Flt/Lt Ronald Walter Johnson RAFVR - Navigator, 223 (Bomber Support) Squadron - 28th January 1922 - 28th August 2013
F/O Thompson & crew, lost 20/21 Feb 1945
Rear L to R: F/S Jack Kendall, F/S Ron Wood, F/S George Graham,
F/O ‘Tommy’ Thompson, F/S Ron Wynn, F/O Ron Johnson
Front L to R: Sgt Ted Whittaker, F/S Rex Arnett, F/O ‘Chips’ Carpenter
F/S Brian Maxwell, W/O Bill Baker, W/O Ron Palmer
(Carpenter had left the crew and Arnett was sick and replaced by F/S Des Bryant on the night)
Ron Johnson was employed in a Law firm in Grays Inn, London when war broke out. Like many of his contemporaries he was inspired to be a pilot and volunteered for aircrew. This was despite the advice of his elder brother who urged him not to volunteer for aircrew. He was already serving in the RAF and had seen at first hand the casualties amongst the young fighter pilots flying from Kent airfields during the Battle of Britain.
His call-up papers duly arrived and he reported as instructed to the RAF Recruiting Office at Euston. After a very strenuous day of rigorous testing and examination he was pronounced A1 in all respects, and was accepted for pilot training. At this early stage of the war the training machine was swamped by the avalanche of recruits, and Ron was placed on Reserve and returned home to await further instructions.
After a wait of 7/8 months he received instructions to report to the Aircrew Reception Centre at St Johns Wood where he was kitted out, jabbed and lectured. More waiting followed until he was called forward to 11 ITW at Scarborough to begin the first stage of his aircrew training. Completing his ITW course it was on to No 4 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) at Borough in East Yorks where initial assessment of his suitability for pilot training was carried out. This was his introduction to the De Havilland Tiger Moth.
Again he was successful and was told that he would be going to Canada, taking part in the Empire Air Training Scheme.
He crossed the Atlantic in style travelling in the Queen Elizabeth to Halifax, Nova Scotia. A long train journey followed across Canada to the Town of Virden in Manitoba, the home of No. 19 EFTS. Ron enjoyed his flying training using the Tiger Moth and went solo after 13 hours 25 min in the air. Despite this success in training Ron was not convinced that he wanted to be a pilot after all. Despite pressure to continue his pilot training he would not change his mind and reluctantly he was posted away to a nearby Holding Depot. After a number of interviews he was offered an Observer’s Course. This entailed an Air Gunner’s course, a Bomb Aimer’s course and a full Navigator’s course. This comprehensive series appealed to Ron and the die was cast.
His new direction commenced with his attendance at No. 31 Bombing & Gunnery School, Picton, Ontario flying in Blenheim and Bolingbroke aircraft. Completed in 6 weeks it was on to No. 9 Air Observers School (AOS) at St Jean, Quebec, near Montreal. The 5 month course was very intense covering the theory and practice of air navigation. The practice took place in Avro Ansons involving flying some 75 hours by day and 40 hours at night. Inevitably some of his colleagues fell by the way side, but Ron survived to finish a
creditable 6th out of the 24 who finally emerged to earn their Observers’ Flying ‘O’ badge and promotion to Sgt.
There followed a brief interlude of an unforgettable week’s leave spent in New York before it was off on the next element of the long training trail. He had been selected to join Coastal Command, and this required another long rail journey, this time to Prince Edward Island in NE Canada, home of No. 1 General Reconnaissance School (GRS) at Summerside. The sun was certainly shining on him at this time as he was among a small number of his fellow AOS graduates to be granted a Commission. Ron spent his time polishing up his navigational skills at Summerside, again flying in Avro Ansons.
Another surprise posting at the end of the course saw him on his way to No. 111 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit at Nassau in the Bahamas where he was to convert to one of Coastal Command’s Very Long Range aircraft, the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. His move to Nassau had the bonus of extending his time away from the blackout, rationing and other miseries of wartime Britain. Here, Ron went through the crucial crewing up experience that was very much a lottery. However, he was very lucky as he met an RCAF pilot, ‘Tommy’ Thompson, who after a chat, invited him to complete his crew. He was introduced to them, 5 more Canadians and an RAF Flight Engineer (F/E). Ron quickly gained a great respect for his new skipper, a big man in every way, and quickly bonded with his crew mates.
Flying commenced on the twin engine B-25 Mitchell at Oakes Field. This was the first stint in their conversion training. It lasted for 5 weeks carrying out training exercises by day and night, including 5 hour anti-submarine patrols. It had the benefit of shaking them down as a crew in preparation for the second and most important phase which involved a move to the Island’s other airfield at Windsor Field where their conversion to the Liberator would take place. This was successfully completed after 3 months.
At the end of the course it was back to Britain via Canada to await their posting to a Coastal Command Squadron. However, the war had moved on since their training had begun. The Allies had got the upper hand in the U Boat war, and the Command had started to disband some of its Squadrons creating an aircrew surplus. Fate decreed their return would also coincide with a requirement to reform a Squadron in Bomber Command to be equipped with Liberators; given added priority to help deal with the then perceived threat of radio controlled V2s. What was the role of 100 Group and 223(Bomber Support) Squadron, and where the hell was RAF Oulton? They were soon to find out. Ron and his crew were entering the highly secretive world of Radio Counter Measures, and only the Squadron’s Liberators would be initially familiar to them.
Arriving at Oulton in early September there was a hiatus whilst their aircraft were delivered and made ready for the new role. After a short work up they flew their first operation on 7 October 1944. Ron was ever present on their first 19 missions.
On the night of 19/20 February 1945 the crew were on Battle Order for a Window Patrol. It was not a good night for them. They would be without their regular Wireless Operator, Flt Sgt Rex Arnett RCAF who had reported sick and was replaced by Flt Sgt Des Bryant RAF.
For no apparent reason they felt apprehensive as they walked across the dispersal to their regular aircraft TS520, J–Johnnie. They were unsettled further by last minute minor faults that delayed their take-off by 11 minutes, and finally got airborne at 2236. More trouble developed in the climb when the turbosupercharger on No. 4 engine was found to be u/s; this affected the aircraft’s rate of climb, and its ability to maintain height and speed. The need to use higher boost and rpm settings resulted in a significant increase in fuel consumption. Notwithstanding these problems, F/O Thompson elected to continue, and surprisingly they were only 1 minute late at their first turning point.
The flight continued uneventfully until 0125 when they were approximately 30 miles SE of Dortmund at a height of 18,000ft. Without warning they were attacked by 2, possibly 3, Ju88s. Thompson took immediate evasive action, corkscrewing to shake off the attackers. This appeared to have been successful and they were left alone for a few minutes. Ron had just sorted out his plot and given Tommy a course correction to bring them back on track, when they were attacked from both ahead and from the rear. There was no escape this time and J-Johnnie was raked from end to end; there followed a violent rocking and the whole aircraft appeared to shudder before entering an uncontrolled dive. The aircraft was now on fire, and smoke and flames reached Ron’s position in the nose. Remarkably, Tommy and Jack Kendall briefly regained control. Over the intercom he heard Tommy say calmly “This is the end fellows, abandon aircraft”. Ron pulled the emergency handle to open the nose wheel doors that provided his escape from
the Navigator’s position in the nose. He experienced a moment of panic as he could not move the handle. It took a kick from his boot before it operated to open the doors. After the noise, smoke and flames all was peaceful as his chute opened and he descended to the snow clad hills and forests of enemy territory below. He landed without injury, but had lost a flying boot during the descent. The snowbound conditions and his frozen foot eventually prompted him to seek help and he was taken prisoner. Four of the crew
located in the rear of the aircraft had also baled out successfully. They were the two Special Operators: W/Os Ron Palmer RAF and Bill Baker RAF, Rear Gunner Flt Sgt George Graham RCAF and Waist Gunner Flt Sgt Brian Maxwell RCAF. Those who were unable to escape from the doomed plane were:
F/O ‘Tommy’ Thompson RCAF - Pilot
Flt Sgt Jack Kendall RAF - 2nd Pilot
Flt Sgt Ron Woods RCAF - Mid Upper Gunner
Flt Sgt Ron Wynn RAF - Flight Engineer
Sgt Ted Whittaker RAF - Waist Gunner
Flt Sgt Des Bryant RAF - Wireless Operator
Ron’s period as a POW was thankfully brief. After an initial period at the aircrew interrogation centre at Stalag Luft Oberusel near Frankfurt he was transported to Dulag Wetzlau to the NW of Frankfurt. This was another temporary stop before he was moved again to Stalag Luft III in Nuremberg. From here in early April he was to join a march of fellow POWs that ended on 20 April at Stalag VII AC located at Moosburg near Munich. At the end of hostilities he was repatriated in a USAAF Dakota landing at RAF Westcott, near Aylesbury, on 10 May.
After a lengthy spell of leave he attended a Medical Board where he was pronounced unfit for further flying duties. Whilst he waited for his release date he was posted to the RAF School of Administration at RAF Credenhill, Hereford for a month’s course to turn him into a Secretarial Officer. On course completion he was posted to HQ 43 Group, Maintenance Command, at RAF Stanmore to be Camp Commandant. In July 1946, he married Betty and in September 1946 Flt Lt Johnson returned to civilian life. He did not return to his pre-war Law occupation. In yet another change of direction he attended Wandsworth College and trained as a teacher. A successful career in Education followed and he became a respected headmaster. He also lectured at the University of London.
This photo of Ron shows him holding a fragment of his aircraft retrieved from its crash site on 20th September 2000.
I first encountered Ron at the early Reunions, and I always looked forward to meeting him and Betty through the years. Sadly, in later times he did not enjoy good health and he and Betty had to give up attending the annual event. However, we kept in touch and it was always a particular pleasure to speak with him on the phone or to see his familiar handwriting amongst my morning mail. He retained his interest in all things 223 Squadron. Fortunately, he placed all his wartime memories in his book, ‘A Navigator’s Tale’, published in 2000. Particularly valuable, it was the second of only three personal accounts covering 223 Squadron’s 100 Group activities. I have drawn on it for this account in addition to the memories from our conversations and correspondence over the years. He was a very modest man, but always willing to discuss his experiences with me and he was always interested to learn of my progress during my long period of research for my own book on 223 Squadron. Ron really was a man of many parts. In addition to the varied aspects of his life already mentioned he was a talented writer of poetry. It was particularly poignant that he was able to read his poem ‘In Memoriam’ at the dedication of the memorial at Oulton in May 1994. He had written it in June 1945 in dedication to the 6 members of his crew who made the supreme sacrifice on the night of 20/21 March 1945.
Ron was a private man but warm hearted to those who were lucky enough to come know him. I count myself very fortunate to have been in the latter category. It was therefore with great sadness that I received Betty’s telephone call to break the news of his passing. I shall always remember him with respect and affection.
Richard M Forder (9th November 2013)
Photographs courtesy of Mrs E Johnson, with thanks
This article is from the Winter 2013 issue of Confound and Destroy
