Flying Officer Joseph Barker Moss was born in Ashton-under-Lyne on 9th June 1912. He attended Ashton Technical School and Manchester College of Technology going into business as a motor engineer with his father at The Fallowfield Garage, Riley motor dealers, Wilmslow Road, Fallowfield, Manchester.

Joe was a popular Rugby player with Heaton Moor Rugby Club and a keen competitive motorcycle rider. He finished in 5th place in the 1939 Ulster Grand Prix 500 cc scratch class, winning the team prize for the Chester Motor Racing Club with R. Mead and E.R. Evans. Joe also competed in the Isle of Man T.T. in 1938 riding a 350cc International Norton retiring on the 4th lap when in 10th place. He won the Southport Motor Racing Club 100 mile 1937 Coronation Cup and many of the then popular sand races. He was also a member of the British Motorcycle Racing Club racing at Donnington, with the Derby and District Motor Cycle Team, and at other race meetings, winning and breaking speed records and being awarded many trophies.

RAF 79 (Madras Presidency) SQUADRON FIGHTER COMMAND
At the outbreak of the War Joe immediately signed up and commenced service as Aircraft hand/Flight Mechanic on 6th September 1939 reporting to 3 depot Padgate near Warrington. He was posted to 79 (Madras Presidency) Squadron Fighter Command at Biggin Hill on 26th April 1940, which were equipped with the Hawker Hurricane. Shortly the squadron was posted to Merville northern France as part of the 63 Wing Air Component Hurricanes to protect the B.E.F.

On this day 10th May Neville Chamberlain resigned and Winston Churchill became Prime Minister.

During the 10 days in Northern France, 79 Squadron claimed 23 confirmed and 3 probables and lost 10 Hurricanes with 2 pilots killed, 1 POW and 2 wounded. Ground personnel of the evacuating squadrons were more or less left to make their own way back to England.

The squadron as part of 11 Group arrived at Biggin Hill on 21st May. Joe was then posted to 12 Group at Digby, Lincolnshire, back to Biggin Hill, then Hawkinge, Kent, to 9 Group at Sealand, Flintshire, 13 Group at Acklington Northumberland, then Biggin Hill again. Joe was recommended for Pilot Training on 27th December 1940, promoted to Leading Aircrafthand and passed his medical for pilot training in February 1941. Thereafter 79 Squadron was posted to 10 Group at Pembrey, Carmarthenshire and three months later in June 1941 to Fairwood Common, Swansea for well earned rests for the air crew and ground staff. The following year on 4th March 1942 the Squadron was posted to Bombay.

Joe became an Under Training Pilot - Corporal at the end of 1941 and was posted in January 1942 to 7 Initial Training Wing at Newquay where Cadets learned navigation, meteorology, aero engine mechanics, and principles of flight. On passing the ground exams the trainees were sent to Grading School for 12 hours of flying training on Tiger Moths. If they showed promise they were sent on a pilots course.

Trainees waiting to go overseas were sent to Heaton Park near Manchester, where they were advised of the various British Flying Schools in North America. Within a few days they were issued with overseas kit and judging by the kit they received it would be obvious they would be on their way to America rather than the colder climes of Canada.

No 1 BRITISH FLYING TRAINING SCHOOL TERRELL TEXAS

On 2nd July 1942 Joe disembarked in Canada having run the gauntlet of the U Boat packs operating in the North Atlantic.

RAF personnel were temporarily stationed at an RCAF base at Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada that acted as a holding camp for aircrew passing in both directions. It was at Moncton where you were advised your American posting. In this case Joe on 9th August 1942 was posted to Terrell, Texas, a four-day train journey, for Flight Training with the 11th Course at No.1 British Flying Training School.

Flight training was in the Boeing Stearman primary trainer, the Vultee BT13s for basic training (known by the RAF cadets as the Vibrator) and the advanced Harvard AT6A aircraft. He was awarded his Pilots Flying badge on 20th February 1943.

Not all passed, the failure rate was about 40%, and those who washed out became navigators, bomb aimers or air gunners. Most of the flying instructors were crop dusters, barnstormers and club instructors. The climax of the training was the “Long Cross Country.” A typical flight (as reported by Alan Bramsdon) was some 2000 miles with two cadets, one flying and the other navigating, and changing roles after each landing, which may have been, as in Alan’s case from Terrell to Midland, then El Paso on the Mexican border, Alberqueque, Amarillo, Ponca City and back home to Terrell.

Returning to Moncton via New York the pride of the French Passenger ships the 83,000-ton Normandie was lying on its port side at Berth 87. The Americans had impounded the Normandie to convert to a troop carrier to be known as the USS Lafeyette. Unfortunately a fire started, thought to be caused by welding equipment. The volume of water poured onto the vessel created a dangerous list to the extent that on the rising tide she capsized. The vessel was not righted until 27th October.

Returning on the Queen Elizabeth and once again running the gauntlet of the Atlantic U-Boat wolf packs Joe was posted to the RAF regiment at Whitely Bay Newcastle on 14th April 1943 with 31 Personnel Depot. He was promoted to Sergeant Pilot, discharged and granted a commission as Pilot Officer RAFVR on 30th October 1943.

On 4th January posted to No 83 Heavy Conversion Unit at Peplow, Shropshire, flying Vickers Wellington bombers and specializing in night bomber crew training. Then on to 11 Group Heavy Conversion Unit based at Lindholme. He was promoted to Flying Officer on 20th April 1944.

RAF 103 SQUADRON BOMBER COMMAND
After 18 months training, Joe and his crew were finally posted on 2nd June 1944 to No 103 Squadron Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire. Joe flew his first operation on 16th/17th June as second pilot in the crew of Pilot Officer A.A. Moore R.C.A.F. to the Ruhr to bomb the synthetic oil plant at Sterkrade. This target comprised 321 aircraft of Bomber Command with 31 being shot down by mainly night fighters, a loss rate of nearly 10%. The bombing carried out through thick cloud was scattered and very little damage was done to the target. All the returning crews spoke of PFF markers sinking into the clouds and only being visible as a coloured glow.

On the 13th June the long-expected V-1 attacks on London and other southern Cities commenced with ten of the pilotless aircraft launched from the Pas de Calais area. On the 16th seventy-four V-1s hit London. In June alone 2000 of the pilotless warheads were aimed at London.

Joe’s first operation with his crew was on the 22nd June to bomb the V-3 weapons site at Mimoyecques. The target was hit by 1000’s of bombs dropped by both the R.A.F. and also the U.S.A.A.F. The British Official Photograph describes the target as being” pock marked with hundreds of bomb craters covering the ground like fallen apple blossom!”

Raids continued at one or two daily intervals on other V Weapon sites to Saintes, Flers, Chateau Benarpre, Domleger, Oisemont.

On 1st July Joe was recommended for promotion to the rank of Flight Lieutenant. Further raids followed to Domleger and Orleans.

During the D-Day landings, Bomber Command flew many sorties to support the troops on the ground in operation Overlord, and was a particularly busy time for the Elsham Wold 103 and 576 Squadrons.

BBC RECORDING OF RAID OVER CAEN IN SUPPORT OF GROUND TROOPS
The BBC interviewed Joe after the raid on 7th July over Caen for a national broadcast. A transcript follows:

Newsreader “to complete the picture of the air support being given to our men on the ground by our heavy bombers, here is the voice of a Lancaster pilot who took part in the raid, Flying Officer J.B. Moss.”

“My Lancaster Bomber “I-Item” was in the 2nd wave and we took off at 19:45 hours climbing to 7,000 feet above base. My navigator (F/O M.R.F. Oliver RCAF) a Canadian, who never lets anything or anyone worry him, gave me the course and air speed. As we flew along in the evening sunshine over England, we gradually merged into the Bomber stream. Ahead, above and either side of us were Lancasters and Halifaxes from other stations, all heading for their target. As we approached the English coast we decided to lose height to make certain of bombing under cloud.

The Allied lines were only 2,000 yards from the target and we had to be sure of bombing accurately. We came down to below 5,000 feet about 15 miles from the French coast. We carried out our usual bombing check, visibility was perfect and my Bomb Aimer (Sgt S.J. Honour R.A.F.V.R.) could map read his way to the target; and there was no mistake as to what was the target. Bombing had already started, and from 10 miles away we could already see bomb bursts appearing like mushrooms on the aiming point, where the enemy was known to be concentrated.

To make doubly sure that no bombs were dropped in our lines, Pathfinders were dropping target indicators with clock like regularity. One of them was acting as a master of ceremonies, (Wing Commander S. P. Daniels of 35 Squadron) and was broadcasting a running commentary all the time, telling us which indicator was the most accurate. The commentary became all the more necessary as the attack developed, because the target area was rapidly being covered by a huge cloud of dirty smoke and although it was fortunately blowing away towards the east, this smoke was obscuring much of the ground. Light flak was flying towards us horizontally. This always looks more formidable than being fired at from directly below, because then you can’t see it so well.

Our Bomb Aimer gave the necessary small corrections, and as we had already opened the bomb doors, we steadied up for the release. Almost immediately afterwards we felt our aircraft shudder as the 1,000 pounders went away.

“Bombs gone” called the Bomb Aimer, and as soon as we had checked that all the bombs had gone, we closed the bomb doors and turned sharply to starboard, because the aircraft ahead was getting rather a large share of flak and we expected to get it next. The mid upper and rear gunners both said they could see vivid explosions taking place on the ground. As we flew away from the target the smoke was now up to about 3,000 feet and still more bombers were coming in.” Sudden end of recording.

Over this target the Lancaster of Pilot Officer A.A. Moore RCAF, who took Joe on his first raid, was involved in a mid air collision which tore away his Lancaster’s rear turret. The gunner Flight Sergeant FG Roberts unfortunately was killed, but Pilot Officer Moore was able to bring the plane safely back to Tangmere for an emergency landing. A total of 457 aircraft took part in the ground support raid dropping 2,300 tonnes of bombs.

On 12th July five days later, Lancaster ND 993 “I-Item” which Joe had been flying in the raid in support of ground troops, was fired on by a Lancaster of 166 Squadron on the operation to Revigny. I-Item crashed 30 kms SSE of Bar-Le-Duc and all of the crew are buried at Montiers-sur-Sanlx Communal Cemetery.

On to part two or back to the crews.