Percy’s wartime record
In a two-part feature for Remembrance Day, content editor Susan Stephenson tells the story of her grandfather and his role in World War Two
To his family, a grandfather but in times of war he was Flight Lieutenant Percy Alfred Newland and he described his experiences ... read about his amazing tale as Remembrance Day nears.
I ’m writing this in memory of Flight Lieutenant Percy Alfred Newland DFC, “who did more than his fair share in winning the war”.
But don’t just take my word for it. These are the words of the famous Sir Arthur Travers Harris, Marshal of the Royal Air Force, who was known as “Bomber” Harris.
He wrote to my grandfather after the war and these words meant a lot to him – and still do to us as a family.
Percy didn’t talk much about the war, as the horrific events and in particular the loss of his crew stayed with him throughout his life.
But he did write about some of his experiences, which make for incredible reading, but to him were just day-to-day duties, told with modesty and in a matter-offact way.
Percy, who passed away at the age of 76 in 1996, lived in the Stepney area and was a retired hospital porter.
During the Second World War he served with the 51st and 102nd Yorkshire Squadrons and was stationed at Riccall, Snaith near Goole and Pocklington.
He joined the RAF in 1940 as a wireless operator and air gunner, having battled a life-threatening injury when he fell from rafters while rewiring a church hall as a teenager.
Percy was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for “gallantry and devotion to duty on air operations against the enemy after bringing a damaged Halifax bomber and crew back safely from a mission”.
The said mission was the crew’s first ever operational flight – a night operation over Mannheim on April 16, 1943.
Percy wrote: “Over the target was something I could never fully describe. The sky was full of lights, fighters and gunfire – what a sight.
“I thought ‘what have I let myself in for?’ We got to the target and dropped our bombs OK.
“We then got shot up terribly both from the ground and fighters, and to cap it all, our navigator went to pieces and didn’t really know where we were.
“He tried to pull himself together, poor lad. No blame to him, we were only youngsters in our early 20s. Our gunner was only 18.
“We were getting short of fuel, so Cyril, the pilot, said to me: ‘Open up on SOS Percy and get us home’.
“This I did and kept getting bearings and positions and got us to Exeter. The engine cut out as we were running out of fuel. What a close shave.
“I was commended by group for saving the aircraft, worth £42,000, and the crew.”
Percy went on to complete 21 operations during 1943 over targets such as Hamburg, Cologne, Duisburg and Dusseldorf.
He said: “The year 1943 was the worst for bombers – more so than any other time of the war.
“We were shot up pretty badly each time. You had to have a lot of skill and a great deal of luck.”
Percy added that on some trips around a third of the squadron was being lost.
Another “terrible night” was Cologne on July 3, 1943. Percy wrote: “As we crossed the enemy coast, all of a sudden a great blue master search light was on us and in a second about 20 or more lights came up and we were in a giant cone.
“It was blinding and then in no time anti-aircraft fire was coming up into the cone.
“We did everything with the aircraft except loop the loop – and this was with a full bomb load – but we could not lose them.
“As a last resort I asked Cyril’s permission to try something I had heard had worked for someone else.
“There was a piece of equipment in the rear of the aircraft called IFF for identification.
“This had several frequencies on it, so I went back and kept switching it through all the range and, whether it was that or not, the master light went out and all the others followed suit.
“They thought at the squadron that I had touched on the frequency operating the light and upset
it. “The aircraft was simply peppered with holes and hot shrapnel on the floor. Cyril’s harness had been cut off his back by shrapnel yet he had not been hurt.
“He called up everyone in turn to check for casualties. The gunner thought he was blind but his sight came back. It was Perspex dust in his eyes – he had a hole right through his turret.
“We had two petrol tanks holed and lost a lot of fuel. Cyril took a vote on whether we should return to base or carry on. If we had any more trouble we would not stand a chance.
“Everyone said the same – we go on to the target. We bombed OK and took our photos, which was always done on bombing, and returned home nursing the aircraft to save fuel.
“Cyril was a marvellous pilot and instilled confidence in all of us. We were noted by this time as the best crew on squadron.
“We landed back at base and after interrogation we went on leave that morning early. While on leave Cyril was awarded the DFM and commissioned for that trip.”
See next week’s Scarborough News for the final part of Percy’s story.
‘It was blinding and then in no time anti-aircraft fire was coming up into the cone...’