Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

Henry Melvin "Dinghy" Young, (20 May 1915 – 17 May 1943) was a bomber pilot in the

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 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 ( ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Early life

Young was born in

Belgravia Belgravia () is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' during the Tudor Period, and became a dangerous pla ...

, London, to Henry George Melvin Young, a British solicitor, and Fannie Rowan Young. He was educated at

Amesbury School Amesbury School is a co-educational independent prep school in the Hindhead/Haslemere area of Surrey, England. It was founded in 1870 and educates pupils between the ages of 9 months and 13 years. Sir Edwin Lutyens designed the Grade II*-liste ...

in Hindhead, Westminster School class of 1933,

Kent School Kent School is a private college-preparatory day and boarding school in Kent, Connecticut. Founded in 1906, it is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. It educates around 520 boys and girls in grades 9–12. Kent was one of the first schools ...

Kent, Connecticut Kent is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located alongside the border with New York (state), New York, the town's population was 3,019 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwe ...

class of 1932, and

Trinity College, Oxford Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...

, where he was part of the winning crew of the 1938

Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the Uni ...

. Though going normally by the name Melvin, he acquired the nickname "Dinghy" after coming down in the sea twice and surviving in inflatable dinghies.

Royal Air Force service

Young qualified as a pilot as a member of the

Oxford University Air Squadron The Oxford University Air Squadron, abbreviated Oxford UAS, or OUAS, formed on 11th October 1925, is the training unit of the Royal Air Force at the University of Oxford and forms part of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. OUAS is one of fif ...

, although the officer who trained him described him as "not a natural pilot". He joined the

in 1938. After the outbreak of war in 1939, he began operational training. In June 1940, he joined

No. 102 Squadron RAF No. 102 Squadron was a Royal Air Force night bomber squadron in the World War I, First World War and a heavy bomber squadron in the World War II, Second World War. After the war it flew briefly as a transport squadron before being reformed a lig ...

, flying

Armstrong Whitworth Whitley The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley was a British medium/heavy bomber aircraft of the 1930s. It was one of three twin-engined, front line medium bomber types that were in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) at the outbreak of the World W ...

bombers. It was during this tour that he twice had to ditch his aircraft and take to a dinghy. The first occasion was on 7 October, when he was flying on a convoy escort mission over the Atlantic from a base in Northern Ireland. Young was forced to ditch his aircraft because of engine failure and the crew spent 22 hours in an inflatable dinghy before being rescued. The second occasion was in the English Channel, south of Plymouth. Young completed his tour in February 1941 and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). After serving in a training unit, Young was promoted to squadron leader and, in September 1941, began a tour with 104 Squadron, flying

Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington (nicknamed the Wimpy) is a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson, a key feature of t ...

s. He served in Egypt and Malta and, on completing his tour of duty, received a

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

to his DFC. In July 1942, he was sent to Washington, D.C. to serve as part of the RAF Delegation. Upon his return to the United Kingdom, he began training to fly the

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster, commonly known as the Lancaster Bomber, is a British World War II, Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to ...

with a new crew. They all joined 57 Squadron in March 1943, where Young became a flight commander.

Operation ''Chastise''

Soon after joining No. 57 Squadron, he was transferred to No. 617 Squadron, specially formed for the purpose of carrying out

Operation Chastise Operation Chastise, commonly known as the Dambusters Raid, was an attack on Nazi Germany, German dams carried out on the night of 16/17 May 1943 by No. 617 Squadron RAF, 617 Squadron RAF Bomber Command, later called the Dam Busters, using spe ...

, the raid to attack German dams in the

Ruhr Valley The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populatio ...

. Young, together with Henry Maudslay, carried out much of the organising work needed to form a new squadron but remained popular with his fellow officers. On the night of the 16/17 May 1943, the raid took place. Young flew Avro Lancaster ''ED877'' /'' AJ-A'' (code-named ''"A-Apple"''). The other crew were

Flight Sergeant Flight sergeant (commonly abbreviated to Flt Sgt, F/Sgt, FSGT or, currently correctly in the RAF, FS) is a senior non-commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and several other air forces which have adopted all or part of the RAF rank structur ...

Charles Walpole Roberts (Navigator),

Flying Officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

Vincent Sandford MacCausland (Bomb Aimer),

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

David Taylor Horsfall (Flight Engineer), Sergeant Lawrence William Nichols (Wireless Operator), Sergeant Gordon Arthur Yeo ( Front Gunner) and Sergeant Wilfred Ibbotson (Rear Gunner). ''A-Apple'' flew as part of the first wave which attacked the

Möhne Dam The Möhne () is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Ruhr. The Möhne passes the towns of Brilon, Rüthen Rüthen () is a town in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography R� ...

. Young was

second in command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, f ...

of the raid, which was led by Wing Commander

Guy Gibson Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson, (12 August 1918 – 19 September 1944) was a distinguished bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was the first Commanding Officer of No. 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam ...

flying ''G-George''. The first three aircraft to attack, Gibson (''G-George''), Hopgood (''M-Mother'') and

Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

(''P-Popsie''), all missed the target. ''A-Apple'' was fourth to attack and hit the dam, causing a small breach. As this breach was not apparent, a fifth aircraft of Maltby (''J-Johnny'') subsequently attacked the dam and achieved a hit, causing a larger breach. On the return journey, ''A-Apple'' was brought down by anti-aircraft fire, probably by gunners at Castricum-aan-Zee, who reported shooting down an aircraft at 2.58 am. The bodies of all seven crewmen washed up on the Dutch coast over the subsequent days and were buried in the Bergen General Cemetery,

Bergen, North Holland Bergen () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Its North Sea beaches and forests make it a popular destination for tourists. In 2001, the municipality was formed from a merger of the former municipaliti ...

Personal life

Young married an old family friend, Priscilla Rawson, in 1942 while he was in Washington. He had previously met Priscilla during his time at Kent College. She remained in the United States when he returned to the United Kingdom.

Honours and awards

* 9 May 1941 – Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) – Acting Flight Lieutenant Henry Melvin Young (72478), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 102 Squadron. * 18 September 1942 – Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross – Squadron Leader Henry Melvin Young, DFC (72478), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 104 Squadron.

Film portrayal

In the 1955 film '' The Dam Busters'', Young was portrayed by

Richard Leech Richard Leeper McClelland (24 November 1922 – 24 March 2004), known professionally as Richard Leech, was an Irish actor. Richard Leeper McClelland was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Isabella Frances (Leeper) and Herbert Saunderson McCl ...

Citations

General references

* *

External links

CWGC :: Casualty Details
at www.cwgc.org

at www.unithistories.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Henry Melvin Dinghy 1915 births 1943 deaths Aviators killed by being shot down Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II Royal Air Force pilots of World War II British World War II bomber pilots Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force squadron leaders Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II People from Belgravia People educated at Westminster School, London Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Kent School alumni Oxford University Boat Club rowers Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the Netherlands Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1943 Military personnel from the City of Westminster