On June 6/7, 1944 F/Sgt C. Selfe RCAF and crew from 426 Squadron
flying, Halifax III LW-377 coded OW-G,
were hit by falling bombs over the target at Coutances.
were hit by falling bombs over the target at Coutances.
Crew members were: Sgt H. Fellows RAF F/Eng; F/O C. Sowerby RCAF
Nav; F/O V. Paul RCAF Bomb aimer;
Sgt R. Bielby RCAF Wireless Op; Sgt A. Ashford RCAF Mid-upper gunner; Sgt J. Turner RCAF Rear Gunner.
They struggled back to England where the crew bailed out at Slapton Sands serious injury.
Photo graciously supplied by Roderick McDowell, nephew of Sgt Ross Bielby.
Sgt R. Bielby RCAF Wireless Op; Sgt A. Ashford RCAF Mid-upper gunner; Sgt J. Turner RCAF Rear Gunner.
They struggled back to England where the crew bailed out at Slapton Sands serious injury.
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The
story below comes from Sgt Bielby's nephew, Roderick McDowell:
"This incident is a family legend. The crew bailed in the dark and were separated. Ross lost his boots, and so upon landing rolled himself up in the chute and kipped out in a haystack. In the morning, he found the rest of the crew having breakfast in the kitchen of a nearby farmhouse. The short delay resulted in Ross being reported back to his family as MIA. It was 24 hours before the family in Canada was advised.that Ross had turned up. The legend is that one of the crew broke a leg and had to be replaced in the crew. The
aircraft's control cables in one wing were destroyed, and the aircraft
was unmanagable. It was quite a feat of airmanship on the part of
the pilot that he was able to get the machine back to the UK, and a
miracle that he was able to exit the aircraft with no one in it to
stabilize its flight. F/Sgt Selfe was rightfully
decorated.
On another
trip, this crew shot down a Focke Wolfe 190 night fighter, and had
other incidents where then landed with AA damage to the airframe.
The
handcoloured picture was obviously taken during aircrew training.
Ross completed at least one operational tour and ended the war as a
Pilot Officer.
Ross became
a pattern maker after the war, and had two sons and one daughter - one
veternary surgeon, one teacher and one federally appointed judge.
The Bielby
family originated in Biebly, Yorkshire, not far from the Canadian
bomber aerodrome from which Ross flew."
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Photo graciously supplied by Roderick McDowell, nephew of Sgt Ross Bielby.
