WILSON, Thomas Ferguson
NAME WILSON Thomas Ferguson
RANK Flying Officer / Navigator / Bombadier 12709 RAF Bomber Command - Group 8 (Pathfinder Force) SQUADRON RAF No. 635 Pathfinders Squadron
“we lead, others follow”
Downham Market Airfield in Norfolk
Squadron Markings F2 W Born July 22, 1917 - Whitechurch - Township of East Wawanosh - County of Huron Township of Kinloss - County of Bruce Residence Lucknow - Ontario Died April 10, 1944 26 years 9 months
Cemetery Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery - Harrogate - North Yorkshire - England
F E 16
Wife Mrs. Laurine Wilson - Lucknow - Ontario
Mother Mrs. Euphemia Wilson - Lucknow - Ontario Brothers Mr. James Wilson of Whitechurch - Ontario Sisters Miss Agnes Wilson of Toronto - Ontario Miss Merle Wilson of Wingham - Ontario
Thomas was born in Whitechurch on July 22, 1917 and growing up he enjoyed photography the radio and map making and liked to play softball and football. He would have attended Chalmers Presbyterian Church growing up and Lucknow Presbyterian Church when he lived in Lucknow. Growing up he had the mumps, measles and chickenpox. On January 10, 1941 under the National Resources Mobilization Act he enroled into the Non Permanent Active Militia and Taken on Strength with the Perth Regiment. He received his public School education at SS No. 10 Kinloss from 1923-31. Then he attended Wingham High School and received his senior matriculation from 1931-34. From 1935-36 he attended the Stratford Normal School and took a public school teacher course. From 1938 until enlistment he took a Wireless Telegraphy Course from the Radio College of Canada. From 1936-38 he was a public school teacher at SS No. 9 Kinloss and then from 1939 until enlistment he was the principal at SS No. 4 West Wawanosh which I believe was in Lucknow.
Canada
On April 26, 1941 he enlisted into the Royal Canadian Air Force in London with the rank of Aircraftsman 2. At the time he was 5' 10" and weighed 147 pounds. He had a fair complexion with blue eyes and light brown hair. He remained at the London Recruitment Centre for two month. His first posting was to No. 4 Auxiliary Manning Depot based at St Hubert - Quebec. Between August 9-October 6 he was posted to No. 3 Training Centre Headquarters in Montreal - Quebec. Then it was to New Brunswick to No. 9 Air Observer School in St John between October 7-October 27. Then he was posted to Victoriaville - Quebec from October 28-December 20 to No. 3 Initial Training School. While posted here he obtained the rank of Leading Aircraftsman. As 1941 was ending he was posted to No. 8 Air Observer School based at L'Ancienne -Lorette - Quebec on December 21. While he is here he obtained the rank of Sergeant. Sergeant Wilson on March 29, 1942 is then posted to No. 9 Bombing and Gunnery School based at Mont Joli - Quebec and where he receives his Air Observer Bade and remains here until May 24 and at this time he is posted to the flatland of Manitoba to No. 1 Air Navigation School based at Rivers which then becomes No. 1 Central Navigation School and it is here he obtains the rank of Pilot Officer. Then beginning on July 29 and for the next 10 months he is posted to No. 7 Air Observer School at Portage la Prairie - Manitoba. While he is here he obtained the rank of Flying Officer. On the last day of May 31, 1943 he is then sent eat to Halifax to No. 1 "Y" Depot. Then on June 11 he volunteers for the RAF Training Pool.
Overseas
Flying Officer Wilson then embarks Canada for overseas duty on June 23 and disembarks in the United Kingdom on July 1. The next day in Bournemouth - Dorset he report to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre. Between September 10-27 he is a RAF Group 8 Headquarters at Castlehill House - Huntington - Cambridgeshire. On September 28 his next posting took him to RAF No. 9 Observer Advanced Flying Unit based at RAF Base Penrohs - Gwyned - Wales. On November 17 the next posting took him to the Permanent Force Navigation Training Unit and then at the very end of the year he was posted to RAF No. 97 Squadron "C" Flight.
In the Field
On March 20, 1944 he was then posted to RAF No. 635 Squadron which was formed on this day from "B" F;ight of RAF No. 35 Squadron and from "C" Flight of RAF 97 Squadron. They flew from RAF Base Downham Market in Norfolk. When Lancaster Mk III ND 820 was delivered to the Squadron. the Commanding Officer flew the aircraft and while he was at 8,000' he turned the autopilot on and it immediately went into a dive and was able to recover from. Lancaster ND 820 lifted from the runway at 10:58 am. The weather during the navigational exercise flight was there was freezing above 5,000' with visibility being 15 miles with no clouds and the winds were 60 mph. The aircraft was at 8,000' on the first leg on the exercise when it suddenly dived and the pilot was not able to recover and the aircraft crashed at a high rate of speed at 11:20 am. At about 400' both ailerons tore away from the aircraft. Lancaster ND 820 crashed four miles southwest of Swinehead at the village of Bicker in Lincolnshire. The crew had been in the air a total of 22 minutes and it is not known if the cause of the crash was weather related or mechanical. There is a tree across the road from the point of impact that has grown at about a 45 degree angle and this odd angle was caused by the blast of the aircraft striking the ground. This tree took a lot of the blast and it saved the life of a farm worker who was in the field behind the tree. To this day there is still a dip in the road caused by the force of the crash.
Flying Officer Wilson died from fatal multiple injuries. He was the only crew member that was able to leave the aircraft and he was found hanging from the tree in his parachute. He was the only member of the crew who was recovered from the crash site. Squadron records indicate that this crew was one of the happiest and close knit in the Squadron. On April 10, 2004, 60 years after this aircraft crashed, a memorial where the aircraft crashed was unveiled to the crew of Lancaster ND 820 with over 50+ townsfolk attended the ceremony. The memorial was unveiled at exactly 11:20 am. Even today all these years later a great deal of wreckage still lies under the ground and road where the crash took place. In addition, the 6 crew members not recovered are still in the ground where the crash took place. From the crash record card it states that Lancaster ND 820 was on a bombing run and bombing practice exercise while at 8,000' and witnesses on the ground noted it was performing a diving turn to port which increased in rate before going into a vertical dive. These witnesses saw the ailerons break away prior to impact. Some say the aircraft had caught fire prior to the crash.
His wife Laurene and his mother Euphemia received the Memorial Cross in the month of June 1945. Then in March of 1947 his wife Laurene is receiving the medals awarded to her husband which included the 1939-45 Star, the Air Crew Europe Star, the Defence and War Medals plus the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp.
Thomas is honoured and remembered on the Lucknow and St. Helens cenotaphs. He is honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaques of both Chalmers Presbyterian Church and Lucknow Presbyterian Church. He is honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaque of the Wingham High School. He is honoured on the Memorial Plaque of the RCAF Bomber Command Memorial and in the Books of Remembrance located in the Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament. He is honoured and remembered on the Lancaster ND 820 memorial located in Bicker - Lincolnshire and he is honoured and remembered on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
