John, verses 1-13. It was said that by staying at the controls of the Whitley, Bernard saved the lives of his crew. The hymn was ‘Abide with Me’. As the procession left the church, the Nunc Dimittis was sung. The Committal Service was conducted by Bernard’s godfather, the Rev. Bernard Smith. The Rev J.W. Spreckley (vicar of Stanstead Church in the neighbouring village) was also in attendance. The grave was lined with white flowers in token of the purity of Bernard’s young life. White and blue flowers were placed in the church by friends. Many of the wreaths and flowers sent were also blue. The family mourners were the Rev and Mrs Harpur (parents), Miss Mary Harpur (sister), Mrs Abbott (aunt), Miss Eileen Foster (cousin) and Mr Abbott. His two brothers were unable to be present, one being on active service abroad and the other in a military hospital as a result of an accident. His younger sister Elizabeth was in the midst of examination work. Amongst those present in the church were Mrs Bernard Smith (godfather’s wife), Mr R.L. Gillingham (Headmaster of Sudbury Grammar School), Mrs Wisdom (Sudbury: also representing Dr Wisdom), Mrs Spreckley, Mr C.H Moor, Mr T.H. Gould, J.P and Mrs Gould and Mrs J. Mayers. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Last Operation Information
| Start Date | 27-06-1941 |
| End Date | 28-06-1941 |
| Takeoff Station | Topcliffe |
| Day/Night Raid | Night (11% moon) |
| Operation | Bremen |
| Reason for Aircraft Loss | Hit by flak and later ditched approximately 100 miles east of Flamborough. A dinghy was dropped close to the crash site by an air sea rescue aircraft and Sgt Harpur transferred to it along with the rest of the crew. Sadly, he died before the navy launch could reach their position the following day. |