Frank Watkins (pilot)
Encyclopedia
Frank Vernon Watkins was an officer of the Royal New Zealand Air Force
(RNZAF) during the Second World War. He was killed in air operations
trying to save a close comrade
and for this action was recommended for the Victoria Cross
, the most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces.
, a town in the North Island
of New Zealand
, but grew up in Ruawai
, a small farming community located a few miles away. After completing High School, Watkins moved to Wellington
where he worked for the Native Lands Office. At the age of 18, he enlisted on 1 December 1940.
Watkins sailed for Britain
in June 1941. He was initially posted to 106 Squadron RAF
where he flew five operations on Manchester's
, and one with OTU
, and then 21 operations flying Wellington's
with 150 Squadron
based at Snaith
, Yorkshire
. Watkins was then chosen for the recently formed pathfinders
, joining 156 Squadron RAF
on 1 December 1942. He was now an experienced and above average captain.
On the evening of 20 December 1942, Watkins was flying his Wellington on a mission headed for Duisberg, in the Ruhr
. Flying with Watkins that evening was navigator
John Carter, a squadron leader
with a DFC
. In a letter written from Stalag Luft III
on 5 January 1943 to the commanding officer
of 156 Squadron, Tommy Rivett-Carnac, Carter described how they'd taken direct flak
directly over the target, with the bomb aimer
Bill Brook-Norris being severely wounded
. Watkins and Brook-Norris had flown together for some time and had become close friends. Carter stated that they had intended to inject the wounded airman with morphine
and then launch him from the aircraft by parachute
. While preparing for this, the Wellington was hit again and suddenly the aircraft was too low and out of control. The rest of the crew had already jumpred when Watkins ordered Carter out and said he was staying. The Wellington crashed shortly afterwards killing both Watkins and Brook-Norris. Watkins and Brook-Norris were found in the crash remains in the target area and now lie together in the Reichswald Forest
Cemetery. Watkins was 20 years old.
Recommending a Victoria Cross
for Watkins, Rivett-Carnac mentioned his unquestionable and unequalled courage in the face of death was considered worthy of the highest award that can be made by His Majesty the King
. It was noted that from the evidence of Carter's letter that Watkins had displayed the highest qualities as a captain of an aircraft. Firstly, he ordered those members of the crew who could be of no further assistance to him to bale out, and then waited until the last moment before he ordered the navigator to bale out, when in his own mind he considered that he would be forced to make a crash landing. It would appear that at no time did the question of his own safety enter Warrant Officer Watkin’s mind.
Group Captain Kirkpatrick, Commanding Officer
of RAF Station Wyton
, added his comments the same day, stating:
The recommendation was sent to the Air Ministry
, but because the supporting evidence was insufficient at that time, it was deferred for further investigation when Carter and the rest of the surviving crew were repatriated
from prisoner of war
camps after the end of the war in Europe
. It is not known if the crew were actually interviewed, but Watkins ultimately received only a posthumous Mention in Despatches, published in the London Gazette
of 13 June 1946 (with effect from 20 December 1942). At the time, the VC and Mentions were the only military gallantry awards made posthumously.
Royal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
(RNZAF) during the Second World War. He was killed in air operations
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
trying to save a close comrade
Comrade
Comrade means "friend", "colleague", or "ally". The word comes from French camarade. The term is frequently used by left-wing organizations around the globe. "Comrade" has often become a stock phrase and form of address. This word has its regional equivalents available in many...
and for this action was recommended for the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Career
Watkins was born in DargavilleDargaville
Dargaville is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River in the Northland region. The town is located 55 kilometres southwest of Whangarei....
, a town in the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, but grew up in Ruawai
Ruawai
Ruawai is a small township located 30 km south of Dargaville in Northland, New Zealand. The population was 426 in the 2006 Census, a decrease of 30 from 2001....
, a small farming community located a few miles away. After completing High School, Watkins moved to Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
where he worked for the Native Lands Office. At the age of 18, he enlisted on 1 December 1940.
Watkins sailed for Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in June 1941. He was initially posted to 106 Squadron RAF
No. 106 Squadron RAF
No. 106 Squadron RAF was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force squadron active from 1917 until 1919. It was also operative during World War II and in the post war period until 1963.- Establishment and early service :...
where he flew five operations on Manchester's
Avro Manchester
|-See also:-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects: Fighters and Bombers 1935–1950. Hickley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2004. ISBN 978-1857801798....
, and one with OTU
Operational Conversion Unit
An Operational Conversion Unit is a unit within an air force whose role is to support preparation for the operational missions of a specific aircraft type by providing trained personnel. OCUs teach pilots how to fly an aircraft and which tactics best exploit the performance of their aircraft and...
, and then 21 operations flying Wellington's
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
with 150 Squadron
No. 150 Squadron RAF
No. 150 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during both World War I and World War II.The squadron was reformed - as 150 Sqn. - on 8 January 1959 as one of 20 Strategic Missile squadrons associated with Project Emily...
based at Snaith
Snaith
Snaith is a town in the East Riding of Yorkshire local government area of England. It is situated approximately west of Goole on the A1041 road at its junction with the A645 road...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. Watkins was then chosen for the recently formed pathfinders
Pathfinder (RAF)
The Pathfinders were elite squadrons in RAF Bomber Command during World War II. They located and marked targets with flares, which a main bomber force could aim at, increasing the accuracy of their bombing...
, joining 156 Squadron RAF
No. 156 Squadron RAF
No. 156 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron that was active as a bomber unit in World War II.-Formation and World War I:No. 156 Squadron Royal Air Force was first formed on 12 October 1918 at RAF Wyton and equipped with DH 9 aircraft, but was disbanded on 9 December 1918 without becoming...
on 1 December 1942. He was now an experienced and above average captain.
On the evening of 20 December 1942, Watkins was flying his Wellington on a mission headed for Duisberg, in the Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
. Flying with Watkins that evening was navigator
Navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
John Carter, a squadron leader
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...
with a 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...
. In a letter written from Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
on 5 January 1943 to the commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of 156 Squadron, Tommy Rivett-Carnac, Carter described how they'd taken direct flak
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
directly over the target, with the 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...
Bill Brook-Norris being severely wounded
Mortal Wound
A mortal wound is a very severe and serious injury whether accidental or inflicted intentionally , which leads directly to the death of the victim. Death need not be instantaneous, but follows soon after...
. Watkins and Brook-Norris had flown together for some time and had become close friends. Carter stated that they had intended to inject the wounded airman with morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
and then launch him from the aircraft by parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
. While preparing for this, the Wellington was hit again and suddenly the aircraft was too low and out of control. The rest of the crew had already jumpred when Watkins ordered Carter out and said he was staying. The Wellington crashed shortly afterwards killing both Watkins and Brook-Norris. Watkins and Brook-Norris were found in the crash remains in the target area and now lie together in the Reichswald Forest
Klever Reichswald
The Klever Reichswald is an Imperial forest near Kleve in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany between the Rivers Rhine and Maas at the Dutch/German border...
Cemetery. Watkins was 20 years old.
Recommendation for VC
In Carter's letter to Rivett-Carnac, he wrote:Recommending a Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for Watkins, Rivett-Carnac mentioned his unquestionable and unequalled courage in the face of death was considered worthy of the highest award that can be made by His Majesty the King
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
. It was noted that from the evidence of Carter's letter that Watkins had displayed the highest qualities as a captain of an aircraft. Firstly, he ordered those members of the crew who could be of no further assistance to him to bale out, and then waited until the last moment before he ordered the navigator to bale out, when in his own mind he considered that he would be forced to make a crash landing. It would appear that at no time did the question of his own safety enter Warrant Officer Watkin’s mind.
Group Captain Kirkpatrick, Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of RAF Station Wyton
RAF Wyton
RAF Wyton is a Royal Air Force station near St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, England.In terms of organisation RAF Wyton is now part of the combined station RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow, a merger of Wyton with two previously separate bases, RAF Brampton and RAF Henlow. Wyton is the largest of the three. It...
, added his comments the same day, stating:
The recommendation was sent to the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
, but because the supporting evidence was insufficient at that time, it was deferred for further investigation when Carter and the rest of the surviving crew were repatriated
Repatriation
Repatriation is the process of returning a person back to one's place of origin or citizenship. This includes the process of returning refugees or soldiers to their place of origin following a war...
from prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camps after the end of the war in Europe
End of World War II in Europe
The final battles of the European Theatre of World War II as well as the German surrender to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union took place in late April and early May 1945.-Timeline of surrenders and deaths:...
. It is not known if the crew were actually interviewed, but Watkins ultimately received only a posthumous Mention in Despatches, published in the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
of 13 June 1946 (with effect from 20 December 1942). At the time, the VC and Mentions were the only military gallantry awards made posthumously.