MOWBRAY, Alexander McKenzie

NAME                     MOWBRAY Alexander McKenzie
RANK                     Flight Sergeant / Wireless Operator / Air Gunner     R/78998                                                                                     RAF Bomber Command - Group 4                                                                                              SQUADRON          RAF No. 10 Squadron
                               “to hit the mark”
                               RAF Melbourne - Yorkshire
                               Squadron Markings ZA                                                                                                            Residence              Whitechurch - Ontario                                                                                                                  Birth:                       August 26, 1920 - Whitechurch - Township of East Wawanosh - County of Huron - Ontario      Died:                      October 1, 1942     22 years   1 month                                                                                    Cemetery               Kiel War Cemetery - Nordfriedhof - Kiel - Schleswig-Holstein - Germany
                               I  G  18-19
Parents:                 Mr. Robert and Margaret Mowbray - Whitechurch - Ontario

Alex was from Whitechurch and was born on August 26, 1920. He attended school in Lucknow at SS #10 Kinloss from 1926-34 and completed public school and two years of high school 1934-36. He enjoyed playing baseball and hockey. As he was growing up he had a tonsillectomy, measles, chicken pox and whooping cough. Alexander worked in the construction trade for his father as a concrete worker before he enlisted. He would have attended Whitechurch Presbyterian Church.

Canada                                                                                                                                                                     

In the first month of 1941, Alex travelled to London and enlisted into the Royal Canadian Air Force on January 15, 1941.Upon enlistment he was 5' 4" tall and weighed 140 pounds. He had a medium complexion with blue eyes and medium brown hair. He was given the rank of Aircraftsman 2nd Class. He was then posted to No. 2 Manning Depot in Brandon - Manitoba and here he would learn to shine boots, polish buttons, look after their uniforms, do two hours of physical education daily, they would march, do rifle drill, do foot drill and saluting His next posting was to No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School in Mossbank - Saskatchewan on February 10th until July 19, 1941. There are no records of his scores while at No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School. He would have had instructions in techniques in bomb aiming and aerial machine gunnery to Air Observers, Bomb Aimers and Wireless Air Gunners. They would have been located close to water and the aircraft used were Avro Ansons, the Fairey Battle, Bristol Bolingbroke and the Westland Lysander. From Mossbank he was posted to No. 2 Wireless School in Calgary - Alberta from July 20 - January 3, 1942. He would be here for 24 weeks and he would learn the theory and application of wireless communications. He would learn to signal with lights and flags as well as radio. Wireless Training:  in classroom was .40 minutes as 1st Operator, 3:35 hours as listening watch and 8:15 hours as sole operator of two seat aircraft. Here he was assessed as below average. Ground Training: they learned theory, radio equipment, morse, procedures, signals, armament, and drill + physical training. His average was 67% and he was 78th in a class of 142.                                                                                                            He was given the rank of Flight Sergeant on February 2, 1942 He received his Wireless Operators Badge on January 4, 1942. While here he was AWOL twice and received the same punishment both times which was confined to barracks for 3 days. His final posting in Western Canada was back to No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School at Mossbank from  January 4, -  February 22, 1942. His flying time in the Fairey Battle was 15:55 hours. He fired 2,856 rounds. His Written Exam was 68%, his Practical and Oral exam was 73% and His Ability as a firer was 56% for an average of 62.6%. He was 22nd out of a class of 24. While here he received his Air Gunner Badge. On February 23rd he was posted to No. 31 Operational Training Unit based at Debert - Nova Scotia. Between February 23-May 18 he was attached to No. 5 Manning Depot in Lachine - Quebec. However on February 24 he learned he would proceed to Royal Air Force Ferry Command in Gander - Newfoundland.

Overseas

On May 15 Flight Sergeant flew from Canada to Gander Newfounland. Four days later on May 19 he embarked from North America bound for overseas and a flight across the North Atlantic. One day later he disembarked in the United Kingdom and reported to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre on May 21. He was posted to No. 24 Operational Training Unit on June 16th based at RAF Honeybourne - Worcestershire with No. 7 Group   RAF Bomber Command where they trained for night missions and at this time they were flying Armstrong Whitworth Whitely aircraft. Then it was on to RAF No. 10 Conversion Flight on August 28 and he remained here until September 19, 1942 when he joined 10 Squadron of No. 4 Group with Bomber Command.

In the Field
                                                                                                                                                                          Before this mission Flight Sergeant Mowbray had 16 hours of flying time logged.
Flight Sergeant Mowbray and his crew were airborne at 17:56 hours on October 1, 1942 and he and his crew were on a night mission in Halifax Mk II BB 207   ZA-M. He was the Wireless Operator for this mission, when over Flensburg, Germany they were shot down. Flensburg was the target as it was a very important submarine base and it would have to be attacked at low level. The defences over the target were extremely heavy and the searchlight activity was intense and active.
There were 27 aircraft taking part in this raid with 12 aircraft being lost and 12 aircraft reporting good
bombing results.

In June of 1944 the Mowbray family received the Memorial Cross. In the month of May 1946 the family received Alex's Operational Wings. They also received the Medals awarded to Alex which included the 1939-45 Star, the Aircrew Europe Star, the War Medal and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Alex is honoured and remembered on the Lucknow - Ontario Cenotaph. He is honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaque on Whitechurch Presbyterian Church. He is honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaque of the RCAF Bomber Command Memorial. He is honoured and remembered on the Virtual Canadian War Memorial. He is honoured and remembered on a plaque at the former RAF Bomber Command - Group 4 Headquarters in York - North Yorkshire at Heslington Hall.