Dinghy Young
Encyclopedia
Squadron Leader
Henry Melvin "Dinghy" Young, DFC
& Bar
(20 May 1915 - 17 May 1943) was a Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Bomber Command
pilot.
Young was born in London to Henry George Melvin Young, a British solicitor, and Fannie Rowan Young. He was educated at Westminster School and Oxford, where he was part of the winning crew of the 1938 Boat Race
.
Though going normally by the name Melvin, he acquired the nickname "Dinghy" after being shot down over the sea twice and surviving in inflatable dinghies.
, where flying a modified Avro Lancaster
ED877/G AJ-A (code-named A-Apple), he took part in Operation Chastise
, the raid to attack German dams in the Ruhr Valley. The seven-man crew of A-Apple consisted of Young (pilot), Flt Sgt
Charles Walpole Roberts (Navigator), F/O
Vincent Sandford MacCausland (Bomb Aimer)
, Sgt David Taylor Horsfall (Flight Engineer), Sgt Lawrence William Nichols (Wireless Operator), Sgt Gordon Arthur Yeo (Front Gunner
) and Sgt Wilfred Ibbotson (Rear Gunner). A-Apple flew as part of the first wave which attacked the Möhne Dam
. Young was second in command
of the raid, which was lead by Wg Cdr Guy Gibson
flying G-George.
The first three aircraft to attack, Gibson
(G-George), Hopgood (M-Mother) and Martin
(P-Popsie), all missed the target. A-Apple was fourth to attack and hit the dam, causing a small breach. As this breach was not apparent, a fifth aircraft Maltby (J-Johnny) subsequently attacked the dam and achieved a hit, causing a larger breach.
On the return journey, A-Apple was brought down by anti-aircraft fire, probably by gunners at Castricum-ann-Zee. However, his luck had run out. The bodies of seven crewmen were washed up on the Dutch coast over the subsequent days and were buried in the General Cemetery, Bergen, North Holland
.
, Young was portrayed by Richard Leech
.
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Henry Melvin "Dinghy" Young, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
& Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
(20 May 1915 - 17 May 1943) was a Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...
Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
pilot.
Young was born in London to Henry George Melvin Young, a British solicitor, and Fannie Rowan Young. He was educated at Westminster School and Oxford, where he was part of the winning crew of the 1938 Boat Race
The Boat Race
The event generally known as "The Boat Race" is a rowing race in England between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, rowed between competing eights each spring on the River Thames in London. It takes place generally on the last Saturday of March or the first...
.
Though going normally by the name Melvin, he acquired the nickname "Dinghy" after being shot down over the sea twice and surviving in inflatable dinghies.
Operation Chastise
In 1943 he was posted to No. 617 SquadronNo. 617 Squadron RAF
No. 617 Squadron is a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. It currently operates the Tornado GR4 in the ground attack and reconnaissance role...
, where flying a modified Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
ED877/G AJ-A (code-named A-Apple), he took part in Operation Chastise
Operation Chastise
Operation Chastise was an attack on German dams carried out on 16–17 May 1943 by Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron, subsequently known as the "Dambusters", using a specially developed "bouncing bomb" invented and developed by Barnes Wallis...
, the raid to attack German dams in the Ruhr Valley. The seven-man crew of A-Apple consisted of Young (pilot), Flt Sgt
Flight Sergeant
Flight sergeant is a senior non-commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and several other air forces which have adopted all or part of the RAF rank structure...
Charles Walpole Roberts (Navigator), F/O
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
Vincent Sandford MacCausland (Bomb Aimer)
Bombardier (air force)
A bombardier , in the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force, or a bomb aimer, in the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces, was the crewman of a bomber responsible for assisting the navigator in guiding the plane to a bombing target and releasing the aircraft's bomb...
, Sgt David Taylor Horsfall (Flight Engineer), Sgt Lawrence William Nichols (Wireless Operator), Sgt Gordon Arthur Yeo (Front Gunner
Air gunner
An air gunner a.k.a. aerial gunner is a member of an air force aircrew who operates flexible-mount or turret-mounted machine guns or autocannons in an aircraft...
) and Sgt Wilfred Ibbotson (Rear Gunner). A-Apple flew as part of the first wave which attacked the Möhne Dam
Möhne Reservoir
The Möhne Reservoir is an artificial lake in North Rhine-Westphalia, some 45 km east of Dortmund. The dam was built between 1908 and 1913 to help control floods, regulate water levels on the Ruhr river downstream, and generate hydropower. Today, the lake is also a tourist attraction...
. Young was second in command
Second in Command
Second in Command is a 2006 action film directed by Simon Fellows, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. It was released direct-to-video in the United States, Belgium, and Germany on May 2, 2006. It has been rated R by the MPAA for violence and some language. The film was made in Bucharest, Romania.-Plot...
of the raid, which was lead by Wg Cdr Guy Gibson
Guy Gibson
Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, RAF , was the first CO of the Royal Air Force's 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam Busters" raid in 1943, resulting in the destruction of two large dams in the Ruhr area...
flying G-George.
The first three aircraft to attack, Gibson
Guy Gibson
Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, RAF , was the first CO of the Royal Air Force's 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam Busters" raid in 1943, resulting in the destruction of two large dams in the Ruhr area...
(G-George), Hopgood (M-Mother) and Martin
Harold Brownlow Martin
Air Marshal Sir Harold Brownlow Morgan "Micky" Martin, KCB, DSO & Bar, DFC & Two Bars, AFC was an Australian pilot in the Royal Air Force....
(P-Popsie), all missed the target. A-Apple was fourth to attack and hit the dam, causing a small breach. As this breach was not apparent, a fifth aircraft Maltby (J-Johnny) subsequently attacked the dam and achieved a hit, causing a larger breach.
On the return journey, A-Apple was brought down by anti-aircraft fire, probably by gunners at Castricum-ann-Zee. However, his luck had run out. The bodies of seven crewmen were washed up on the Dutch coast over the subsequent days and were buried in the General Cemetery, Bergen, North Holland
Bergen, North Holland
Bergen is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Its North Sea beaches make it a popular destination for tourists, especially Germans. In 2001, the municipality was expanded to include the former municipalities of Egmond and Schoorl.Since about 1900, Bergen...
.
Honours and awards
- 9 May 1941 - Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
- Acting Flight Lieutenant Henry Melvin Young (72478), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 102 Squadron. - 18 September 1942 - Bar to the Distinguished Flying CrossDistinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
- Squadron Leader Henry Melvin Young, DFC (72478), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 104 Squadron.
Film portrayal
In the 1955 film The Dam BustersThe Dam Busters (film)
The Dam Busters is a 1955 British Second World War war film starring Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd and directed by Michael Anderson. The film recreates the true story of Operation Chastise when in 1943 the RAF's 617 Squadron attacked the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe dams in Germany with Wallis's...
, Young was portrayed by Richard Leech
Richard Leech
Richard Leech , born Richard Leeper McClelland, was an accomplished actor.Richard Leeper McClelland was born in Dublin, Ireland, son of Isabella Frances and Herbert Saunderson McClelland, a lawyer. He was educated at Haileybury and Trinity College, Dublin...
.
External links
- CWGC :: Casualty Details at www.cwgc.org
- Royal Air Force (Volunteer Reserve) Officers 1939-1945 -- Y at www.unithistories.com