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Fraser Barron DSO &
Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (un ...
, DFC, DFM (9 January 1921 – 20 May 1944), was an officer of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) who flew as a pilot with Bomber Command and was killed in flying operations during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. Born in
Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
, Barron was working as a clerk when the Second World War began. He volunteered for the RNZAF and qualified as a pilot in late 1940. He went to England as a sergeant to serve with the Royal Air Force and after training on heavy bombers was posted to No. 15 Squadron, flying Short Stirling bombers. He completed a first tour of operations by April 1942, flying 39 missions, after which he performed instructing duties. He commenced a second tour in September 1942, this time with No. 7 Squadron, part of the Pathfinder Force, flying numerous missions to mark targets for following bombers. Already a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Medal, awarded during his first tour, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and then, at the conclusion of his second tour, the
Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typi ...
(DSO). By now having reached the rank of squadron leader, another period as an instructor followed. He soon desired a return to operations and arranged to be posted back to No. 7 Squadron. Now flying Avro Lancaster bombers, he flew on several more missions until he was killed on 20 May 1944, when his aircraft and its crew crashed at
Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le ...
. He was posthumously awarded a
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to his DSO, one of only four personnel of the RNZAF to receive this honour during the Second World War.


Early life

James Fraser Barron, known as Fraser Barron, was born on 9 January 1921 in
Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
, New Zealand, one of two children of James Barron and his wife Winifred . His father was a grocer and when Barron was a child, purchased a store near Oamaru. He was educated at the local primary school and then went onto
Waitaki Boys' High School Waitaki Boys' High School is a secondary school for boys located in the northern part of the town of Oamaru, Otago, New Zealand, with day and boarding facilities, and was founded in 1883. , it has a school roll of approximately 400 students. The ...
. He participated in several sports while at school but otherwise was an average student. He was also interested in aviation; he was one of many boys who had a ride with Charles Kingsford Smith as the '' Southern Cross'' toured New Zealand in 1933. He also wrote aviation-themed stories for the school magazine. Completing his education at the end of 1937, he moved to
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...
, where he worked as a cadet clerk in the Mines Department.


Second World War

Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, Barron applied to join the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). His application was duly accepted and as a leading aircraftman, he underwent a short-term training course beginning on 2 July 1940, which would determine whether he would be selected for training as a pilot, observer or air gunner. Shortly before commencing the course, he was offered the opportunity to train with the Fleet Air Arm, provided he leave for England the following month. As he was still only 18, he required his parents' consent to go overseas but this was not given. Instead, Barron proceeded with the RNZAF course. After the initial course, held at RNZAF Levin, was completed, at the end of July Barron was selected for pilot training and proceeded to RNZAF Taieri, near Dunedin. Learning to fly on
Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...
s, one of his fellow trainees at Taieri's No. 1 Elementary Flying Training School was James Ward, who would the following year be awarded the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
. Barron soloed on 9 August and at the end of the following month was receiving training on Fairey Gordons at Wigram airbase. He qualified as a pilot on 12 December and the following month, upon graduation from flight training, was promoted to sergeant. He departed for England on '' Aorangi'' on 29 January 1941. After stops in Fiji and Canada, Barron arrived in England on 5 March 1941. He, along with Ward, was selected for training on
heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the large ...
s and posted to the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
's 20 Bomber Operational Training Unit (OTU), in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
. Here he spent several weeks learning to fly the two-engined Vickers Wellington, at one stage surviving a ditching in the North Sea when an engine failed during a night-time navigation exercise. He finished his training in mid-June 1941.


On active service

After leaving 20 OTC, Barron was posted to No. 15 Squadron, which was stationed at RAF Wyton, north of
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, and operated flying Short Stirling heavy bombers. The Stirling was the first four-engined bomber to enter service with the Royal Air Force. Not being familiar with the aircraft, Barron had to undergo a series of conversion flights before embarking on his first operation, a bombing raid on Germany on the night of 7/8 July. As in his next nine missions, Barron flew as second pilot to a more experienced captain. One of these flights was a low-level solo raid on railway yards in Bielefeld, in Germany. Barron was given his own crew and aircraft on 1 September 1941 and received a promotion to flight sergeant. His first mission as captain took place two days later, an attack on the port at Brest in north-west France. However, he had to jettison his bombs so he could evade a German
night fighter A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used ...
. Several more missions, including some targeting the German battleships ''
Scharnhorst Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst (12 November 1755 – 28 June 1813) was a Hanoverian-born general in Prussian service from 1801. As the first Chief of the Prussian General Staff, he was noted for his military theories, his reforms of the Pru ...
'' and '' Gneisenau'', which were at Brest for repairs, followed. He also spent a period as an instructor, doing night landings and cross-country flights with trainee pilots. By the end of April 1942, Barron had completed 39 missions, 29 as aircraft captain, and finished his first tour. Now a
pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countrie ...
, having been promoted earlier in the year, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) the following month, the citation noting that Barron was "most reliable, efficient and courageous, pressing home his attacks regardless of opposition." It was typical for aircrew that had completed a tour to be rested and perform instructing duties for a time. In Barron's case, he was posted to No. 1651 Conversion Unit, stationed at Waterbeach, as an instructor. After a period of leave, he arrived at Waterbeach on 21 May but within a week was called back to No. 15 Squadron to fly in the 1,000-bomber raid on Cologne. Prior to the raid, he carried out a minelaying mission to the Frisian Islands; he described the operation as being "to get his hand in again." After the Cologne mission, flown on the night of 30/31 May, Barron participated in the followup large scale bombing raid on
Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and ...
, two nights later. He then returned to Waterbeach to pick up his instructing duties, which he soon began to find dull, despite being involved in four more bombing missions involving significant numbers of aircraft.


Flying as a Pathfinder

At the end of his instructing tour, in September 1942, Barron volunteered for operational flying and was posted to No. 7 Squadron, which operated Stirlings and flew from Oakington, in
Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
. His new unit was one of the founding squadrons of the Pathfinder Force, considered to be the elite of Bomber Command and tasked with locating and marking targets as the vanguard to the main bombing raid that would follow. Qualified pathfinder flying personnel benefited from quick promotions and were entitled to wear a distinctive Pathfinder Force badge. Barron started flying missions for the squadron on 2 October and shortly afterwards was promoted to flight lieutenant; his promotion saw him skip the intervening rank of flying officer. On one early mission with No. 7 Squadron, his aircraft was attacked, in separate incidents, by night fighters. After his 50th mission, a raid on 7 November that targeted
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in Italy, Barron traveled to Buckingham Palace, to be presented with the DFM by
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...
. Shortly afterwards, he qualified to wear the Pathfinder badge. Barron continued to fly pathfinder missions; notable raids included an attack on
Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. Th ...
on 11/12 December, where his aircraft was the only one of three from No. 7 Squadron to bomb the target and successfully return, and a raid on
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
on 21 December, where his Stirling was attacked by a night fighter but thanks to the efforts of his flight engineer, Barron was able to fly his badly damaged bomber back to England. By February 1943, Barron and his crew were trained in the use of the new H2S
radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
, initially provided to the Pathfinder Force, and used it for the first time in action on the night of 2/3 February in a mission to bomb Cologne. It proved to be a notable action for Barron; over Cologne, he was targeted by over 30 searchlights for 15 minutes and subjected to a severe barrage of flak. Despite this he ensured his bombs were dropped on target, was able to evade the searchlights, and made it back to England with a damaged aircraft. He later wrote of the event, "I really thought they had me that night." The following night, Fraser and his crew flew a raid to Hamburg. One engine of his Stirling was shot away over the city and on the return flight to England, a storm caused ice to form on the fuselage and wings. With only three engines, the aircraft gradually lost height due to the ice. As they crossed Holland, the crew discarded ammunition and weapons to help lighten the Stirling. Fortunately, the ice began to melt, and Barron was able to gain sufficient height to clear the channel and safely land. A few days after the dramatic Cologne mission, Barron was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his "courage and skill, together with determination to strike at the enemy on every possible occasion and with the greatest destructive effect." His second tour ended on 2 March 1943, when he was taken off operations having completed 22 missions. The same day, he was awarded the
Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typi ...
(DSO), in relation to his 2 February raid on Cologne. Barron was the first New Zealander to have been awarded the DFM, the DFC, and the DSO and his feat was widely reported in his home country. The citation for his DSO, published in the '' London Gazette'', read: With his second tour over, Barron went on leave for a few weeks before taking an instructor's course in preparation for his next posting, at No. 11 OTU at RAF Westcott in
Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-eas ...
. By the time he arrived at Westcott in mid-March to take up his instructing position, he had been promoted to squadron leader. His new role required cross-country flights and nighttime flying of Wellington bombers which kept him busy. In late May, he returned to Buckingham Palace to be presented with his DFC and DSO and dined with the High Commissioner of New Zealand, Bill Jordan. As a highly decorated pilot, he was often involved in propaganda and recruitment drives and in June was photographed with Māori flying personnel from New Zealand who were undergoing training at 11 OTU. Tiring of the training environment, Barron hankered for a return to active duty; in letters he told his family he was exerting pressure on senior officers in the Pathfinder Force for his return to operations. He was eventually successful in his efforts and after Christmas 1943, he rejoined the now Lancaster-equipped No. 7 Squadron for a third tour. It was intended that this tour would be limited to 20 missions, by the end of which he would have flown 81 operational flights. By this time, he was dating Marie, a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, who he had met while at Westcott. The first mission of his third tour was a raid on Brunswick on the night of 14/15 January 1944. Although a quiet mission for Barron, 38 Lancasters, a quarter of which were Pathfinder aircraft, were shot down or lost of the 496 that took part. Several raids, including some on
Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
and the Leipzig raid of 19 February, during which 78 bombers were lost, followed. By this stage, Barron had been promoted to wing commander and was leader of one of the flights of No. 7 Squadron. This rise in rank and extra responsibility was as a result of losses in the squadron from the past few missions. In March, Barron had two periods as acting commander of No. 7 Squadron, the first being due to the nominal commander being on leave and the second because the commander did not return from a raid on
Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...
. He also participated in a mission to bomb Nuremberg, on the night of 30/31 March. This saw the loss of 96 aircraft and around 750 flying personnel, the most on a single raid for Bomber Command during the war. By April, the focus of Bomber Command's efforts was shifting to strategic targets in France, such as railways, bases and depots, in support for the forthcoming invasion of Normandy. At the same time, Barron began flying missions as master bomber, which involved him controlling and observing raids. This meant extended flight time over the target. His first such mission, and 75th overall, was a raid on railway marshalling yards at
Tergnier Tergnier () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Its location on the Canal de Saint-Quentin and the Creil–Jeumont railway ( Tergnier station) supported its development as an industrial centre in the secon ...
involving 171 aircraft, mainly
Halifaxes The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester. The Halifax has its orig ...
. He concluded the raid a failure. On 28 April, he was again acting commander of No. 7 Squadron, the incumbent, having been in the role for only a month, having been lost on a raid the previous night. On the night of 7/8 May, he flew as master bomber on a raid on an airfield in
Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabit ...
, controlling 93 Lancasters. The attack was a success, with later observations noting 250 bomb craters on the airfield, many on the runways.


Death

On the night of 19/20 May 1944, Barron acted as master bomber in an attack on railway yards at
Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le ...
in France, his 79th operation. He failed to return. Initially reported as missing, he was not declared presumed dead until May the following year. The exact circumstances of Barron's death are unclear, but a collision with another aircraft of No. 7 Squadron, acting as deputy master bomber, is considered the most likely event. It is possible that flak may have been involved. The 15 men on both No. 7 Squadron aircraft were all killed with Barron's Lancaster crashing into a Renault factory, close to the aiming point for the raid. Originally interred in a civilian grave, alongside one of his crew members, Flight Sergeant Derek Wood, Barron was re-interred in the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mi ...
's Le Mans West Cemetery after the war. After receiving the news that Barron was missing, a few weeks later his parents received notification of the award of a
bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (un ...
to his DSO. This was for the mission on Nantes carried out on 7/8 May and the citation, published on 13 June, read: On 27 February 1948, his mother received the bar on his behalf from Governor General
Sir Bernard Freyberg Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, (21 March 1889 – 4 July 1963) was a British-born New Zealand soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, who served as the 7th Governor-General of New Zealand from 1946 to 1952. Freyb ...
, in an investiture at Dunedin. A total of 55 personnel from the RNZAF were awarded the DSO during the Second World War. Barron was one of only four, and the only one from Bomber Command, to be awarded a bar to his DSO. In addition to his DSO and bar, DFC and DFM, Barron was also entitled to the
1939–1945 Star The 1939–1945 Star is a military campaign medal instituted by the United Kingdom on 8 July 1943 for award to British and Commonwealth forces for service in the Second World War. Two clasps were instituted to be worn on the medal ribbon, Batt ...
, Air Crew Europe Star, the Defence Medal, War Medal 1939–1945 and the
New Zealand War Service Medal __NOTOC__ The New Zealand War Service Medal (NZWSM) was a New Zealand campaign medal for service in World War II. Award Criteria The NZWSM was approved in 1946, and was awarded to members of the New Zealand armed forces, the National Military R ...
.


Notes


References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barron, James Fraser 1921 births 1944 deaths Aviators killed by being shot down Missing in action of World War II New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order New Zealand military personnel killed in World War II New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand World War II pilots Military personnel from Dunedin People educated at Waitaki Boys' High School Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Medal Royal Air Force wing commanders Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel