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SQN LDR David Leicester,  DFC and Bar, OAM,

David Leicester was born at Unley in Adelaide's inner south, on 30 June 1923.  Enlisting from Mitcham, South Australia in late 1940, David and was posted to No. 1 EFTS (Elementary Flying Training School) at Parafield SA to train on Tiger Moths.

After moving on to Wirraways at 1 Service Flying Training School at Point Cook, he was disappointed to be put onto twin-engined Airspeed Oxfords, aspiring as most did initially, to be a fighter pilot. A greater demand beckoned.  The 18 year old was destined to be a Bomber pilot.

After embarking for the UK, he undertook further training at Honeybourne on Oxfords and Whitleys , he experienced his first major incident when he had an engine fire on take-off on his first night solo. This necessitated a 'wheels-up' forced landing of his Whitley bomber, which earned him a “green entry” in his log book: “14/1/1943. “Commended for coolness and calmness in emergency.” AOC 91 group

Before leaving the Operational Training Unit (OTU), he completed his first operation against the enemy with a leaflet raid over France. After OTU, he was posted to No. 1658 HCU (Heavy Bomber Conversion Unit) to convert to the Halifax bomber and to pick a crew, all RAF sergeants.  Before finishing HCU, David had to fly as a 'second dickie' pilot with another crew in a raid on Stettin, on 20 April 1943 and another on Duisburg on the 25th. He and his crew were posted to No. 158 Sqn RAF at Lissett in Yorkshire in No. 4 Group flying Halifax B Mk II aircraft, powered by Merlin XXs (Halifaxes were normally powered by Bristol Hercules radials)  and assigned to ‘C’ Flight, commanded by Squadron Leader Smylie DFC.

Quickly in action,. their first operation was to Duisburg On 11 May 1943, followed by 26 more through to December flying Merlin-powered Halifax IIs to targets including Bochum, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Essen (twice), Wuppertal (twice), Krefeld, Mannheim, Gelsenkirchen (twice), Cologne, Hamburg, Nuremberg, Leverkusen (twice), Berlin, Modane, Kassell and Stuttgart. David in his monograph somewhat laconically related that “…we got through the raids relatively unscathed although we had to withstand ack-ack fire, nightfighters and searchlights etc.” He went on to say: “A few very bad moments when we thought a bail out was necessary and an occasion when the bomb aimer was injured – but not seriously. A return to base with a badly holed aircraft – through shrapnel – and/or on three engines was not an uncommon experience.”

It was while still at Lissett that David, then a 20 year old Flight Sergeant, was commissioned and promoted to ‘C’ Flight Commander. This unlikely circumstance – he had only been a Flight Sergeant for six weeks - was a result of the 158 Sqn Commanding Officer, WGCDR Hope DFC, deciding, against regulations, to take a crew on an operation. He selected as his crew the ‘C’ Flight Commander, Sqd Ldr Smylie, as navigation leader and all the various bombing, gunnery, wireless, engineer leaders, plus a gunner from another crew. They were shot down near the target, and although they survived to become prisoners of war, this incident left the squadron and ‘C’ Flight, completely leaderless.

David, in spite of his youth, was the most experienced pilot left on the squadron. A new CO, Jock Calder, was appointed in August 1943 and David, with no replacement flight commander available, became the youngest Squadron Leader in the RAF – and in all the allied air forces - as Flight Commander ‘C’ Flight. During this period, on 14 January 1944, David was awarded his first DFC. The award was flagged on 31 December 1943 in a telegram to him from the Commander in Chief, Bomber Command. David has said that No.4 Group gallantry awards were not for individual acts but for sustained exposure to extreme danger through completion of multiple missions. An undated press clipping in his book readshe “...has been awarded the DFC for bravery while attacking heavily defended targets in Germany, including Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne.”

The WCDR Hope episode resulted in the AOC 4 Group issuing instructions that squadron COs were not permitted to fly on operations and flight commanders were allowed only one a month. David’s crew were ready to be rested by then, but it is a tribute to his leadership that they all agreed to continue, and to assist with the training of new crews assigned to his Flight. In late 1943 a new squadron was formed at Leconfield in Yorkshire, less than 20km south-west of Lissett. David’s 158 Sqn ‘C’ Flight was to be the nucleus of the new squadron, No. 640, and David was made its acting CO and ‘A’ Flight commander until a new CO was appointed. He moved to Leconfield on 7 January 1944 to take up his new duties. He had previously flown the Merlin-powered Halifax IIs from Lissett, but the new squadron was equipped with Bristol Hercules XVI radial-engined Halifax IIIs.

His time with 640 Sqn was short but he did undertake another four operations (from Lissett) to Stuttgart, Trappes (in France), Essen and Nuremberg. The last, David’s 31st Operation, was on 30/31 March 1944 and was the worst night in RAF history. David and his crew were included on the mission to Nuremberg, although his 30-mission tour of operations was already complete, because the size of the operation called for squadrons to ‘make maximum effort’ to contribute aircraft to it. Of the 779 bombers taking part, 96 were lost and another 10 written off after landing back in England and 545 crewmen were lost. Little was gained – due to adverse weather conditions, Nuremberg was only lightly damaged.

David’s aircraft was attacked by a German night fighter over the target and suffered severe damage including loss of one engine and the nose perspex at the bomb - aimer’s position being shot out. Fortunately his bomb aimer was only lightly wounded but this damage made for a difficult and hazardous flight home and landing. After this David and his crew, understandably, felt they had done enough and requested a rest from Ops and appointment to non-combat duties. Those appointments went ahead and the crew went their separate ways and never flew together again. All had been commissioned and some decorated while on the squadron.

David was posted to the RAF College at Cranwell to attend a course for junior commanders. He did well in spite of his lack of interest in the subjects, and especially well in Air Force Law. This resulted in his appointment to assist with the conduct of Courts of Enquiry in aircraft accidents in training programs, a job he hated. He asked for a posting back to flying only to be told that his only course back into operational flying was to volunteer for the Pathfinder Force (PFF). This he managed through his acquaintance with the 4 Group AOC’s secretary, who he was visiting, when a phone call came in to her saying 35 (PFF) Sqn needed an experienced SQLDR-Pilot to replace a pilot wounded the night before a raid. Being in the right place at the right time and knowing the right people resulted in David being a quick appointment to No. 35 Sqn. When he reported to 35 Sqn, however, he learned that the wounded pilot was expected to be recovered by the time his crew came back from leave.

David’s next best option was to report to the Pathfinder Navigation Training Unit (PNTU) at Warboys, complete the PFF navigation training course, form a new crew and start a new tour of operations with the Pathfinders. This he did with his new crew all being RAF officers who had completed a full tour of operations. In July 1944 they were posted back to No. 35 Sqn at Gravely. The first Op was to Kiel, then Stuttgart then Hamburg – then 34 more to make up a total of 68 including his 31 trips with 158 and 640 squadrons.

There were normally 20 to 30 Pathfinder aircraft included on an operation performing various functions of increasing hazard. As crews gained experience they progressed from ‘Supporters’, who were spread throughout the bomber stream; to ‘Illuminators’, who were first at the target to illuminate it with flares when weather conditions were suitable to enable more accurate marking; to ‘visual or blind markers’, who dropped colour-coded flares to mark the aiming point for the bomber stream, either visually or by instrument flight calculation depending on the weather; and ultimately to ‘Master Bombers’ and re-mark the aiming point with different coloured flares to counter any decoy flares placed by the Germans. All these roles were extremely hazardous, both because their arrival at the target ahead of the bombing stream resulted in the loitering over the target for extended periods exposing them to sustained attacks.

David performed all of these roles during his 37 Pathfinder operations. Pathfinders suffered the highest casualty rate of any branch of the armed services. David received a Bar to his DFC on 16 January 1945 when his tour with 35 Sqn finished he and seven others were ordered to an investiture at Buckingham Palace, where his DFC and Bar were presented by the King. With the citation: “Since the award of the DFC, S/L Leicester has continued to operate with undiminished efficiency, determination and enthusiasm. Under his fine captaincy his crew has achieved many successes and has set an example to all the Squadron. This officer’s attention to every detail, combined with his cool courage in the face of the heaviest opposition is worthy of high praise.”

In 2007 David was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), “For service to the community through ex-Service, heritage and local government organisations”. David also received the Legion d’Honneur for his role in the liberation of France. David lived with wife Joan in Adelaide.

The veteran community was saddened to hear of David's passing on 14th September 2021, aged 98 years.

From the Bomber Command Association in Australia newletter https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/3445