Headly, Michael Francis
Personal Information
Rank | P/O |
Forename(s) | Michael Francis |
Surname | Headly |
Gender | M |
Age | 20 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 21-01-1944 |
Next of Kin | Son of Harold Ind Headly and Esme Violet Headly (née Curwen), of Oliver, British Columbia, Canada. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax II |
Serial Number | JN952 |
Markings | DY-L |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Runnymede Memorial |
Grave Reference | Panel 250. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 179 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | J/86267 |
Service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
Group | 4 |
Squadron | 102 (Ceylon) |
Trade | Pilot |
Country of Origin | Canada |
Other Memorials
Location | St. Catherine's Church Barmby Moor, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Roll of Honour in wall mounted wooden case, Sqn Badge above |
Memorial Text | 102 (Ceylon) Sqn Roll of Honour and Sqn badge |
Location | Pocklington Gliding Club, Pocklington Airfield, Easy Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stylised Memorial with inscribed metal plaque |
Memorial Text | Memorial to 102 (Ceylon) Sqn RAF and 405 (Vancouver) Sqn RCAF which served at RAF Pocklington during WW2 |
Miscellaneous Information
Michael was born on 19 August 1923 at Oliver, British Columbia. His father was an Hotel proprietor and was born in Cambridge, England; his mother was born in Harrington, Cumberland, U.K. They had lived at the Castle Hotel in Haverfordwest, South Wales. He had two sisters Elizabeth and Rosemary and there had been a younger brother, Roger who had died in 1921. The schools he had attended were County School, Milford Haven 1930- 1936 and then Grammar School at Haverfordwest 1936-1939. His hobbies were woodwork and mechanics and for sport he liked to play football, badminton, and enjoyed swimming and boxing. Michael was a ledger keeper at the Bank of Commerce, Salmon Arm, B.C. in June 1940. |
After enlisting on 8 October 1941 and early training, he was then sent to the U.K. and embarked from New York on 22 November 1942. He then went through 3 PRC on 1 December 1942, 14 (P) AFU 22 March 1943, 10 OTU 8 June 1943, 1652 CU on 1 September 1943 and finally 102 Squadron on 2 December 1943. Sadly Michael was then to lose his life a few weeks later on 21 January 1944. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/810/2 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/810/1 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 21-01-1944 |
End Date | 22-01-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Pocklington |
Day/Night Raid | Night (18% moon) |
Operation | Magdeburg- the first major raid on this target. 648 aircraft, 57 losses (8.8%). The Halifax loss rate was especially high at 15.6%. The German controller tracked the bomber stream across the North Sea and many night-fighters were already in the stream before it reached the German coast (using the newly developed Tame Boar methodology). The controller was slow in identifying Magdeburg as the target but this was of little consequence as the fighters were able to stay in the stream for the duration of the approach. Despite the high loss rate, this was not a successful attack. Stronger tail winds than anticipated placed some of the stream over the target before Zero Hour and dropped their bomb load anyway, making the target marking much less effective. German decoy markers exacerbated the situation. No local report is available but it is thought that most of the bombs fell outside of the city. |
Reason for Loss | Lost over Germany |