Wilkinson, Raymond

Operation Chastise (Dambusters Raid)

Date of birth:: September 1st, 1922 (South Shields/Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom)
Date of death:: June 27th, 1980 (Noble Park, Victoria, Australia)
Service number:: 1511241 / 935356
Nationality:: British

Biography

Raymond Wilkinson, born in South Shields on September 1, 1922, was the only child of a miner. After briefly working as a joiner’s apprentice, he joined the RAF in 1941 and qualified as an air gunner in 1942, flying with 49 Squadron. After over twenty operations, he transferred to 617 Squadron in March 1943.

During the Dams Raid, Wilkinson shot out searchlights near Ahlen, earning the DFM. He later flew on Italian raids before being posted as an instructor in September 1943. In October 1944, he returned to operations in precision raids with 12,000lb Tallboy bombs. He took part in the failed October 28 attack on the Tirpitz but was present for the final strike on November 12, which sank the ship.

Wilkinson uniquely participated in both the Dams Raid and the Tirpitz sinking. By 1945, he took part in missions using the massive 22,000lb Grand Slam bomb, including attacks on U-boat pens and the Bielefeld viaduct. He flew in 617 Squadron’s final wartime operation on April 25, 1945, alongside Len Sumpter, making them the only two to participate in both the squadron’s first and last missions.

Wilkinson married WAAF telephonist Iris Riordan in 1944. They moved to Australia, where he passed away in Noble Park, Victoria, on July 27, 1980.

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