Orders, Decorations and Medals

R.N.Z.A.F. Navigator’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book, an exceptionally good Flying Log Book belonging to Warrant Officer (Wireless Operator-Air Gunner) E. L. Parry, No. 75 (New Zealand) Squadron and No. 12 Squadron, Royal Air Force, for the period August 1939 to August 1945, together with a photograph of his regular Wellington ‘HE 575’, good condition

517154 Sergeant E. L. Parry qualified as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner on 27 June 1939 and in August 1939 received gunnery training in Ansons before joining R.N.Z.A.F. Heavy Bomber Flight on October 1939 fro further training in Wellingtons. At the beginning of April 1940 he was posted to No. 75 (New Zealand) Squadron as one of the original members of this, the first Commonwealth Squadron to be formed in Bomber Command. From his very first operation, Parry’s Log Book provides a record that almost defies belief, especially when one remembers that he, like so many, received no special reward for what he went through. His 31 operational missions as W/O-Air Gunner are listed below, none left out and none embellished:

9 April 1940 - Anti shipping off Norwegian coast - Target not found. Fired at by three Ju88’s! Returned fire.
10 April - Waalhaven bombed - Heavy flak from enemy shipping, port engine caught fire. Navigator injured.
12 April - Anti shipping Norwegian coast - Target not found. Attacked by Ju88’s, one shot down.
19 April - Sola Airfield bombed. Attacked by Bf110’s. Pranged on landing Feltwell.
28 April - Stavangar Airfield bombed - Heavy fires, two large explosions. Attacked by Bf109’s. Wireless out of action.
2 May - Rye Airfield bombed. Heavily attacked by Bf110’s, fire in aft turret - Target left in flames.
12 May - Geldern Bridge - River Maas - Target covered by cloud. Bombs dropped off Dutch coast. Attacked by Bf110’s south of Rotterdam. Heavy damage to a/c.
17 May - Geldern Bridge - Bombed and destroyed. Heavy flak off Dutch coast, chased by three Bf110’s. No damage.
15/16 June - Monheim - Bombs dropped on flares. Large scattered fires. Attacked by Bf110’s over Dutch coast. One hit seen to go down.
22/23 June - Phospher dropped over Dusseldorf - several small fires. Attacked by Ju88, returned fire.
28/29 June - Rail Yards at Homberg - Bombed on flares, several large fires and explosions. Heavily attacked by Ju88’s over Luxembourg. Fire in port wing. Wheels up landing made at Friston.
26/27 September - Bremen - Rail Yards bombed. Light flak damage.
5/6 October - Hamberg - Returned Feltwell (Port engine failure).
17/18 October - Munster - Bombed on flares - attacked by 3 Ju88’s, 2 damaged, 1 probable.
25/26 October - Diversion Op Dutch coast.
7/8 November - Essen - Oil plant, heavy fires, light flak damage over Schipol.
29 November - Cologne - Target covered by cloud, bombed on T.I’s (secondary). Attacked by two Bf110’s, one hit, seen to go down, 700 rounds fired.
16/17 December - ‘Abigail’ - Mannheim - Oil depot, bombs dropped on T.I’s. Attacked by Bf110’s - two hit, one probable.
16 January 1941 - Bremen - Oil targets hit, heavy flak damage, fin damaged - wheels up Tangmere!
25 February - Diversion Op Le Havre, attacked by four Bf109’s, 700 rounds fired, 1 probable.
12 March - Berlin - Bombs dropped on second pass. Heavy flak Magdeburg, Two Bf110’s sighted, 750 rounds fired.
26/27 March - Rotterdam - Oil storage tanks - dropped on T.I’s. Attacked by Bf109’s, stbd wing tanks caught fire. Landed Hawkenge.
5/6 April - Kiel - Bombs dropped 1,000 ft, 1 factory, 2 Ships hit, light flak, Ju88 shot down off coast.
6 May - Wilhelmshaven - Bombed on T.I’s large fires in western part of town, heavy flak over Dutch coast. No enemy a/c sighted.
12 March 1942 - Lubeck - Dropped on flares, heavy explosions north city, accurate flak Kiel Canal - Light damage from Bf109 beam attack, 700 rnds fired.
8/9 April - Essen - Dropped on ‘G-EE’ - Scattered fires - No e/a.
10/11 April - Essen - Target covered by cloud, hit by flak, bombed secondary on return, port engine u/s.
28/29 April - Lubeck - Very low level! Undefended - Town left ablaze.
1 June - Essen - Dropped on flares, Rail Yards hit, medium flak - attacked by Ju88’s Holland, one shot down, one on fire, damage to rear turret/elevators.
28 July - Cologne - Bombed on flares, heavy flak damage. Attacked by Bf110’s two hit, fire in bomb bay - doors jettisoned.
27/28 December - Bremen - Target covered by cloud. Dropped on secondary - Bremerhaven, large fires, heavy flak from Wilhelmshaven, hit in both wings/fuselage.

Parry left 75 Squadron in May 1943 and joined No. 131 C.O.T.U. at Killadeas, where he trained on Sunderland Flying Boats and took part in Air Sea Recue and anti-submarine patrols. In November 1943 he joined No. 302 F.T.U, again in Sunderlands but this time further afield, to Africa and the Pacific. After a brief visit to 10 Air gunnery School on Walmey Island in February and March 1944, Parry joined No 12 Squadron (Lancasters) and took part in one final operation against the Marshalling Yards at Tergnier on 31 April 1944. In March 1945 he was appointed to ‘Special Duties’ and flew several flights in Mosquitos with a Sqn/Ldr Stevens, D.F.C., on one of these (19 April 1945) noting ‘Jets sighted’.