MOTZ, Roland Bartle
NAME MOTZ Roland Bartle
RANK Flight Lieutenant 9878 RAF Coastal Command 19 Group SQUADRON RAF No. 502
“I fear nothing”
RAF St. David’s Airfield in Pembrokeshire - Wales
Squadron Markings V9 Born December 5, 1922 - Melfort - Saskatchewan Residence Exeter - Ontario Died August 30, 1944 21 years 8 months
Cemetery Escoublac-La-Baule War Cemetery - Escoublac - Loire-Atlantique - France
2 H 8
Wife Mrs. Patricia Sterling Motz - Exeter
Parents Mr. Roland and Leona Motz - Centralia Sister Miss Shirley Motz - London - Ontario
Roland was born on December 5, 1922 in Melfort Saskatchewan and while at a young age he and his family
came to Huron County. He took his public schooling at Melfort up until the end of grade IV and in Exeter and took all his high school in Exeter. The family would have attended Exeter United Church. He enjoyed baseball, hockey, field events and basketball and his hobby was coin collecting. Growing up he had whooping cough, measles and chicken pox. Prior to enlistment his occupation was he worked in a funeral home.
Canada
Roland went to London on February 14, 1941 and enlisted into the Royal Canadian Air Force with the rank of Aircraftsman 2. At this time he stood 5' 11" and weighed 194 pounds. He had a fair complexion with hazel eyes and light brown hair. For the next three months he was attached to the London Recruitment Centre. On May 16 he posted to Toronto at No. 1 Manning Depot and then on July 6 he received a posting to the Toronto Equipment Depot. His net posting on August 4 took him to No. 4 Wireless School in Guelph - Ontario. It was while here he received the rank of Leading Aircraftsman. He had an 85% average and placed 7 of 69. He also received his Wireless Operator Badge. Just before Christmas he was posted to No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School in Fingal - Ontario. On January 19 he received his Air Gunner Badge. Just before leaving No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School on January 20, 1942 he received the rank of Sergeant and then Pilot Officer. He had an 81% average and placed 2 out of 16.Then it was to the east coast to "Y" Depot in Halifax in preparation for heading overseas. On February 23 Pilot Officer Motz volunteered for the RAF Training Pool.
Overseas
At some point in late February Pilot Officer Motz embarked from Canada and the on March 9, 1942 he disembarked in the United Kingdom and three day later reported to No. 1 Special Service where he stayed until July 1.when he was posted to No. 3 Radio Direction Finding School. His next posting took him to No. 6 Operational Training Unit and while here received the rank of Flying Officer. On October 17 he was posted to No. 5 Personnel Dispatch Centre at RAF Padgate - Cheshire.
In the Field
On October 24 Flight Officer embarked from the United Kingdom and on November 12 he reported to RAF No. 200 Squadron. He had taken some special courses before being posted to North Africa. Between June 41-March 1943 they were based at RAF Jeswang - Gambia and from March 1943-March they were based at RAF Yundum - Gambia. They carried out anti-submarine patrols. While there he had bouts of malaria and was grounded for a period. In May of 1943 he received Special Leave to Canada. He then was assigned on June 20 to Headquarters Waterloo - Sierra Leone. On July 2 he was assigned to Temporary Duty. On September 3 he went to No. 1 Personnel Dispersal Unit. On October 4 he arrived from Gibraltar and was assigned to RAF 40 Squadron. On November 1 he arrived at RAF Chivenoi - Devon. On November 22 he went to RAF No. 5 Operational Training Unit. In the middle of March 1944 he went to RAF Haverfordwest - Permbrokshire and the same day to RAF No. 7 Operational Training Unit at RAF Hawarden - Flintshire - Wales. That same day he went to No. 1 CMB.
Canada
On May 20 he embarked from the United Kingdom for Canada and on this day received the rank of Flight Lieutenant and disembarked on May 27 and travelled to Ontario to be married. He was married on June 3.
Overseas
He then embarks from Canada for the United Kingdom on July 11, 1944 and disembarks overseas on July 18 and proceeds to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre in Bournemouth - Dorset. On August 5 he is posted to RAF 502 Squadron based at RAF ST David's in Permbrokeshire in Wales. The duties were anti submarine missions and missions against enemy coastal shipping. On his last mission on August 29 over the area of St. Nazaire in France, his aircraft Halifax JP 164 was airborne at 19:23 hours from his base in Pembrokeshire. At 00:14 hours on August 30th there was a very faint SOS call
received by RAF Station Bealieu and the only thing understood from the message were the call signs of the
aircraft and it was definitely Halifax JP 164. This aircraft had been struck by enemy flak, had lost two
engines and as a result they could not hold their height and they made a forced landing on the sea in the Bay
of Biscay 5 miles west of St. Nazaire. The aircraft broke into two parts and sank immediately and there had
been a fire from the ruptured fuel tanks. The aircraft had been performing anti-submarine duties and attacking enemy shipping. None of the crew was able to bale out of the aircraft.
The body of Flight Lieutenant Motz was not recovered until September 4, 1944.
At the time of his death Flight Lieutenant Motz and been married for just 4 months.
In the month of August 1945 his wife Patricia received his Operational Wings along with the 1939-45 Star, the Africa Star with clasp, the France-Germany Star, the Defence and War Medals plus the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp. Then in February 1946 both his wife Patricia and his mother Leona received the Memorial Cross.
Flight Lieutenant Motz is honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaques of the Exeter High School and Exeter United Church plus his name is on the Exeter Cenotaph. He is honoured and remembered in the Books of Remembrance located at the Centre Block of Canada's Parliament and on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
