OMBER COMMAND STIRLING
W
ithin three years Fraser
Barron had been
awarded the ‘full house’ –
Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
and Bar, Distinguished Flying Cross
and Distinguished Flying Medal. This
made him one of New Zealand’s most
decorated airmen of World War Two.
Only 55 members of the Royal New
Zealand Air Force were presented
with the DSO. Barron was one of
four granted a Bar to his DSO, the
only time this honour was bestowed
upon a ‘Kiwi’ in Bomber Command.
Barron was an outstanding master
bomber, whose skill, bravery,
determination and complete
disregard for his personal safety were
legendary. He became frustrated
when taken off operations, bored
with being an instructor, and was
forever keen to get back to his unit.
The risks of night raids, like flak
and fighters, never affected Barron.
He mentally prepared himself before
each ‘op’ and took comfort in the
knowledge that he was not alone
with his fears. Barron sought the
companionship and trust of his own
crew, always concerned about their
welfare and safety.
After completing his training,Flt Sgt Barron joined 15 Squadron
at Wyton, Cambridgeshire, on June
24, 1941. The unit was only the
second in Bomber Command to be
equipped with the new four-engined
Short Stirling, the first example
having arrived on April 11.
Due to a shortage of Stirlings,
Barron had previously completed
only 31 hours on type, completing
the remainder of his training with
the squadron. He had flown only
eight conversion sorties before his
first operation to Frankfurt on the
night of July 7/8.
Barron and his crew held the
Stirling in high regard, even with
its marked swing to starboard
on take-off, slow rate of climb,
limited ceiling, nose-high attitude
during landing on its gangling
undercarriage, and Exactor throttle
control problems. When the aircraft
was introduced during the darkest
days of the war it became a morale-
building symbol of Britain’s growing
aerial offensive power.
As Bomber Command was placing
experienced crews on the new type
first, Barron considered himself
lucky to be put on Stirlings. This
may be the first indication thatBarron was well regarded by senior
officers. Of his 79 ‘ops’, the first 61
were completed on Stirlings before
transferring to Lancasters.STURDY AND DEPENDABLE
The author has focused on seven of
Barron’s Stirling operations. These
highlight his distinguished service
as well as the diverse capabilities of
the big Short bomber, a sturdy and
dependable battler.
Stirlings were briefly used on
daylight ‘Circus’ operations during
the summer of 1941. These raids into
Europe were designed to force the
Luftwaffe to retaliate, as earlier fighter
sweeps without bombers had been
ignored. The Stirling was not ideal for
these ‘ops’ – in one month five were
lost and 11 damaged, mostly by flak.
Three Stirlings of 15 Squadron
turned to daylight duties on July 9,
1941 with a raid on Mazingarbe,
close to Béthune, France. This was
Barron’s second ‘op’ and he was
second pilot to the 15’s CO, Wg
Cdr Ogilvie. The primary target
was the synthetic oil plant, but it
couldn’t be located. The official
report stated: “Owing to haze up to
6,000 feet, [Labuissière aerodromeBARRON
BOMBER
RICHARD STOWERS CHRONICLES THE EXPLOITS OF
NEW ZEALAND STIRLING PILOT FRASER BARRON
W
ithin three years Fraser
Barron had been
awarded the ‘full house’ –Left to right
Wg Cdr James Fraser
Barron DSO* DFC DFM,
Pathfi nder pilot.Personnel of 15
Squadron aircrew at
Wyton in the winter
of 1941.Barron (third from right)
with his crew after one
of his early operations
with 15 Squadron.28 FLYPAST February 2018