Small World
By Walter Downes

I recently had an audiobook ‘The Road Beneath Me’ by Jessica Blair. A historic romantic novel set in Lincolnshire and Shetland which was nominated for a prize at the 2014 Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards. I then bought and read a Western ‘Return of the Gunmen’ by Jim Bowden. Another book followed and this was called ‘Secret Squadron’ by Bill Spence. Although a novel, this book was about the introduction of the Lancaster Bomber into 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron. One line in the book made me giggle. He describes training on the Lancaster and being shown it could fly on one engine.
 
What is the link between Jessica Blair, Jim Bowden and Bill Spence. They are all the same person - William John Duncan Spence (20 April 1923 – 28 May 2024). This came to light reading 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron Association Newsletter Autumn 2024 and the ‘In Memoriam’ of Flt Lt Bill Spence.
 
Bill Spence of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire died peacefully on May 28th, 2024. Born and brought up in Middlesborough, Bill joined the RAF after leaving school and trained in Canada before becoming a bomb aimer. It seemed natural to join 44 Squadron when he teamed up with a Rhodesian pilot, Mike Wood. On August 10th 1944, they went on a familiarisation flight of the aircraft they would be flying, the Lancaster bomber. In Bill's memoirs he remembers:
 
'Our new mid-upper gunner decided not to go so I thought I would take his place in mid-upper gun position. From here there was a magnificent all-round view, and I could see the engines quite clearly. The instructor told Mike to close down one of the outer engines, and a few moments later the other outer engine. This was a great aircraft - it could fly on two engines! Then Mike was told to close down one of the inner engines. I was getting ready to grab my parachute! But I need not have worried. This wonderful aircraft kept airborne on one engine. This performance certainly gave me great faith in it.
 
From Dunholme Lodge, Bill's first operation came nineteen days later when the target was Königsberg in East Prussia, a round-trip of 1900 miles. On reaching their target, cloud meant that they had to wait twenty minutes before dropping their first bomb. The enemy had detected their approach and were firing up a curtain of shells; 15 Lancasters were lost. On checking to see that all bombs had gone Bill discovered that hydraulic fluid was dripping into the bomb bay; they had been hit with shrapnel. They had to return home using the hand pump to make sure the undercarriage would work on landing. Fuel was also running low but they were told that there was fog in Lincolnshire and to go to Fiskerton where they had FIDO (fog dispersal equipment). Landing safely, it had been a long trip of 11 hours 45 mins. It was believed by the crew at the time that they had achieved the endurance record for an aircraft of 5 Group and possibly for Bomber Command up to that date.
 
Bill went on to complete his 36 missions, most of them from Spilsby when the Squadron moved there, and then in the mercy missions to the starving Dutch immediately after the war. On his first leave in September 1944, with a week' notice, Bill married Joan Ludley of Ampleforth, and all of his crew attended their wedding. Bill and Joan went on to have four children.
 
He had always wanted to write and in 1958 his first novel 'Dark Hell.' was published, a book based on his war time experiences. From there he became a successful writer of westerns, under three pseudonyms, and romantic sagas based on the North Yorkshire Coast under the name of Jessica Blair. Throughout his life Bill retained his love for the Lancaster Bomber.

This photo is given to me by Bill’s Spence’s daughter. Mike Wood, the pilot in the photo centre, is an old family friend. My father flew as his co-pilot in Central African Airways and then Air Rhodesia in the 1960’s. When Mike retired, he had a small family general grocery shop in Greystone Park and my first paid job, aged 13, I would keep shop for him on Saturday mornings. Mike never had children and what makes this very personal is Mike gave me his flying helmet which he wore during the war when I was 8 years old. I still have this helmet here in my ‘man cave’ which has his name and number scratched into the one earphone. Who would have thought that 80 years later that fly helmet would have returned to Lincolnshire and reside within 10 miles of Spilsby.
 
Bill’s daughter also posted the following on Facebook - Hello Walter. How exciting to hear that you knew Mike Wood or 'Uncle' Mike as we knew him as children. When he came over to England, he always came up to Yorkshire to stay with us for a few days. They were a very close crew, I think. If you go to Lincoln there is a butchers called Pepperdine's and the owner is the nephew of Ken Pepperdine, another member of the crew of U uncle in 1944. On this photo my dad is the one sitting on the right next to Mike and Ken is back left.
 
Here are a couple of records from the archives on the crews’ missions:

I can only say I am sad I did not get to meet Bill before he passed. I enjoyed reading his books.