The only surviving RAF Coningsby D-Day veteran of whom the Station is aware is Mr Henry Townsley DFM. He was a flight-engineer who completed 55 operations in total, two complete tours. Henry began his flying career with 97 Squadron in January 1943, and concluded his first tour in July of that year. In April of 1944, Henry had begun his second tour of operations, still with 97 Squadron and also at Coningsby.
In the build-up to D-Day Henry took part in pre-invasion bombing operations. On D-Day itself, Henry was part of the many Bomber Command crews which attacked the Nazi emplacements on the coast of France. He survived the war and is now 103 years old, in good spirits, and living in a care home in Derbyshire.
In May of this year Henry was visited by our Station Commander Group Captain O’Grady, Corporal Cunningham from the BBMF, and AS1 Shauna Martin, one of our photographers.
Group Captain O’Grady said:
“Mr Townsley is probably the only RAF Coningsby survivor from D-Day, it was an immense privilege to meet him, to share his stories, and to say a huge personal thank you for what he, and many thousands of others, did for us on D-Day.”
