Latest news with #DistinguishedFlyingCross
Telegraph
3 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
RAF pilot only survivor of German dogfight
An RAF hero was the only man to make it home after an enemy ambush of 40 planes during the Second World War. Pilot Officer William Willshaw took off with 11 other Hurricane pilots to protect British troops from Stuka dive-bombers at the Battle of El Alamein on Sept 3 1942. The dozen aircraft were surrounded by 25 Junker Ju 87 and 15 Messerschmitt fighter planes, with every other Allied plane shot down during the ensuing dogfight. Plt Off Willshaw's aircraft was hit by several machine gun rounds but he nursed it back to base, where he was told no one else had returned. The pilot officer, who was known as Joe, completed 60 reconnaissance missions, earning a Distinguished Flying Cross for 'devotion to duty and gallantry'. His medals and RAF log books remained in his family for eight decades but have now been sold at Cuttlestones Auctioneers, of Stafford, achieving a hammer price of £5,000, with auctioneers fees taking the final figure paid by the undisclosed buyer to £6,200. Dave Eglington, an auctioneer, said: 'Joe managed to get his damaged aircraft back to base, his machine had been hit by several machine gun rounds several feet behind his seat and had a hole shot through the port wing. 'Sadly, when Joe had time to check on his 11 fellow aircraft, his was the only surviving one. It must have been extremely harrowing for him to be the only man to come back.' Plt Off Willshaw said of the Battle of El Alamein: 'The quiet desert was turned into an armada of troops, tanks and supply columns, with aircraft flying high above them also fighting in a continuous battle. 'I was flying Hurricanes. Our objective was to attack and stop the JU87 Stukas from dive-bombing our troops, while keeping an eye out for any Me 109s that might be patrolling the battle zone. 'The desert in part seemed like a large scrapyard with burning tanks and airplanes scattered everywhere. To me, my world was real air warfare, constantly attacking aircraft and at times protecting our own.' The Battle of El Alamein saw Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's forces overcome the Afrika Korps of the 'Desert Fox' Erwin Rommel and begin to swing the momentum of the Second World War in the Allies favour. Plt Off Willshaw was born in Doxey, Stafford, in 1921. After the Battle of El Alamein he returned to Europe for reconnaissance missions identifying the German points of weakness in the run up to D-Day. He left the RAF in 1946 and returned to civilian life with Universal Grinding, where he worked his way up to materials manager.
CTV News
15-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
‘Valour, courage, and devotion': Windsorite honoured with Spitfire dedication
Windsorite, Tommy Decourcy, has been honoured by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) in Hamilton has named an aircraft after Windsorite, Tommy DeCourcy. DeCourcy, according to the CWHM, enlisted at 19 in the summer of 1940 to be a fighter pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Tommy DeCourcy Windsor Tommy DeCourcy. (Source: Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum) 'He was posted overseas and served two tours of duty, and by early 1945, Tommy DeCourcy was promoted to Squadron Leader of 443 Squadron RCAF,' the CWHM news release read. 'During his time there flying a Spitfire, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was awarded for an act of valour, courage, and devotion to duty performed while flying in active operations against the enemy.' Tommy DeCourcy Windsor Tommy DeCourcy and the crew with a Spitfire seen in the background. (Source: Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum) Tragically, DeCourcy died in a car accident after the war ended, before he could return home to his family. Two weeks ago on June 7, the 80th anniversary of his death, the CWHM held a ceremony in Hamilton, to dedicate a Spitfire aircraft. It has been refurbished and painted in DeCourcy's memory. DeCourcy's descendants attended the ceremony. According to their website, the CWHM intends to fully restore the aircraft so it can resume flying.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
WWII pilot credited with saving airman's life is finally accounted for
A World War II pilot who was remembered for helping fellow servicemembers survive the plane crash that killed him has been accounted for, military officials said this week. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook, 23, of Georgetown, Texas, was a member of the 22nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), 10th Air Force during World War II, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said in a news release. Before joining the military, McCook had graduated from Southwestern University and came from a family of pilots, according to local newspaper clippings gathered by the DPAA. McCook, nicknamed "Woody," served in China and Burma, according to newspaper clippings. He was one of 20 officers and enlisted men credited for a mission that air-dropped supplies to Allied forces battling Japanese troops in northern Burma. During his service, McCook received the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross, according to newspaper clippings. On August 3, 1943, McCook was the armor-gunner on the B-25C "Mitchell," conducting a low-altitude bombing raid over Meiktila, Burma, the DPAA said. The raid was meant to target the Meiktila dam and nearby Japanese barracks, according to a newspaper clipping. The aircraft crashed during the mission. McCook and three others aboard the plane died, but two men survived. One of the survivors, identified in newspaper clippings as Sgt. John Boyd, said the plane had been hit by an explosive gas shell while flying at a low altitude. McCook, who Boyd recalled "as the best in the business," was able to bring the damaged plane up to an altitude that allowed Boyd and the other surviving soldier to parachute from the craft before it crashed. Boyd said this action allowed him to survive. He and the other soldier were taken captive by Japanese forces, the DPAA said. Boyd spent two years as a prisoner in Rangoon before he was freed, according to newspaper clippings. McCook's remains were not recovered. He was eventually listed as missing in action. In 1947, after World War II ended, the American Grave Registration Service recovered four sets of remains from a common grave near a village in Burma, the DPAA said. Locals said the four sets of remains, designated X-282A-D, were from an "American crash," the DPAA said. But the remains were not identified at the time. They were interred as "Unknowns" at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, or the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii. McCook's name was listed on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. In January 2022, the DPAA disinterred all four sets of remains and taken to the agency's laboratory. Dental, anthropological and isotope analyses were conducted. Other military agencies used mitochondrial DNA analysis and genome sequencing data to help identify the remains. The processes allowed the DPAA to identify one of the sets of remains as belonging to McCook. Now that McCook has been accounted for, a rosette has been placed next to his name on the Walls of the Missing. He will be buried in his hometown in August 2025, the DPAA said. Sneak peek: Where is Jermain Charlo? Baldwin grills McMahon on unallocated funds for students, schools, approved by Congress Hegseth orders Navy to rename USNS Harvey Milk, Jeffries calls it "a complete and total disgrace"
CBS News
04-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
WWII pilot accounted for 82 years after being credited with saving airman's life in deadly crash
A World War II pilot who was remembered for helping fellow servicemembers survive the plane crash that killed him has been accounted for, military officials said this week. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook, 23, of Georgetown, Texas, was a member of the 22nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), 10th Air Force during World War II, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said in a news release. Before joining the military, McCook had graduated from Southwestern University and came from a family of pilots, according to local newspaper clippings gathered by the DPAA. McCook, nicknamed "Woody," served in China and Burma, according to newspaper clippings. He was one of 20 officers and enlisted men credited for a mission that air-dropped supplies to Allied forces battling Japanese troops in northern Burma. During his service, McCook received the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross, according to newspaper clippings. On August 3, 1943, McCook was the armor-gunner on the B-25C "Mitchell," conducting a low-altitude bombing raid over Meiktila, Burma, the DPAA said. The raid was meant to target the Meiktila dam and nearby Japanese barracks, according to a newspaper clipping. 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency The aircraft crashed during the mission. McCook and three others aboard the plane died, but two men survived. One of the survivors, identified in newspaper clippings as Sgt. John Boyd, said the plane had been hit by an explosive gas shell while flying at a low altitude. McCook, who Boyd recalled "as the best in the business," was able to bring the damaged plane up to an altitude that allowed Boyd and the other surviving soldier to parachute from the craft before it crashed. Boyd said this action allowed him to survive. He and the other soldier were taken captive by Japanese forces, the DPAA said. Boyd spent two years as a prisoner in Rangoon before he was freed, according to newspaper clippings. McCook's remains were not recovered. He was eventually listed as missing in action. In 1947, after World War II ended, the American Grave Registration Service recovered four sets of remains from a common grave near a village in Burma, the DPAA said. A newspaper clipping describing 1st Lt. Charles W. McCook's heroic actions before the crash that took his life. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Locals said the four sets of remains, designated X-282A-D, were from an "American crash," the DPAA said. But the remains were not identified at the time. They were interred as "Unknowns" at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, or the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii. McCook's name was listed on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. In January 2022, the DPAA disinterred all four sets of remains and taken to the agency's laboratory. Dental, anthropological and isotope analyses were conducted. Other military agencies used mitochondrial DNA analysis and genome sequencing data to help identify the remains. The processes allowed the DPAA to identify one of the sets of remains as belonging to McCook. Now that McCook has been accounted for, a rosette has been placed next to his name on the Walls of the Missing. He will be buried in his hometown in August 2025, the DPAA said.
Global News
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Global News
Pair of Lethbridge Collegiate Institute grads discover unique connection from Second World War
What began as a fun graduation night between two close friends at the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute has grown into a story with unexpected historical depth. The students, both in their final year in 2025, chose to attend prom together to mark the end of high school — never imagining their families had crossed paths long before they were born. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy In the days following the event, their families discovered a striking coincidence. A newspaper clipping from the Second World War revealed that both of their great-grandfathers had flown together aboard the same aircraft during active service. The men, Mel Sherwood (Drew Sherwood's great uncle) and Grant Spackman (Anna Johnson's great grandfather), were crewmates in the Royal Canadian Air Force and recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded by King George VI. Though the students had no idea about their shared lineage, the revelation created a moment of reflection across both families. A wartime bond had quietly resurfaced in the form of a modern-day friendship, bridging generations in an unexpected and meaningful way. Story continues below advertisement Learn more about the story by watching the video at the top of this article.
