VINALL JW
Vinall, James William
Personal Information
| Rank | F/O |
| Forename(s) | James William |
| Surname | Vinall |
| Gender | M |
| Age | 40 |
| Decorations | DFM, Twice MiD |
| Date of Death | 16-03-1945 |
| Next of Kin | Son of James William and Fanny Vinall. Husband of Laurie Evelyn Vinall, of Rottingdean, Sussex. |
Aircraft Information
| Aircraft | Boeing Fortress III |
| Serial Number | HB779 |
| Markings | BU-L |
Memorial Information
| Burial/Memorial Country | Germany |
| Burial/Memorial Place | Durnbach War Cemetery |
| Grave Reference | 9. H. 1. |
| Epitaph | GLORY AND HONOUR AND PEACE TO EVERY MAN THAT WORKETH GOOD ROMANS II.10 |
IBCC Memorial Information
| Phase | 2 |
| Panel Number | 257 |
Enlistment Information
| Service Number | 169518 |
| Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
| Group | 100 |
| Squadron | 214 (Federated Malay States) |
| Trade | Flight Engineer |
| Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
| Location | St. Peter's Church, Llandbedr, Gwynned |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Cross of Nails, Inscribed Metal & Brass Plaques |
| Memorial Text | In memory of FO. James Vinall 17-18 March 1949 |
| Location | All Saints Church, Chedburgh, Suffolk |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Memorial Plaques and RoH within wooden case |
| Memorial Text | Roll of Honour and scroll remembering the members of the Royal and Polish Air Forces who served at RAF Chedburgh 1942 - 1946 |
Miscellaneous Information
| Landed near to Pforzheim, which had been devastated by a Bomber Command attack just three weeks earlier, so emotions were running high amongst the local people. After some interrogation seven of the men were transported by armed guard for a prison camp through what remained of the streets of Pforzheim. An angry mob began to throw stones and were it not for the guards, they would probably have been killed there and then. They reached Huchenfeld and were billeted there for the night in a cellar. During the night, the cellar was raided by a large number of civilian youths, the guard overwhelmed, and the seven airmen dragged onto the streets. Four were shot and murdered in the church yard, whereas the flight engineer was able to break free but was again apprehended and detained in the neighbouring village and was once again subject to an attack by the baying mob, who beat him and shot him in the head. Tom Tate, the specialist operator, and Normal Badley, the waist gunner, were also able to break free from the mob but both were separately recaptured by the authorities the following day and became PoW. Both returned to Germany a year later to give evidence in the trial of 22 of the men and boys who had taken part in the incident. In the hearing it became clear that local Nazi leaders had ordered a lynch mob of Hitler Youth to dress in civilian clothes, posing as outraged villagers. They were to assault the schoolhouse where the RAF men were being held, and take them to their deaths. Seventeen were convicted; three officials were hanged and the others imprisoned. The youths were given lighter sentences. Much later, a retired pastor from East Germany went to live in Huchenfeld and when he learned of the murders he vowed to erect a memorial in the place where they were killed. Despite some opposition, he got his wish and in November 1992 a plaque was erected on the wall of the church. The widow of Harold Frost attended the dedication ceremony and sensationally, during the service a local, now elderly man, began to sob and confessed to being part of the mob and that he had fired shots at the airmen. Marjorie Frost stepped forward at that point and with great fortitude, publicly forgave him. John Wynne had been unaware of the fate of his fellow crew for the entirety of his service. After he was demobbed, he became a hill farmer in Wales but was tracked down by a newspaper reporter after news broke of the remarkable occurrences in Huchenfeld during the ceremony. Greatly moved by the news, he and his wife commissioned a local artist to make a wooden rocking horse which was donated to the kindergarten in Huchenfeld. The horse was called Hoffnung, the German word for 'hope', and bore the inscription: "To the children of Huchenfeld, from the mothers of 214 RAF Squadron." It was the start of a close relationship between the Wynnes and the villagers. They were also able to persuade Tom Tate to return to the village- something he swore he would never do- after which he visited many times. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
| Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1324/6 |
| Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1324/5 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
| Start Date | 15-03-1945 |
| End Date | 16-03-1945 |
| Takeoff Station | |
| Day/Night Raid | Night (5% moon) |
| Operation | Lutzendorf oil refinery- Jostle support |
| Reason for Loss | Coned by searchlights near Baden on the home run, hit by light flak and No. 2 engine caught fire. The Captain, F/L Wynne gave the order to bale out and all nine of his fellow crew members left the aircraft over enemy territory, of whom five were murdered. Wynne was able to fly the aircraft safely back to base alone. He had at first attempted to leave the aircraft but became entangled in wires and by the time he was able to free himself, all the other crew members had left the aircraft and, without them aboard, he felt it was his duty to try and save the machine too. Despite it being on fire, he engaged the autopilot to allow him to retrieve the maps from the navigator's desk. As the fire grew, he became increasingly concerned and decided to abandon the aircraft, but this time his parachute snagged so he returned to the controls yet again and decided to make for Reims, which was by now under Allied control. However, we was unable to raise them on the w/t so instead made for England, the fire having gone out of its own accord. He landed at Bassingbourne, after which he was sent on leave until his crew returned, since he was of the belief that they had baled out over Allied territory. He later flew Valients at the time of the Suez Crisis of 1956. |