WHITTY George Oliver Samuel

Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).

Appears on the Royal Air Force casualties list for Worcestershire.

George Whitty attended Worcester Royal Grammar School from 1932 to 1937. After leaving school he worked for Worcester City Council. As a member of the Territorial Army, when war broke out he served with the Worcestershire Regiment until 1940 when he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Leicestershire Regiment. He transferred to the RAF in 1941 and by 1944 he was flying Stirling aircraft. These were used for towing gliders and for dropping and supplying paratroops. He won his DFC on the night of 5th June 1944 for his work in dropping paratroops in the earliest stage of the invasion of France. The citation for the award reads:
Flight ‘Lieutenant George Oliver Samuel WHITTY
(108172), R.A.F.V.R., 296 Sqn.
This officer has displayed the greatest keenness for operations and has proved himself to be a skilful and resolute member of aircraft crew. On the night of 5th June, 1944, he piloted an aircraft detailed to transport paratroops to the dropping zone in the earliest stage of the opening phase of the Allied invasion of Northern France. In the execution of his difficult task this officer displayed great skill and accuracy and his effort contributed materially to the success of the later airborne landings. Flight Lieutenant Whitty has completed many sorties and has invariably displayed courage and devotion to duty of a high order.

In March 1945 his Stirling aircraft crashed at Ford Farm, Ackroyd, Baintree Road, Dunmow, Essex.  Only one crew member survived the crash.

Source for additional information: In Dedication to a Future World By Mark Rogers, 1999.

The following information has been researched by Sandra Taylor:
Stirling LK116 from RAF Great Dunmow was attacked by a Luftwaffe intruder during a supply dropping exercise at Great Sampford airfield. The aircraft caught fire causing it to crash beside the River Chelmer near Ford Farm in Dunmow. Flight Sergeant Cramp, the flight engineer parachuted to safety and landed at Barnston. The following crew members were killed:
Squadron Leader George Whitty, DFC, RAFVR (pilot and Officer Commanding A Flight, 620 Squadron)
Warrant Officer John Williams, RAFVR (navigator)
Pilot Officer George Ames, RAFVR (wireless operator)
Warrant Officer Andrew Bell, RCAF (air gunner)
Flight Sergeant George Douglas, RAFVR (bomb aimer)
Captain George Slater, Parachute Regiment, Army Air Corps attached SAS (SAS Liason Officer at RAF Great Dunmow)

A letter from a work colleague, F. Spiers, dated 25th March 1952 can be found within war records held at Worcester County Record Office requesting that his name be added to the county roll of honour. The letter states that Squadron Leader George Oliver Samuel Whitty, RAF, D.F.C., was killed in action and that he worked for the City of Worcester Council in the city engineer and surveyor’s department.