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James Bole

Name : James Bole Service Number : 553790 Awards : Distinguished Flying Medal

on the night of 14th / 15th March 1941 all five airmen listed above were flying together in Whitley P4956 to destroy oil storage tanks at Rotterdam. The Whitley was struck by flak in the starboard engine and the engine caught fire, this fire was put out when the fuel supply was cut to the engine. A second fire developed in the starboard wing near a fuel tank on the return flight to England, the pilot descended to 500 feet above the sea with the intention of ditching the aircraft before the fuel ignited and blew off the wing. Before the crew ditched the aircraft in the North Sea however, P/O Spiers and Sgt Bole were successful in fighting the fire. One big problem was that flames, fumes and smoke travelled along heating ducts into the cockpit, Spiers and Bole managed to block up the heating ducts with paratchute bags. The fires eventually went out and the aircraft managed to make a belly landing at Bircham Newton airfield at 23.58hrs with no hydraulics. All escaped injury. During the day of 18th March 1941 this 10 Squadron aircraft was one of a number flown from their regular base of Leeming to Dishforth airfield where the unit began their operational flights from on this date. This aircraft then took off from Dishforth airfield at 20.21hrs to begin an operational flight to bomb Kiel. Outbound the crew encountered thick cloud before crossing the German coast, they located Hamburg and turned north towards Kiel releasing their bomb load from 11,500 feet at 00.01hrs and made for home. At 04.50hrs, while flying roughly over the Leeming area and possibly while awaiting their turn to land, the port engine seized up and then caught fire, the fire could not be put out and the flames spread to the fuselage. The pilot instructed his crew to bale out, they landed safely but before the pilot could make good his escape the aircraft crashed and was destroyed by fire. It was thought that he was overcome by smoke in the cockpit. Sadly the pilot lost his life as a result of the crash at 04.55hrs near to Sutton Penn Farm, north of Masham. James Bole was later posted to 429 Squadron and was awarded the DFM for service with them, Gazetted on 10th September 1943.

Known Service Details :
Squadron	Rank	Start of Service	End of Service	Known Dates	Aircraft	Airframes	Notes
No.10 Sqn RAF	Sgt	unknown	unknown	18th March 1941	Whitley	T4202	During the day of 18th March 1941 this 10 Squadron aircraft was one of a number flown from their regular base of Leeming to Dishforth airfield where the unit began their operational flights from on this date. This aircraft then took off from Dishforth airfield at 20.21hrs to begin an operational flight to bomb Kiel. Outbound the crew encountered thick cloud before crossing the German coast, they located Hamburg and turned north towards Kiel releasing their bomb load from 11,500 feet at 00.01hrs and made for home. At 04.50hrs, while flying roughly over the Leeming area and possibly while awaiting their turn to land, the port engine seized up and then caught fire, the fire could not be put out and the flames spread to the fuselage. The pilot instructed his crew to bale out, they landed safely but before the pilot could make good his escape the aircraft crashed and was destroyed by fire. It was thought that he was overcome by smoke in the cockpit. Sadly the pilot lost his life as a result of the crash at 04.55hrs near to Sutton Penn Farm, north of Masham.
No.429 Sqn RCAF		unknown	unknown	10th September 1943

Aircraft for : James Bole
A list of all aircraft associated with James Bole. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name.
Aircraft	Info
Whitley Click the name above to see prints featuring Whitley aircraft. Manufacturer : Armstrong Whitworth Production Began : 1937 Retired : 1942 Number Built : 1814	Whitley The Whitley first entered service with No. 10 Squadron in March 1937, replacing Handley Page Heyford biplanes. By the outbreak of the Second World War, seven squadrons were operational, the majority flying Whitley IIIs or IVs, as the Whitley V had only just been introduced. ] With the Handley Page Hampden and the Vickers Wellington, Whitleys bore the brunt of the early fighting and saw action on the first night of the war, when they dropped propaganda leaflets over Germany.[8] Among the many aircrew who flew the Whitley in operations over Germany, was Leonard Cheshire who spent most of his first three years at war flying them. Unlike the Hampden and Wellington—which met specification B.9/32 for a day bomber—the Whitley was always intended for night operations and escaped the early heavy losses received in daylight raids on German shipping, early in the war. With Hampdens, the Whitley made the first bombing raid on German soil on the night of 19/20 March 1940, attacking the Hornum seaplane base on the Island of Sylt. Whitleys also carried out Operation Haddock the first RAF raid on Italy, on the night of 11/12 June 1940. As the oldest of the three bombers, the Whitley was obsolete by the start of the war, yet over 1,000 more were produced before a suitable replacement was found. A particular problem with the twin-engine aircraft, was that it could not maintain altitude on one engine. Whitleys flew 8,996 operations with RAF Bomber Command, dropped 9,845 tons (8,931 tonnes) of bombs and 269 aircraft were lost in action. From April 1942, the Whitley was retired as first-line bomber. It continued to serve as glider tug, paratroop trainer, transport, or radio countermeasures aircraft. It also played an important role in Coastal Command . No. 100 Group RAF used Whitleys to carry airborne radar and electronic counter-measures. In February 1942, Whitleys carried the paratroops who participated in the Bruneval raid (Operation Biting) in which German radar technology was captured from a German base on the coast of France. The British Overseas Airways Corporation operated 15 Whitley Mk Vs converted into freighters in 1942. Running night supply flights from Gibraltar to Malta, they took seven hours to reach the island, often landing during air attacks. They used large quantities of fuel for a small payload and were replaced in August 1942 by the Lockheed Hudson, with the 14 survivors being returned to the Royal Air Force. Long-range Coastal Command Mk VII variants, were among the last in front-line service, with the first kill attributed to them being the sinking of the German submarine U-751, on 17 July 1942, in combination with a Lancaster heavy bomber.

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