 |
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||
|
W/O WB " Bill"Stack 749518 RAFVR Figures in the mist
WOp/AG (probably Sgt Duffy) left, Hugh Clutterbuck (pilot) centre, Sgt Observer Bill Stack, right, in the official photograph probably taken at Menidi in late 1940. Into service Soon Stack was moving on to Air Navigation exercises in the School’s Avro Ansons. By 7 February 1940 he had passed out of 1 AONS, having flown 50:10hrs, 31:50hrs in the Fokkers and 17:30hrs in Ansons. Typically of those early days, he had accumulated just 50mins experience in night flying.
In this undated, sunny shot there are no airmen above the rank of Corporal and no aircrew badges in evidence. Presumably an early training shot, with AC2 Stack 6th from the left in the back row. Probably 1 AONS Prestwick. Qualifying as LAC Air Observer at 4 Bombing and Gunnery School West Freugh wef 18 April 1940, Stack would have been promoted to Sergeant almost immediately. In completing his 4 BGS course in Fairey Battles and Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys, his flying had reached 64:30hrs by day. With 211 Squadron in the Western Desert
His first flight with the Squadron, on 29 April 1940, was a three hour navigation and map reading exercise from Daba to Bir Hooker, El Fayum, Damanhur and return with F/O George Doudney in Blenheim I L1496. George at that time was OIC ‘B’ Flight, giving the new lad a check and familiarisation run. In June 1940 the balloon finally went up. Starting with a 3:25hr reconnaissance sortie on 11 June with P/O “Duke” Delaney in L6634, Bill had gathered much valuable experience by the end of July. By then he had recorded 8 operations against Italian forces in the Western Desert, with familiar characters of the Squadron like Delaney, P/O Ken Dundas and P/O Ritchie.
From August onwards, the workload increased. Crewing regularly with P/O “Buck” Buchanan and either JG Sharratt or Pattison in the turret, Sgt Stack had accumulated 24 operations to his credit by the time 211 Squadron left the sands of Daba for Greece at the end of October 1940.
Bill Stack, right, with another, unnamed, Sergeant Observer. In Greece, he flew mostly with Buchanan, now ‘B’ Flight commander, and Pattison as WOp/AG until the end of January. By February, F/O Clutterbuck, Sgt Stack and Sgt ”Tubby” Taylor were flying often as a crew.
The familiar view across the airfield at Menidi, with Parnes in the distance. These three miniature shots have come up quite well. For a modern view see Tatoi today. That winter in Greece, Sergeant Observer WB Stack completed a further 38 operations, 25 of them with Hugh Clutterbuck as pilot. Stack was evacuated from Greece on 21 April 1940, flying out in Short Sunderland N9029 of 230 Squadron with F/Lt Lywood in command. Aboard the same aircraft: Sgt CFR Clark.
The three men are (L to R) Sgt "Willy" Shimmin (WOp/AG); Sgt Doug Davis and Sgt Bill Stack, looking remarkably similar to Alan’s younger brother when he was in his twenties. My father kept this photograph in his copy of Wings Over Olympus. JG Sharratt kept a fuller set of snaps of the occasion. Davis, a pilot, was shot down with his crew Sgts Stalder and Trenholm over Syria 28 May 1941, the Squadron’s last Middle East losses in action.
At the beach again, surrounded by deck-chairs. Re-established at Aquir, the Squadron resumed the offensive, this time against the Vichy French in Syria. Bill clocked up 4 more sorties with Clutters in this awkward period, until 211 Squadron was withdrawn to The Sudan for training duties that June. With the Scorpions It is apparent from his Flying Log that some of his work with the Scorpions was in the form of training exercises. By the end of September 1941, Stack had accumulated 354:50hrs flying by day and 22:15hrs flying by night. By then, he must have well and truly been due for a rest in a training unit.
At last he was indeed screened, off to Nakuru in Kenya and 70 OTU. From 1941 they were training EATS crews on Blenheims, taking on Martin Baltimores from June 1942. And home safe WB “Bill” Stack passed away in December 2003, survived by his wife, his son Alan, and one grandson. Sources Clark family photographs Sturtivant R RAF Flying Training and Support Units Since 1912 (Air Britain 2007)
www.211squadron.org © D Clark & others 1998—2024 |
|||||||||||||||
