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Woodroffe, John

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Personal Information

Rank G/C
Forename(s) John
Surname Woodroffe
Gender M
Age 43
Decorations DSO, DFC*
Date of Death 09-10-1957
WOODROFFE J

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Boeing B-47 Stratojet B1
Serial Number 51-2177A
Markings

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country United Kingdom
Burial/Memorial Place Wittering (All Saints) Churchyard
Grave Reference
Epitaph

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase Post-War
Panel Number POST (not yet erected on site)

Enlistment Information

Service Number 40777
Service Royal Air Force
Group
Squadron 49
Squadron Motto Cave canem (Beware of the dog)
Trade Pilot
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location Fiskerton Airfield (Disused) Reepham Rd, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Memorial Stones with inscribed Metal Plaques
Memorial Text RAF Fiskerton. This stone and tree are sited on the airfield in memory of those who served here during World War II
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Location The National Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Memorial
Memorial Text In memory of those who served on 49 Squadron 1916-1965
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Miscellaneous Information

Flew 9 operations with 49 Squadron and later became a Master Bomber. In 1957 he was the Station Commanding Officer at Wittering while 49 Squadron were.
Joint citation for his first DFC, which was promulgated on 22 September 1944 in the London Gazette, which also cites 175913 F/O Robert Robb Ormiston: "One night in July, 1944, these officers were captain and air bomber in an aircraft detailed to attack Givors. The operation called for a high degree of skill. En route bad weather was encountered. Nevertheless, Wing Commander Woodroffe reached his difficult target at the prescribed time. By now the weather had considerably worsened. Undeterred, Wing Commander Woodroffe persisted in his efforts to identify the precise target and, in the face of most trying conditions, executed a successful attack. Throughout, Pilot Officer Ormiston displayed the highest standard of efficiency and played his part worthily in the success obtained. These officers set an example of courage and resolution of the highest standard." The Bar to his DFC was awarded on 31 October 1944 while he was with 61 Squadron. His DSO was promulgated on 13 February 1945 and the citation reads: "Since being awarded a Bar to the DFC, this officer has completed a number of difficult and dangerous sorties. On several occasions his aircraft has been hit and damaged by anti-aircraft fire but W.Cdr. Woodroffe has completed his missions successfully. Throughout an outstanding operational career, this officer has displayed the highest qualities of leadership and great bravery. His example both in the air and on the ground has been most inspiring."
Date of birth 30 August 1914

Last Operation Information

Start Date 09-10-1957
End Date 09-10-1957
Takeoff Station Pinecastle Airforce Base, Florida, USA
Day/Night Raid Day
Reason for Loss On board a Boeing B-47B aircraft of 447th Bomb Squadron, 321st Bomber Wing during a practice demonstration when the aircraft blew up in mid-air. He was overseeing a bombing competition in which the RAF had a Valiant aircraft taking part. The aircraft came down north of downtown Orlando. The pilot, Colonel Michael Norman Wright McCoy, the CO of Pincastle AFB, was also killed in the crash and the base was later named McCoy AFB in his honour.

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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.