‘A man cast in th
Group Captain Robert‘Jock’Halley flew dozens of daring missions in WW1
The story of Perthborn Robert ‘Jock’ Halley is one of a man who was incredibly courageous and heroically determined to successfully target and attack the enemy.
Halley was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
(DFC) on three occasions.
Group Captain Robert ‘Jock’ Halley was born in Perth in November 1895 and despite the dangers he later faced in the cockpit of various bi-planes, he lived until 1979.
Halley was the second son of Bailie and Mrs Robert Halley, of 5 Barossa Place, Perth.
He was educated at Perth Academy and was following out agricultural work at Ardoch of Gallery, near Montrose when on reaching military age, he enlisted.
Halley was a prominent member of Perthshire Cricket Club, second eleven and was regarded as a very good slow bowler.
He joined a cyclist unit of the Royal Highlanders (HCB) in February 1915 at Montrose.
In February 1917, he transferred to the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) at RNASTE Vendôme, France taking his officers commission as a Probationary Flight Officer.
On graduation, he was posted to Naval ‘A’ Squadron (later 16 Naval Squadron and 216 Squadron RAF), flying twin– engine Handley Page 0/100 (HP11) bomber aircraft.
His observer in the plane was usually the American sewing machine millionaire, Bobbie Reece.
Before the end of the war, Halley undertook over 20 nighttime bomber missions in an open cockpit, biplane, in all weathers.
These were very daring, longdistance strikes against targets in Köln (Cologne), Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and six times over Mannheim.
Naval ‘A’ Squadron had been hurriedly formed at Manston in 1917, the Germans had been bombing London and cities in the south-east and civilians were crying out for reprisals.
They were initially sent out to Ochey aerodrome in France in order to bomb the German Rhine towns.
The first aircraft crash of the squadron occurred when Flight Lieutenant (later Captain) Halley came down in the middle of a wood at Chancenay, near SaintDizier.
The plane practically buried itself in the mud and slush, only the engines being saved. All the occupants were uninjured.
One of Halley’s bombing missions shows how he won his first bar to his DFC.
Flying by compass due to the density of the mist and rain and often under intense anti-aircraft fire, the squadron set out on a bombing raid that would last over eight hours.
The weather on August 24, 1918 was not good, but despite this, the squadron was ordered to mount a maximum effort that night.
The main target being the railway station and sidings at Frankfurt am Main and the secondary target, the Burlach works at Saarbrücken. Shortly after dusk, the squadron of six Handley Page V/100 and V/500 twin-engine bombers, each with a crew of three, took off.
It became apparent that reaching the target was a near impossible task and four aircraft turned back.
One of the remaining two chose to bomb the aerodrome at Boulay, leaving Handley Page V100 No3138 crewed by Halley, Lieutenant Robert H Reece DFC - the observer/navigator - and 2nd Lieutenant CW Treleaven as gunner to continue the mission.
On the Allied side, several automated signal lights flashed a predetermined Morse Code letter as a guide for the night bombers.
Flying at 6000 feet, they encountered only sporadic flak from the towns they passed over.
They arrived at their target at midnight and were greeted by a heavy anti-aircraft barrage and numerous searchlights.
Switching off the engines,
Halley glided the aircraft down and Reece dropped the bomb load of a single 550lb and four 112lb bombs onto Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof.
They all missed but damaged several properties including the docks at Westhafen.
Course was set for the most direct route home, over 100 miles away.
The storm had cleared but to add to their problems, there was another storm ahead.
They elected to fly underneath it as they did not have sufficient fuel to climb above it. Fierce winds tossed them about, lightning flashes illuminated them, and they were soaked by driving rain for hours.
Searchlights occasionally caught them out and the aircraft was hit by shrapnel numerous times.
Over the town of Kaiserslautern, the storm cleared again just enough for them to check their course and make a correction.
But now they flew into another, even more violent storm.
Unable to follow a compass course, all they could do was use all their remaining strength and will to keep the aircraft flying.
Just as dawn was breaking, they crossed the border, arriving south of the Marne-Rhine canal in north-eastern France and headed for the nearest aerodrome.
Shortly after crossing into friendly territory, their engines stopped due to lack of fuel and they were forced to make a safe landing in a field near Lunéville, eight and a half hours after setting out.
After Halley was awarded Bar to his DFC for this effort, he was selected to be one of only four pilots for a top secret mission to attack ‘the right spot’, to bomb the German capital of Berlin.
This would involve non-stop flying by bomber aircraft all the way from England and back again.
Asleep in bed one night following another long night bombing raid on Mannheim, he was awoken and told he had to leave for England the following morning.
A destroyer was waiting for him at Dunkirk and a car would meet him at Dover to take him to London.