Francis Charles
HAMMOND
1919 - 1942
Early Life
FRANCIS CHARLES HAMMOND was born on the 1 July 1919, at Chalks Farm, Howe Street, Great Waltham, the only son of Charles William and Helen Daisy Hammond (née Martin). His parents were married on the 2 April 1918 in the Parish Church, Great Waltham. At the time of his birth, Charles, his father was a Farmer. It is noted that Francis’s great grandparents originated from Germany and were known as HAGMAIER, moving to Stepney, in London and were butchers by trade. This surname was changed to Hammond in about 1915, possibly because of the war with Germany.
Francis’s younger sister, Helen Agnes was born on the 6 August 1922 at Stow, in Suffolk.
Francis was baptised in the Parish Church Great Waltham on the 10 August 1919.
BAPTISM FRANCIS CHARLES HAMMOND
Francis was a pupil at the village school in Great Waltham and then went to King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford. He joined the Grammar School Cadet Corps from 1928 to 1936. In 1939, aged 20 years, the England and Wales Register taken on the 29 September, gives his occupation as a Lorry Driver, where he was working as a maintenance engineer, at Chalks Farm. The farm covered 28 acres and was a mixed arable, dairy and pig farm.
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Charles as a boy with his father, Charles William
and grandfather John Hammond
Chalks Farm, Old Shaws Lane, Howe Street
Military Life
Francis enlisted as an Aircraftman 2, flight mechanic in the Air Cadets on the 20 October 1939 in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR), as Service No. 938830 and was mobilised on the 13 November at RAF Cardington, near Bedford, the No.1 RAF Balloon training unit, famous for building Barrage Balloons and responsible for the storage and training of balloon operators and drivers.
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), the active reserve for the RAF, by providing an additional non-active reserve. However, during the Second World War, the high demand for aircrew absorbed all available RAuxAF personnel and led the RAFVR to quickly become the main pathway of aircrew entry into the RAF. It was initially composed of civilians recruited from neighbourhood reserve flying schools, run by civilian contractors with largely RAF-trained flying instructors as well as other instructors in related air war functions, such as observers and wireless operators.
Recruits were confined to men of between 18 and 25 years who had been accepted for part-time training as pilots, observers or wireless operators. When a civilian volunteer was accepted for aircrew training, they took an oath of allegiance ('attestation') and were then inducted into the RAFVR. Normally they returned to their civilian job for several months until they were called up for aircrew training. During this waiting period they could wear a silver RAFVR lapel badge to indicate their status.
During the 1930s the RAFVR also began an informal association with the Air Cadet Organisation with members of the RAFVR arranging and implementing the cadet training. When the Second World War broke out in September 1939 the RAFVR comprised 6,646 pilots, 1,625 observers and 1,946 wireless operators. During the war, the Air Ministry used the RAFVR as the principal means of entry for aircrew to serve with the RAF. All those called up for Air Force Service with the RAF, both commissioned officers and other ranks, did so, as members of the RAFVR under the National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.
By the end of 1941 more than half of Bomber Command aircrew were members of the RAFVR. Most of the pre-war pilot and observer Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) aircrew had been Commissioned and the surviving regular officers and members of the RAFO filled the posts of flight and squadron commanders. Eventually of the "RAF" aircrew in the Command probably more than 95 per cent were serving members of the RAFVR.
Francis was mobilised on the 13 November 1939 and on the 4 March 1940 mustered (transferred) to Aircraft Hand Flight Mechanic. On the 26 June he was mustered to Flight Mechanic and on the 21 November to Flight Mechanic Engineer. On the 15 March 1941 he was mustered as undertraining pilot. On the 28 May he was a leading aircraft man under training pilot. He was discharged on appeal to commence appointment in the RAF on the 2 December 1941. His enlistment number was changed to Regimental No. 113870.
He was promoted to Flying Officer in 107 Squadron, based at Great Massingham. On the 5 January 1942 the base received Douglas Boston III and IIIA bombers and new aircrews and began converting them onto this aircraft. The Squadron began flying daylight operations in March 1942.
FLYING OFFICER FRANCIS C HAMMOND
Douglas Boston III Bomber
Death and Memorial
Records show that Francis was on the base on the 2 October 1942 but was not flying until the 1 November 1942, when 107 Squadron stood by for operations, but the weather was cloudy with continuous rain and a possibility of snow, so there was no flying. This continued until the 7 November. Nine aircrafts were sent out in groups of three. Francis was in the second group. His target was the Marshalling Yard in Courtrai, but he overshot the yard due to very bad visibility caused by pouring rain and bombed the railway line leading west to Ostend. He witnessed one of his second team hit in the port engine and dive into the ground in flames. Francis’s plane landed back at Foulsham Airfield, west of Norwich.
On the 13 November 1942, the weather was misty but becoming fair with low cloud. Six aircrafts stood by as battle flight and were ordered to carry out a sea search for a dinghy. Francis and his aircrew of 3, Navigator Sargeant C McCreedy, Air Gunner K E Stilborn and Sargeant G Tough, were searching for the Crews of Mosquitos Dz320 and Dz321 off the coast of Vlissingen, Holland. The aircrafts were flying in line abreast at intervals of one mile just above the water. No dinghies were spotted and immediately before turning for home, the other aircrafts saw Francis’s plane still heading for the enemy coast, flying extremely low and in poor visibility. It was not seen again and his plane was reported missing and he was lost without trace. Francis was 23 years old.
Francis is remembered on the following memorials –
Great Waltham Memorial
Runnymede Air Forces Memorial
King Edward VI Grammar School Chelmsford
Francis is also remembered at St Andrews Church, Little Massingham on the ‘Roll of Honour’ which contains all the names of crewmen and residents including details of operations and place of burial, lost in all operations 1940-1945. More than 600 airmen from RAF Massingham lost their lives.
In Great Waltham churchyard, Francis is also remembered on his parents’ headstone. His father died in 1948 and his mother in 1953. Plot No. 156.
CAMPAIGN MEDALS
Francis was awarded the 1939-45 War Medal for Battle of Britain, the War Medal 1939-45 and the Air-Crew Europe Star Medal.
His father received a letter from Air Ministry, dated 12 January 1943, confirming that no further news had been received since he was reported missing on the 13 November 1942. An inventory of his personal effects was sent to his parents and the balance of his service account on the 17 July 1943 of £28.14s.2d was paid on the 30 August 1943.