Drew Rothwell Cullen's Story.
Drew Wyness was the son of Andrew Cullen Wyness and Helen Wyness. Husband of Ruth Wyness, of Altrincham, Cheshire. Drew attended Stretford Grammar School and Hutton School near Preston and was a member of Sale R.U.F.C. Drew married Miss Ruth Siddle in July 1941, the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. W.K. Siddle of Cheadle Hulme.
Service History
Drew Wyeness Service Record
6/8/40 Enlisted at RAF Padgate 3RC in the rank of Aircraftsman 2nd Class (AC2)
7//8/40 Recommended for Pilot Training
12/11/40 Reclassified as Leading Aircraftsman (LAC) pilot under training
3/5/41 to 25/7/41 Pilot training at 9 FTS Hullavington
23/7/41 appointed to the rank of Pilot Officer
27/7/41 Posted to No 52 OTU for operations training
11/11/41 Posted to No 21 OTU for operational training
23/7/42 Appointed to the rank of Flying Officer
8/5/42 Posted to 50 Squadron for operations
1/1/43 posted to 1654 CU
23/7/43 Appointed to the rank of Flight Lieutenant
18/8/43 to 15/9/43 Staff pilot course at No3 FTS
2/5/44 Posted to 57 Squadron and appointed to rank of Acting Squadron Leader
25/8/44 Posted to 617 Squadron and confirmed to rank of Squadron Leader
Drew volunteered for service with the RAF in 1940 and was selected for pilot training.After completing pilot training with the rank of LAC he was promoted to Pilot Officer in September 1941. In 1942 he was posted to 50 Squadron Bomber Command and he flew on 32 missions in 1942 29 as Captain and 3 as second pilot.
Listing of Drew's 29 missions as Captain with 50 Squadron.
Lancaster flown by Drew banking
Operation Robinson
The RAF bombing raid against the Schneider Works at Le Creusot, known as Operation Robinson, was undertaken during the daylight hours of 17 October 1942. The mission was assigned to No. 5 Group, which had converted to the new Avro Lancaster and 94 aircraft were assigned to the mission . This was 50 Squadron’s first daylight bombing mission and Drew flew on this mission returning safely. A key part of the mission was that from the French coast to Le Creusot they flew at just 100 feet altitude giving flak no opportunity to target them. Close to the target the planes went up to 7000 feet for the bombing run. The mission resulted in complete closure of the factory for around two weeks with full repairs taking 8 months.
50 Squadron Lancasters flying at low level on the Le Creusot mission
50 Squadron Captains after Le Creusot mission. Drew is front row left side
Milan 24th October 1942
Drew joined a nine aircraft daylight mission to bomb Milan which was considered to have been a success
Operation Record for Milan mission
Drew's operation log for Milan mission
Having completed a 30 mission tour of duty with 50 Squadron Drew was posted to 1654 HCU at Wigsley on 1st January 1943 where he served as a flying instructor
In April 1943 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
In August 1943 he completed a Flying Instructor course at No3 Flying Instructor School at Castle Combe.
Flying Instructor Course photo
In September 1943 he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant
In March 1944 he was with 1654 Conversion Unit training Stirling Instructors
On 1st May 1944 he was posted to 57 Squadron at East Kirkby as B Flight Commander flying Lancasters.
On 25th August 1944 Drew was posted from 57 Squadron to 617 Squadron based at RAF Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire.
Operation Paravane
On 12th September 1944 617 Squadron took part in Operation Paravane to sink the battleship Tirpitz that was sheltering in a Fjord in Norway. It was decided to fly to Yagodnik in Russia and launch the attack from there. 38 Lancasters from 9 and 617 Squadrons were allocated to the mission along with one Mosquito and two Liberators carrying ground crews and equipment in support. Drew flew in Lancaster ME599 on this mission and was one of a number of aircraft that crashed on landing in Russia due to appalling weather conditions. Drew actually landed at Kegostrov due to getting lost in the weather and damaged the aircraft on landing after skidding when he swerved to avoid hitting a horse that ran in front of him as he landed in heavy rain. All the crew were uninjured but ME599 was too badly damaged to be used in the attack on the Tirpitz which took place on 15th September. Drew and 3 of his crew flew as passengers in Squadron Leader Tony Iveson’s aircraft on the mission and returned to England safely after the mission was completed. Sadly the other three members of Drew’s crew were killed when the plane that they were flying in hit a mountain in Norway. The mission against the Tirpitz was partially successful as it was hit by one Tallboy bomb and several others landed close by. As a result the ship could not be moved and was sunk in November 1944 by another mission led by 617 Squadron. ME599 was repaired by the Russians and used as a transport plane.
ME599 after crashing in Russia
ME599 in Russian markings
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Operation: Kembs-Märkt barrage, France
Kembs map
Kembs dam before raid
Kembs dam after raid
Kembs bombing
By early October 1944 the Wehrmacht had retreated into Germany. The Americans had halted on the River Rhine near Belfort to regroup before crossing this last great natural barrier.
At Supreme Allied Headquarters there was real concern that the flood control gates on the Kembs Barrage, just north of Basle, might be blown by the Germans just as US troops began to cross the Rhine. This would turn the mighty river into a torrent that could at best delay the Allied advance, at worse cause an untold number of casualties.
It was deemed essential that the gates be destroyed before the assault, which could then begin after the surge had passed. While it was thought that the ‘Upkeep’ bouncing bomb was the most suitable weapon, there was insufficient time to train the new crews in its delivery.
The attack on the Kembs Barrage was to be conducted in daylight from low level using the 12000lb Tallboy bombs. During planning it became evident that this was a difficult and dangerous task as the barrage was heavily defended. A concurrent high-level attack was also planned to try to split the defences.
Thirteen aircraft were allocated for the raid. The first wave of seven Lancasters was to conduct the high-level attack and began taking off from Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, shortly after 13:00 hours on October 7, 1944. The low-level element, led by Wing Commander Tait at the controls of EE146, departed shortly afterwards. Drew participated in the low level raid flying NG180
Under heavy escort the 13 Lancasters began their approach to the target soon after 16:30. The high-level section began bombing at 16:44 when Fg Off Watts’ crew released the Tallboy from LM485. Four more bombs quickly followed as the six low-level aircraft led by Tait ran in at 600ft (182m) in marginal weather and into intense ground fire.
Tait’s Tallboy was dropped at 16:51 just ten yards (9m) short of the target sluice gate. When the delay fusing activated, it exploded, breaching the barrage.
Sqn Ldr Drew Wyness in NG180 followed, but his aircraft was badly hit though he continued and released the weapon. His aircraft staggered away and Wyness managed to ditch it in the Rhine a little way downstream.
Within four minutes the other four crews had successfully bombed, but three of these aircraft also suffered flak damage. In LM482 Flt Lt Kit Howard, having braved the hail of fire, decided that he was not properly lined up, so gallantly flew round for a second attempt.
The aircraft was hit in the starboard wing, which started an uncontrollable fire that quickly spread. Lancaster LM482 dived into the ground and exploded, killing all the crew.
Despite the losses, the attack had been successful and a major obstacle to Allied plans for the advance into Germany had been removed. This, like subsequent attacks on water infrastructure, was in support of the land offensive rather than to damage enemy industrial output.
The murder of Drew Wyness and his crew.
As he flew NG180 down the river in preparation to drop his bomb Drew’s aircraft was hit multiple times by flak and two engines caught fire. The plane hit some overhead lines and crashed into the Rhine settling partly on the river bank and partly in the river. Drew and three of the crew got into the rubber dinghy and tried to escape but were carried dowstream by the current and landed near Rheinweiler where they were captured by rural guards and taken to the Mayor’s house. Some time later they were taken to the banks of the river and shot in the head by the local Nazi party chief official Herbert Gruner. The bodies were thrown into the river and found some time later on the French bank of the river. The fate of the other three crew members has never been confirmed although it is possible that they died in the crash
The crew members murdered by Gruner were:- Pilot: Squadron Leader Wyness, aged: 24 and Wireless Operator/Air Gunner Bruce James Hosie RNZAF, aged: 21 – who are buried at Choloy Cemetery, France; The Navigator - Flight Lt. Ronald Henry Williams, aged: 22 and Herbert Walter Honig, Bomb Aimer, aged: 22 - are both buried at the Dürnbach Cemetery, Germany;
Drew Wyness is honoured in the Sale ( RUFC) Roll of Honour
Sale Roll of Honour
Drew's grave at Choloy
Flight Sgt Thomas James Hurdiss, aged:23 - Flight Sgt Thomas Horrocks and Flying officer George Edward Cansell aged: 21 are listed as missing and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
The fate of Hugo Gruner
Hugo Gruner
Gruner was arrested soon after the war in Europe ended and was tried in a court in France where he was found guilty and sentenced to death. However he appealed the conviction on the basis that the French court didn’t have jurisdiction over crimes that were committed on German soil. He won the appeal but he was handed over to British authorities who held him in an internment camp in Germany pending trial. Gruner was shot twice trying to escape but recovered and just prior to his trial in 1946 he managed to escape and was never seen again although he did send a postcard from the Soviet zone of occupation in Germany. His fate has never been determined but it is thought that he may have travelled to Argentina where his brother had a farm. His family informed the authorities that he died in the early 1970’s