Rice, Geoffrey

Operation Chastise (Dambusters Raid)

Date of birth:: January 4th, 1917 (Hinckley/Leicestershire, United Kingdom)
Date of death:: November 24th, 1981 (Taunton/Somerset, United Kingdom)
Nationality:: British

Biography

Geoffrey Rice was born on 4 January 1917 in Hinckley, Leicestershire. After attending Hinckley Grammar School, he apprenticed in the hosiery trade before joining the RAF in 1941 for pilot training in Canada. Commissioned in February 1942, he was posted to 19 Operational Training Unit at RAF Kinloss in July and posted to 1660 Conversion Unit at RAF Swinderby in October.

On 9 December 1942, Rice was assigned to 57 Squadron at RAF Scampton. After nine operations, he transferred to a newly formed squadron for special mission training. Chosen for the second wave of the Dams Raid, AJ-H took off but struck the water, losing its mine and suffering damage. Rice managed to return safely despite hydraulic failures.

In July and August 1943, Rice flew missions to Italy, followed by a perilous attack on the Dortmund-Ems Canal in September, where only three of eight pilots survived. His efforts earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in November.

On 20 December, his crew joined an operation targeting a Liège armaments factory. Ordered to return with their bombs due to poor visibility, they were shot down by a night fighter over Merbes-Le-Château, Belgium. Rice was thrown clear, his parachute deploying as he landed in a wood with a broken wrist. The rest of his crew perished and were buried in Gosselies Communal Cemetery.

Rice spent five months on the run with the Resistance before being captured and imprisoned at Stalag Luft III. Liberated by the Americans, he was repatriated and left the RAF in 1947. He later worked for Shell BP and helped establish the 617 Squadron Association.

He died in Taunton, Somerset, on 24 November 1981. His ashes were buried in Aller, where he had lived for years.

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