Maudslay, Henry Eric

Operation Chastise (Dambusters Raid)

Date of birth:: July 21st, 1921 (Leamington Spa/Warwickshire, United Kingdom)
Date of death:: May 17th, 1943 (Emmerich am Rhein, Germany)
Buried on:: Commonwealth War Cemetery Reichswald Forest
Plot: 5. Row: C. Grave: 3.
Service number:: 62275
Nationality:: British

Biography

Henry Eric Maudslay, born on 21 July 1921 in Leamington Spa, was the third child of Reginald and Gwendolen Maudslay. His family had strong industrial roots; his great-great-grandfather, Henry Maudslay, was a notable inventor of the British Industrial Revolution. Following this legacy, Maudslay's father founded the Standard Motor Company.

Educated at Beaudesert School and later Eton, Maudslay excelled in athletics and rowing, earning accolades for the mile and steeplechase races and rowing for the First VIII. He planned to join RAF Cranwell, but the outbreak of war led him to volunteer directly for the RAF in May 1940. After pilot training in Canada, he returned to England in 1941, serving with 44 Squadron at RAF Waddington, flying Hampdens on 29 missions and earning a DFC for a solo attack on enemy cargo vessels.

In December 1941, Maudslay helped trial the Avro Lancaster at Boscombe Down before returning to operations with 50 Squadron in January 1943, flying 13 missions in the lead-up to 617 Squadron's formation. Promoted to Squadron Leader, he became B Flight Commander, managing training alongside Melvin Young in preparation for the Dams Raid.

During the raid, Maudslay attempted the challenging Eder Dam three times. On his final run at 0145, his mine detonated on the dam’s parapet, likely damaging his aircraft. Nursing it back towards the Dutch border, Maudslay was shot down near Emmerich at 0243. AJ-Z crashed in Osterholt, and Maudslay and his crew were buried in Düsseldorf North Cemetery, later reinterred at Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.

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