With both USA “Silver” Pilot Wings & RAF Pilot Wings.
A Highly Unusual & Desirable Group.
To:
Pilot Officer Barry Vassall ROSS (178271) RAF (VR)
No. 614 Squadron. (Halifax)
[CITATION]
“Pilot Officer Ross has taken part in many operational sorties against well defended targets in the Balkans, Hungary, France and Italy. One one occasion his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire when returning from an attack on an oil refinery in Hungary (* Sozony). Despite fires in the port wing and bomb bays, this officer coolly continued on his course until the combined efforts of 3 members of the crew extinguished the fires and enabled him to make a safe landing at base. Pilot Officer Ross has always maintained complete co-ordination in his crew, resulting in a high standard of efficiency in navigation and bombing and making a valuable contribution to the successes attained by the squadron”.
[BIOGRAPHY] Barry Vassall Ross (formerly Olszewski) 31.3.1921 - 24.7.1994. (73)
Barry V.Ross was the grandson of Polish immigrants who were originally named ‘Olszewski’.
The family changed its name in December 1931 when they adopted the surname ‘Ross’.
Barry was born in Fishponds, Bristol in 1921.
He joined the RAF on 14th July 1941 aged 20 and began training as LAC under pilot training at No.28 EFTS at Wolverhampton on 14th March 1942.
He left the U.K. for pilot training in North America on H.M.T. BANFORA on 29th April 1942 and travelled via Monkton, New Brunswick to Turner Field, Albany, Georgia, USA.
He trained there and at Gunter Field, Montgomery, Alabama from 4th June 1942 until 3rd February 1943, at which point he returned to the U.K. as a fully qualified pilot on HMT Empress of Scotland.
Via many & various OTU’s and other training Flying training establishments and after a somewhat unusually protracted training programme he finally joined 29 ADRU at the well known Algerian Airfield of Maison Blanche in North Africa on 8th March 1944.
He then joined his operational squadron (614 Sqd) “HALIFAX” at Celone, Italy on 10th March 1944 with operational/ familiarisation sorties starting on 15th March with a night raid on SOFIA.
[HALIFAX, HIT BY FLAK WITH A SERIOUS FIRE]
He and his crew had a VERY lucky escape during his 33rd operational sortie to bomb the critically import target of the SZONY oil refinery in Hungary on 21st August 1944. His Halifax II (JD 275 “N”) was seriously hit by flak just after leaving the target. The explosive flak shell hit the bomb bay and port wing and set off a number of fires which took three members of the crew some time to extinguish. A number of onboard flares were ignited which added to the problem. The auto-pilot then became u/s, as did the entire hydraulic system which refused to open the main bomb bay doors or close the wing bomb bay doors. However, through some expert flying Barry Ross managed to return his aircraft and crew safely to base.
[SZONY OIL REFINERY, HUNGARY]
The Szony Oil Refinery in Hungary was a small but modern and important refinery on the Danube about 45 miles west north-west of Budapest. The refinery was heavily damaged by the United States 15th Air Force but after the raid it was still capable, after having been repaired it was soon again refining 5000 tons per month. It was, therefore, targeted again by 205 Bomber Group, which included 614 Squadron, on the night of August 21/22, 1944 who on this occasion totally flattened the facility and permanently put it out of action.
He then continued his second tour and finally completed two full tours, each of 30 sorties. His 60th and final sortie being a raid to GRAZ in Austria on February 13th 1945. He then left operational flying and served in a flight testing and minor training role on various aircraft types in North Africa until the spring of 1946. He ended his career with 1,130.45 hrs flying time of which 840.05 hrs was first pilot time.
His final flying ability assessment was “Above Average”.
After the war Barry settled in Bexhill, East Sussex and worked as a Draughtsman & Works Manager.
He sadly died of lung cancer & Alzheimer’s disease on 24th July 1994 at age 73.
He was survived by his wife Betty Elizabeth Mary Ross who also died in Bexhill on 25th November 2016 aged 100.
If you are looking for an unusual and totally complete DFC assembly, this group and it’s huge photo & paperwork archive, which even contains early (19th century) Polish family internal travel & passport documents, will fully fit the bill.
All medals are mint with the DFC still in its original case.
A True Classic.
SOLD