454 RAAF Squadron : 15.10.42 - 12.1.44
Flight Lieutenant Edward Langdon "Gerry" GRIMWADE
Wing Operator Air Gunner
RAAF No.
407864
Born: 22.8.1914 - Drummoyne - NSW
Gerry at the 2006 Anzac Day
reunion luncheon
Gerry will soon be providing us with more details of his
wartime experiences.
<<>>
Crew member --- part
of OPERATION "THESIS"
A retaliatory raid
that would be a large combined air strike against various
ports and military establishments on Crete. 8 crews
were chosen for this mission. Gerry Grimwade flew
with Squadron Leader L.H. Folkard, RAFVR
The
"Thesis" Raid of Crete was to relieve pressure from the
German operation "Huskey" - the Allied invasion of Sicily
and avenge the execution of 100 Cretans who had been shot
after assisting a Commando raid on the island.
454 were to provide 2 box
formations of 4 aircraft each - each loaded with six 250 lb
bombs. A 230 mile flight. The mission resulted
in 5 aircraft lost over Crete.
The planners at HQ had
forgotten that although the Allies were on double summer
time, the Axis were not. The plan assumed the German
defences would be at breakfast and be caught unawares, but
in Crete, breakfast was over and the Germans were already
attending their daily duties. This combined with the
time it took the escort to coordinate and so the Baltimores
consequently arrived over the island first, alerting the
island defences, anti-aircraft guns and enemy fighters. The
German defences were fully prepared and hence the inevitable
result of this low-level strike.
Gerry whose crew logged three and
three-quarter hours for the sortie, was another of the lucky
returnees. Gerry said "we were a more experienced
crew and didn't take undue chances". He later recalled
"bloody lucky really and we watched Folkard go in, blown up
by his own bombs." Together with the five Baltimores,
thirteen of the escorting Hurricanes were also shot down.
FLIGHT CREW - FA 300 -
FIRST WAVE - 23.7.1943
Squadron Leader L.H. Folkard,
FAFVR
Warrant Officer F.R. Morgan, RAAF
Flight Sergeant R.N. Lawson, RNZAF
Flight Sergeant E.L. Grimwade, RAAF
Flight Sergeant W.T. Hayes, RNZAF
The other 3 Crews: AG 995
(see Folkard's page);
AG952; FA390:A - photo below (also see
Akhurst page)
Second Wave - 23.7.43
4 CREWS:
FA409; AG869; FA247 AND FA224
Akhurst's plane - the salvage crew examine the wreck of
FA 390 A -- par of the First Wave
You can read
more about this mission in Mark Lax's book "Alamein To The
Alps". (for details on this book go to our
News Page).
Presentation of Painting - Australian War Memorial 1996
Back Row - L-R: Kevin Blanch -459,
Sep Owen - 459, Peter Matthews - 454,
Doug Hutchinson - 454 (flew
with Sq/L Folkard Flight AG995 - first wave) , Tom
Gaunt - 459, George Gray -454, Frank Cowan - 454, [Gerry Grimwade
- 454 (last on right - back)]
Front Row - L-R: Bill Abbott - 454, Bob
Andrews - 454, Max Coghlan - 454, Ray Rickie - 454 & Jack Stacey
- 454
