Page 33 - issue19.04.2019
P. 33

Royal Air Force News Friday, April 19, 2019 P25

                                                                                                                                       Obituaries



       Teenage Air Gunner downed over




       France went on to win the DFC





               OM MAXWELL, who                                                                                                   including one to Heinsberg, a town he
               has died aged 94, was                                                                                             visited many years later when he was
               still a teenager when                                                                                             serving at Wildenrath.
       T his Lancaster was shot                                                                                                    He was commissioned and in
       down over northern France. He                                                                                             December was awarded the DFC.
       baled out, and with the help of                                                                                           During early May 1945 he flew on
       the French escape lines, he evaded                                                                                        Operation Manna, the air drop
       capture and reached Spain after                                                                                           of food to the starving Dutch
       crossing the Pyrenees.                                                                                                    population. At the end of the war he
         Born in Belfast, Maxwell joined                                                                                         was serving in India before leaving
       the RAF when he was 17 years                                                                                              to be a teacher.
       old and trained as an air gunner                                                                                            In 1952 he re-joined the RAF as
       before joining 622 Squadron at                                                                                            an air traffic controller and served
       Mildenhall.                                                                                                               in Northern Ireland, Germany and
         He attacked Berlin and dropped                                                                                          in Libya.
       mines around the Frisian Islands.                                                                                           After three years at El Adem, he
       On the night of March 15, 1944 his                                                                                        and his family drove across North
       crew were tasked to bomb Stuttgart                                                                                        Africa and into Spain and France
       –  it  was  their  sixth  operation  and                                                                                  before reaching Marham in a
       Maxwell was in the rear turret.                                                                                           Volkswagen Beetle with a roof rack,
         After successfully dropping their                                                                                       an unprecedented road journey at
       bombs, the crew turned for home                                                                                           the time.
       but very soon after the Lancaster                                                                                           He retired from the RAF in 1978
       was hit by flak and badly damaged.                                                                                        before spending 10 years with the
         East of Rouen, a fire intensified                                                                                       Sultan of Oman’s Air Force.
       and the crew baled out. Five were                                                                                           After retiring, Maxwell worked
       captured  but three, including                                                                                            tirelessly with supporters to get
       Maxwell, evaded  and eventually                                                                                           a Bomber Command campaign
       returned to the UK.                                                                                                       medal but he had to settle for a
         Maxwell landed in a field and for                                                                                       clasp to his 1939-45 Star. He was
       the next 10 days he was sheltered by   BOMBER COMMAND HERO: Tom Maxwell was invited to sign on at the RAF Wall of Gallantry at Cranwell last year.    PHOTO: GORDON ELIAS  a strong supporter of the Bomber
       a farmer and his wife before he was                                                                                       Command Association and the
       taken to Paris.               the railway station where they were  took them over the snow-capped  flown back to the UK on May 22  Mildenhall Register and attended
         Like all Bomber Command  joined by three more Americans  mountains into Spain where they   Maxwell re-joined 622 Squadron  the commemoration of the Bomber
       crews, he was carrying a set of  and a courier. They travelled by  were arrested by the Spanish police.   and immediately tracked down  Command Memorial in Green Park.
       ‘passport’ photographs and one was  train to Toulouse and on to Pau.   After a week of house arrest,  the WAAF who had packed his   In 2016 he received the French
       used to provide him with a forged   Taken by bus and taxi to the  where he met two other members of  parachute to thank her for saving  Legion d’Honneur from the French
       identity card.                foothills of the Pyrenees, he  his crew, they were picked up by the  his life.              Government in recognition of his
         He joined two American airmen  joined  a larger group of  British  British consul and were eventually   Over the next few months he  service during the liberation of
       and a young girl escorted them to  and American evaders and guides  taken to Gibraltar. Maxwell was  completed another 26 operations  France.


       Fighter pilot and Sultan of Oman’s Air Force commander




               IR   VICE-MARSHAL     when the mountainous strongholds                             staff at the RAF Staff College at  Force service.
               Les Phipps had a wide  of the rebels supporting an uprising                        Bracknell, an appointment which   After two years in MOD as
               variety of appointments  were attacked with bombs and                              gave him the opportunity on  the Director of Air Defence and
       A as a Cold War fighter  rockets.                                                          most weekends to fly air cadets in  Overseas Operations, he was
       pilot and during his service    On his return to the UK he                                 Chipmunk aircraft at nearby White  promoted in March 1980 to be
       overseas he saw action in Oman  converted to the Hunter before                             Waltham.                       the  Director  General  of  Personnel
       and  during  the  Indonesian  taking command of 19 Squadron                                  By early 1973, Phipps had  Management where he focused
       Confrontation. He went on  when his leadership and efficiency                              gained wide experience as a fighter  on the recruitment, training and
       to work in the export aircraft  was recognised by the award of the                         pilot and operational service in  retention of frontline aircrew.
       industry.                     AFC. His above average assessment                            the Middle East. His appointment   He encouraged his staff to
         During  his  National  Service  he  as a fighter pilot saw him posted to                 as Commander of the Sultan of  conduct effective talent spotting
       was selected for training as a pilot  the Central Fighter Establishment                    Oman’s Air Force (SOAF) saw  and career development of young
       and in June 1951 he joined his  where  he  developed  tactics                              him in action again. His aircraft  Servicemen and women. He was
       first jet fighter squadron and flew  and trials  with the  Air  Fighting                   and helicopters supported ground  appointed CB.
       the Meteor with 19 Squadron. He  Development Unit and the Day                              forces and the attack squadrons of   After two years as the RAF
       qualified as a pilot attack instructor  Fighter Combat School.                             Hunters  and Strikemasters were  Director at the RCDS, he left the
       and performed as a solo aerobatic   After attending the Royal   LIGHTNING DISPLAY TEAM FOUNDER:  often scrambled to support them.    RAF to join British Aerospace, first
       display pilot. In 1956 he served in  Naval Staff College at Greenwich,   AVM Les Phipps      One of his British officers, and a  as Deputy Director of the Saudi
       command of the RAF detachment  he widened his joint Services  final phases of the Confrontation  veteran of SOAF operations, wrote:  Project, supplying Tornado and
       at Aqaba in Jordan during the Suez  experience  when  he  became  wing  with Indonesia. A wide variety  “The SOAF Commander, Gp Capt  Hawk aircraft to the Royal Saudi
       crisis.                       commander operations at HQ 1  of aircraft and helicopters were  Les  Phipps,  frequently  visited  the  Air Force before he became Head
         He remained in the Middle East  (British) Corps based in Germany.   detached to the base and he took  squadron  from  his  office  in  the  of  Training Systems, providing
       for three years, first flying Meteors  Always keen to fly, he did not allow  every opportunity to fly them.  north. He flew operational sorties  training programmes and support
       in the fighter reconnaissance  this ground appointment to prevent   His return to the UK saw  in the Strikemaster and would  to countries acquiring British
       role with 208 Squadron based in  him keeping in flying practice and,  him appointed to command 29  put himself on standby during his  military aircraft.
       Malta before joining 8 Squadron  whenever possible, he flew Hunter  Squadron  flying the  Lightning  visits.”               He retired a second time in
       at Khormaksar in Aden where he  fighter reconnaissance sorties with  from Wattisham in Suffolk where   After attending the Royal College  1991 and invested his considerable
       flew Venoms in the fighter ground  the squadrons based at nearby  he formed the Lightning Display  of Defence Studies (RCDS) in 1975  experience  and  talents  in
       attack role.                  Gutersloh.                     Team, which demonstrated the  he spent a year in Saudi Arabia in  charitable  work, which included
         During a deployment to Sharjah   In 1966 he headed for the Far  aircraft’s spectacular rate of climb.  command of the UK MOD Team  being President of 459 (Windsor)
       in the Persian Gulf he saw action  East to command the RAF airfield   In 1970 he was promoted to  supporting the introduction of the  Squadron Air Training Corps.
       during the Battle of Jebel Akhdar  at Labuan in Borneo during the  Group Captain and served on the  Lightning into Royal Saudi Air   He died on March 3 aged 88.
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