Heroes of Bomber Command Yorkshire

During World War II, Yorkshire was home to RAF Bomber Command’s 4 Group, which had operational bases at Pocklington, Elvington, Melbourne, Full Sutton, Breighton, Holme-on-Spalding Moor, Driffield, Lissett, Snaith, Burn and Leconfield. At the beginning of 1943 they were joined by 6 Group, manned almost entirely by the Royal Canadian Air Force, with bases at Linton-on-Ouse, East Moor, Tholthorpe, Leeming, Topcliffe, Dalton and Skipton-on-Swale, with another two bases at Middleton St George and Croft in County Durham.

From these airfields, young men, all volunteers with an average age of 22, flew dangerous and often suicidal missions into the dark, cold, smoke-filled skies above Germany.

August 1942 saw the creation of the Pathfinder Force. Its task was to mark targets for the groups of bombers which followed them with a precision that called for reckless heroism. Between 1939 and 1945, Bomber Command suffered no less than 55,888 fatalities from a total of 100,000 men. Yorkshire squadrons alone lost 18,000 aircrew. During this time, twenty-one Victoria Crosses were awarded to members of Bomber Command, three of which went to men serving in Yorkshire: Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire, Pilot Officer Cyril Barton and Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski.

In this excellently researched book Michael Wadsworth describes the air war in Yorkshire, and the young men who flew night after night against desperate odds. The bravery and resolve of the ‘Bomber Men’ must never be forgotten.