R96024 Raymond Craig Woods

Sergeant RCAF, Air Gunner

Paul Allen

November 8, 2022

01 / 27

Raymond Craig Woods was born on 06 Nov 1922 in Hopetown, Lanark, Ontario, the second son of Melville Lorne Woods and Mary Bulloch. The photo was taken after Raymond completed his Air Gunner course on 01 Oct 1943, as evidenced by the Air Gunner Wings and Sgt stripes.His siblings included:

Earle Deachman (1921) (Also served as an Air Gunner in the RCAF)

Verna Agnes (1925)

Robert Melville (1930)

Barbara Mary (1933)

Morris Albert (1935)

Raymond attended Bulloch’s School from 1928 to 1937. He left school in 1937 and worked as a Farmer until he joined the RCAF.

Brothers In Arms

Both Earle and Raymond served as Air Gunners in the RCAF. Raymond enlisted in Ottawa on 01 May 41 at the age 18, and Earle followed a month later enlisting on 04 Jun 41 in Ottawa just before his 20th birthday.

Earle remustered to Air Gunner on 15Aug 42 and Raymond followed on 22 Aug 43. They were both at 19 OTU (Operational Training Unit) in Kinloss Scotland from 19 Nov 43 to 15 Jan 44.

Raymond was killed in a Whitley Crash on 07 Feb 44, and Earle was shot down on 07 Jun 44.

No 1 Manning Depot (MD) Toronto

Raymond enrolled in the RCAF in Toronto, ON on 01 May 1941, Service Number R96024 as an Aircraftman Second Class (AC2), and was given the trade of Standard General Duties , and posted to No 1 Manning Depot in Toronto, ON. At the time of enlistment, he was 5’11” and weighed 154 lbs.

Security Guard/Medical Clerk

Upon completion of Basic Training, Raymond remained at No 1 Manning Depot in Toronto in a General Duties role. He was promoted to Aircraftman 1 (AC1) on 1 Aug 1941, and to Leading Aircraftsman (LAC) on 01 Nov 1941. He was trained as a Clerk General (Medical) Group C on 04 Jun 1942 and reverted to AC1. On 01 Oct 1942 he was reinstated to LAC and classified as a Clerk General (Medical) Group B. In May 1943, he passed the medical screening to reclassify as an Air Gunner.

No1 Air Gunners Ground Training School

On 09 Jul 1943 Raymond was re-classified as An Air Gunner and sent to No. 1 Air Gunners Ground Training School (1 AGGTS) Quebec City. This was a temporary training facility set up to help address the critical shortage of Air Gunners Overseas. The school conducted a six-week preparatory course in the use, care and maintenance of machine guns used on aircraft as well as typical military and small arms training.

Conversion to Air Gunner

Raymond attended Air Gunner Course 61 from 22 Aug 1943 to 01 Oct 1943 at No 9 Bombing and Gunnery School in Mont Joli QC. He had about 21 hours of airborne training at the school, firing 300 Rounds Air to Ground, and 2900 rounds Air To Air. The Flights were conducted in a single engine Fairley Battle Aircraft, with 2 Browning Machine Guns mounted in a Bristol Type B1 Mk IV Turret. The crew consisted of a pilot, bombardier and gunner.

Raymond finished 22^nd of 122 students in the Air Gunner Course and was selected as Class Senior. He was rated as not at all suitable for training as a Gunnery Instructor, and the comment said “Can be depended on. Mentally alert. Rather hesitant. Sufficient self assurance. Able to provide good leadership.”

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Air Gunnery School

The Flights were conducted in a single engine Fairley Battle Aircraft, with 2 Browning Machine Guns mounted in a Bristol Type B1 Mk IV Turret. The crew consisted of a pilot, bombardier and gunner.

As an indication of the rapid expansion of the BCATP program in general, and No 9 B&G in particular, Raymond Graduated in class 61 on 01 Oct 1943, with 122 graduates. The school flew 6095 hours with 83 Fairey Battles and 21 Nomads. The Base strength was 2632, including 720 trainees. Almost a year earlier, his brother Earle was on class 38B, with 16 graduates. In Nov 1942, the School flew 2237 hours with a fleet of 99 Fairey Battles and 23 Nomads. The Base strength was 1757 with 506 trainees.

19 OTU RAF Station Kinloss, Scotland

On 19 Nov 1943, Raymonf was posted to No 19 OTU at RAF Station Kinloss in Northern Scotland to train on the Whitworth Whitley Bomber. His brother Earle was in the same unit until Jan 1944. The unit converted crews of qualified pilots, navigators, flight engineers, bomb aimers, wireless operators and air gunners to the Whitley Aircraft, the majority destined for No 4 Group Bomber Command.

The aircrew typically spent about 2 months at 19 OTU, and flew between 80 and 100 hours, roughly split between day and night. Early on in the training, they were assigned to specific crews. This assignment was done among the crews themselves, typically the pilots would sit down with a cup of tea and a cigarette, and chat with the other crew members, and mutually decide on the crew composition.

Whitley Tail Gun

This Nash & Thompson FN.4A gun turret would have been at the rear end of an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley A.W.38 Heavy Bomber. The rear gunner was completely isolated throughout the flight, communicating only via the intercom and had to stay alert for long periods in sub-zero temperatures.

They wore Electrically heated suits, heated mittens and gloves and sheepskin lined boots.

Gunners View of the World

The Gunners could call for a Corkscrew (violent evasive action) at a moment’s notice. The trick was to take evasive action inside the attacking curve of the Fighter, forcing him to steepen his turn in order to be able to shoot into a space where the Bomber was expected to be by the time the Bullets & Shells arrived.

The Corkscrew Manoeuvre was so described because when viewing from directly astern, the pattern created by the Bomber was Corkscrew-shaped. Dive Port, Climb Port, Roll, Dive Starboard, Climb Starboard, Roll ...

Whitley Crash 07 Feb 1944

On the evening of 06 February 1944, Raymond and his crew took off for a night training mission in Whitley Mk V Serial Number LA.836. The aircraft had 879.05 flying hours, and the engines each had 263.5 hours on them. At 0150 hours on 07 February their aircraft went down about 3 miles off Lossiemouth, Moray Scotland. A search was immediately initiated and follow searches conducted the morning of 07 February, but no sign of the aircraft or crew was found.

The crew consisted of:

Pilot D.A. Brooks (RAF)

Navigator J.A. Brown (RAF)

Bomb Aimer E.J. Lever (RAAF)

Wireless Operator J.E. Harling(RCAF)

Air Gunner R.C. Woods (RCAF)

MU Gunner A.R. Saunders (RCAF)

Crash Details

The duration of the flight was 5 hours and 35 minutes. Sgt Brooks was detailed to carry out a cross country trip in Whitley LA.836 on the night of 06 Feb 1944. A bombing exercise and air to air firing exercise was to be carried out at the end of the cross country. He took off at 2014 hours and proceeded on the cross country. Signal contacts were made, and no anxiety was felt throughout the cross country. At 0139 hours a QFE was requested on base wave (Channel-13) and the wireless operator gave R-NR (Response/No Response) at 0143. Shortly after 0150 hours, Flying Control received a telephone call form Coast Guard Station, Lossiemouth who reported an aircraft believed to have crashed into the sea, position Lossiemouth, bearing 85 degrees, range 3 miles. There were only 2 aircraft from Kinloss flying at the time and signals contact was immediately endeavoured by aircraft LA.386 failed to reply. Confirmation form RAF Lossiemouth regarding the safety of all their aircraft was given which left LA.836 the only aircraft outstanding.

The Aircraft crashed into the Sea. Salvage is impossible and there were no survivors. Cause of accident unknown.

Bomber Command

During WWII, more than a million men and women served, or supported, Bomber Command. Air Marshall Arthur “Bomber” Harris to command in Feb 1942, and developed a relentless plan of attack aimed at knocking Germany out of the War. A total of 365,514 operational sorties were flown by Bomber Command. Of the 125,000 Aircrew who served, 72% were killed, seriously injured or taken Prisoner of War. More than 44% were killed whilst serving, giving the highest rate of attrition of any Allied unit. Each man was a volunteer, and their average age of death was only 23.The efforts of the RAF Bomber Command significantly changed the outcome of WWII.

Tailgunner as a Target

The successes of Bomber Command were purchased at terrible cost. Of every 100 airmen who joined Bomber Command, 45 were killed, 6 were seriously wounded, 8 became Prisoners of War, and only 41 escaped unscathed (at least physically). Of the 120,000 who served, 55,573 were killed including over 10,000 Canadians. The average age at death was 23. Of those who were flying at the beginning of the war, only ten percent survived.

Through the entire operation, the rear gunner knew that the Luftwaffe fighter pilots preferred to attack from the rear and under the belly of the bomber, so he was often first in line for elimination. During World War II 20,000 air gunners were killed while serving with Bomber Command. A rear gunner had a life expectancy of 5 missions.

Bailout

If an aircraft flying over land was critically damaged, aircrew would have to bail out. Parachutes were bulky and not completely reliable, escape hatches were small and had to be located in the dark, and the aircraft might be on fire and out of control. Men were sometimes injured or killed by striking parts of the aircraft after jumping. Only 25% of airmen safely exited Halifaxes and Stirlings, a mere 15% from Lancasters.

Runnymede Memorial Sgt Raymond Woods

Raymond is commemorated at the Air Force Runnymede Memorial in Surrey, just west of London and approximately 4 miles from Windsor Castle. The Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede commemorates by name over 20,000 men and women of the air forces, who were lost in the Second World War during operations from bases in the United Kingdom and North and Western Europe, and who have no known graves. They served in Bomber, Fighter, Coastal, Transport, Flying Training and Maintenance Commands, and came from all parts of the Commonwealth. Some were from countries in continental Europe which had been overrun but whose airmen continued to fight in the ranks of the Royal Air Force.

Raymond Woods Panel 256

Raymond’s name is listed on Panel 256 located on the right hand side about half way down. The entry in the memorial log is as follows:

Woods, Sgt Raymond Craig, R/96024. RCAF. 7^th February 1944. Age 22.

Son of Melville Lorne Woods and Mary Bullock Woods of Lanark, Ontario, Canada

Grave Marker Hopetown, Lanark ON

The Grave marker commemorating Raymond and Earle Woods located in Hopetown Cemetery, Hopetown, Lanark, ON.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Certificate

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Certificate commemorates Sgt Raymond Woods' memorial location.

Pilot Officer Earle Woods Book of Remembrance

Raymond Woods is memorialized on page 482 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance. His page is displayed annually on 14 October. His brother Earle Woods is memorialized on the same page.

Bomber Command Museum of Canada, Nanton Alberta

The memorial Wall at the Bomber Command Museum lists the 10.673 Canadians who gave their lives while in service of Bomber Command.

Bomber Command Museum Listing

Raymond's listing is shown. His brother Earle is listed on the previous pane.

The Memorial was dedicated in 2005 and is made of five panels (8′ wide and 4′ high) of 3″ thick, polished, black granite. Four of these each have about 1,600 names engraved per side. The central panel (6′ high and 3′ wide) includes the name and purpose of the Memorial (on both sides) as well as the Bomber Command Crest and a photo of a Canadian Bomber Crew.

International Bomber Command Centre, Lincoln UK

The IBBC was open in 2018 acknowledging the efforts of Bomber Command During WWII. The project also covers the stories of those who suffered as a result of the bombing campaigns and those whose survival was guaranteed by the humanitarian operations of Bomber Command. During WWII over a million men and women served or supported Bomber Command.

The IBBC Losses Database records the details of 57,861 Bomber Command deaths during WWII.

IBBC Spire

The memorial Spire was installed in 2015, and is 102 ft high, the wingspan of a Lancaster Bomber. The spire is two massive steel plates that symbolize aircraft wings.

The Wall of Names surround the Spire and remember 57,861 men and women who lost their lives will serving in or supporting Bomber Command. the PO Earle Woods is commemorated in Phase 2, Panel Number 269. Sgt Raymond Woods is commemorated in Phase 1, Panel Number 119.