Fly Past

SPECIAL DELIVERY 100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE

April 2018 FLYPAST 71

NO PAST, NO FUTURE

On April 17, 1945, Flt Lt Churchill

was transferred to the Royal

Canadian Air Force Repatriation

Depot. His tour of duty had been

completed. He returned to Canada

aboard the SS Louis Pasteur in June

and was discharged from the RCAF

on August 14 in Calgary.

During his tour with 295

Squadron, Rae Churchill carried out

21 operational sorties – including

three major airborne assaults – over

continental Europe of which 19

were highly successful. His logbook

records 121 take-offs with a glider

in tow.

He returned to the RCAF in

September 1946, remaining in

the service until May 1967. He

was awarded the 1939-1945 Star,

Aircrew Europe Star with France

and Germany clasp, the Canadian

Volunteer Service Medal and

Overseas Star, the War Medal

1939-1945, United Nations Service

Medal with the Korean clasp, the

Canadian Forces Decoration and the

Netherlands Flying Cross.

Now 97, Rae recalled: “Back then

we were told not to talk. Everything

was secret; we got into the habit of

not talking about the operations.

“Memories of service personnel,

who fought irrespective of

nationality or political persuasion,

should be preserved for future

generations to understand and

hopefully learn from past mistakes.

Sadly, too many ex-service personnel

pass on leaving no record of their

experiences which is a great loss to

the person’s family and to history.

“To an enquiring family member

to never have had the opportunity to

know the answers to their questions

can leave a void in their lives.

Without a past, there is no future.”

Members of the SOE, the SAS,

Allied troops or resistance fighters

relied on supplies, without which

they were helpless. The men of the

‘Special Delivery Service’ set a proud

record of achievement.

“Memories of service personnel, who fought

irrespective of nationality or political

persuasion, should be preserved for future

generations to understand and hopefully

learn from past mistakes”

Left

Rae Churchill, proud

‘special delivery’

pilot.

Below left

Parachutes and ‘fl ak’

bursts dominate

the sky as seven

Stirlings attempt to

deliver supplies to

troops trapped in the

Oosterbeek perimeter

near Arnhem during

Operation Market

Garden. VIA ANDY

THOMAS

Below

Named ‘State

Express’, Stirling

IV LK555/E7-S of

570 Squadron was

fl own by the unit’s

commanding offi cer

and was used

during the Arnhem

operations. LK270,

E7-Q is visible behind.

VIA ANDY THOMAS