Pilot Officer Norman Robinson (1917 – 1943) · 2015. 1. 2. · - 1 - Pilot Officer Norman Robinson (1917 – 1943) Killed in Action, World War II By James Robinson M.Phil. World

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Pilot Officer Norman Robinson (1917 – 1943)

Killed in Action, World War II

By

James Robinson M.Phil.

World War II was the most destructive war in world history. It claimed the lives of some

55 million people. At least 17 million Soviet people died together with three million

more, who died as prisoners of war. British military casualties numbered some 326,000

plus over 60,000 civilians, almost 90% of the latter total dying in bombing raids1.

The ambitions of Germany, Japan and Italy to expand their national boundaries led to

World War II. Hitler and Germany wished to dominate Central Europe and to reduce

Poland and the USSR to vassal states. Hito and Japan sought domination over China and

South East Asia. Mussolini and Italy coveted the Balkan states and the Mediterranean

region. The League of Nations, primarily represented by Britain and France, attempted to

appease the Axis powers. These efforts failed and when Germany invaded Poland,

World War II began when Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 1,

19392.

The Free State of Ireland, or Eire, remained neutral throughout the war. It is estimated

that some 80,000 southern Irishmen fought with the allies during this conflict3. This is

the story of one such Irishman, Norman John Robinson, from Newberry Hall, Carbury,

Co. Kildare.

Born on May 21 1917, Norman was the second of three children born to John Robinson

(1884 – 1966) and his wife Margaret, nèe Bodkin (1886 – 1959). As the name suggests,

Newberry Hall is a demesne with a Palladian-style redbrick-fronted residence that dates

from about 1760. It was supposedly designed by Nathaniel Clemence. The demesne was

the country residence of Arthur Pomeroy, who married Maria Colley from nearby

Castlecarbury in 1747. He was an M.P. for 22 years in the Irish House of Commons,

who supported the Duke of Leinster’s party and opposed the Act of Union. In 1783,

Arthur attained the peerage as Baron Harberton4 and in 1791, was advanced to the

viscountcy of Harberton. In 1840, the ownership of the estate passed to Edward

Wolstenholme and it was he who added the term ‘Hall’ to Newberry. William Pilkington

acquired ownership in 1870 and in 1911 the estate was purchased by Richard Robinson

(1852 – 1912). At this time, the estate totaled 583 acres. An interesting feature of the

Newberry Estate is that it is the source of the River Boyne, famous in Irish history as the

site of the famous battle in 1690 at Donore, near Drogheda5.

Like his siblings, Norman Robinson was educated at home until he attended Clongowes

Wood College, near Clane, Co. Kildare in 1928. Having obtained his Leaving

Certificate, he left in 1935. At school he captained the 2nd

Division at rugby and won a

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silver medal for essays. Anecdotal evidence tells of his setting up as a bookmaker and

taking bets on horse racing.

Norman Robinson had strong family ties to Clongowes Wood College. His uncle

Richard John Robinson, who died as a student of Clongowes in 1900, is commemorated

by a plaque6, inscribed in Latin, which is situated outside the boys’ chapel. Norman’s

English teacher was Fr. Mathias Bodkin, his uncle, who was prefect of studies. James

Laurence Carew (1850 – 1903), Parnellite M.P. and second cousin of Norman’s

grandfather Richard Robinson, also attended the college. In the year of his death, 1903,

he was appointed Sheriff of Kildare7. Curiously, Richard, Norman’s grandfather, was

High Sheriff of King’s County in 1908, when he resided at Jonestown, Edenderry, prior

to his purchase of Newberry Hall8. Norman’s father and brother also attended

Clongowes, as have his extended family down to the present day.

By coincidence, Norman Robinson’s maternal grandfather, Mathias Bodkin (1849 –

1933), was also a Member of Parliament at Westminster. He was elected for the

Roscommon North Division on the Anti-Parnellite side in 1892. His accounts of the

election campaign are a rare report on the rivalries during this turbulent time in Irish

politics. The shillelagh of one of Bodkin’s supporters flew ‘like a flail and at every

stroke, a policeman went down’. Mathias Bodkin, who was also a noted journalist,

author, barrister and judge, presented his election blackthorn stick to his grandson and it

bears the inscription: ‘To Norman Robinson from the North Roscommon Election’9.

On completion of his secondary education, Norman returned to live and work on his

family holding at Carbury. By 1939, he was employed as a shift supervisor at a nearby

peat fuel company at Kilpatrick. He was now approaching his 22nd

year. His diary for

this year contains the following representative cross-section of entries:

Saturday January 7:

Got petrol in morning and backed a couple of horses, one of which won. Had a second shift of 66 tons.

Keeping press on until 12.00.

On Sunday January 8 he wrote:

A nose like a battered and leaky eave-gutter on a wet evening, overhung by a rotten thatch of hair

For January 26 the entry reads:

Fair run. Larry Daly was hit by a briquette in the eye, and after bringing him to nurse and doctor, sent

him to Eye and Ear Hosp. Very cold.

On February 28 he wrote:

Left car at Corrigan’s in morning and as a result, had to bike to factory in a blizzard. Position as

regards factory very critical.

For March 19 Norman entered:

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Late Mass, Derrinturn. Shot a couple of crows off wheat with Dad and mowed both tennis courts.

On April 19 he wrote:

Given a weeks’ notice and all men left go from factory.

On April 26 he entered:

Last day at factory.

For May 12 the entry reads:

Went to factory but no news. Put down two more lots of pheasant’s eggs. Got two rats at hen house

Sunday May 21 was Norman’s birthday and he wrote:

My birthday. Got 150 cigarettes and fountain pen from Nora. Late mass, Derrinturn. Later tried

Bourke’s and Carbury Hill for fox but no luck, though we saw one.

On June 3 he wrote:

Went to holy communion. Found that hen’s had deserted pheasant’s eggs due to outbreak of fleas.

For July 8 the diary reads:

Went over to tennis at Brown’s with MOFs (More O’Ferralls). Good tennis but lots of old fogies stayed to

supper and not home til 12.30.

On August 3 the entry reads:

News that war broke out between Germany and Poland. Stacking oats in arch field.

For October 1st the diary records:

Late mass, Derrinturn. Very long-winded with Dead List. Got three rabbits, a partridge and a

corncrake in Coonagh.

At the end of the diary, Norman records that he received £4-8-7 per week in pay when he

worked for the Peat Company. From his 1939 diary, it is obvious that Norman was an

avid sportsman who loved game hunting and shooting, as was his great interest in tennis

and horse racing. His job loss is a feature of this diary, as is his diligence in attendance to

his religious duties. It is ominous that the only external entry tells of the start of the

World War II, an event which would ultimately decide Norman Robinson’s fate.

Norman’s diary of 1940 continues in the same vein as the previous year. For February 22

he wrote:

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Spent most of the day fencing. Report in paper that £44,000 granted to the peat fuel company. Wrote

to turf board.

I am sure he hoped that the factory would, as a consequence, reopen. On June 6 he wrote:

Sent in my name for the army.

Friday June 28 read:

Went to Curragh for my medical examination, but rejected on account of thumb.

For August 9 the diary reads:

Wrote to Eva and re job. Sold rifle for £2.

The significant entry in his 1940 diary is Norman’s rejected application to join the Irish

army due to a thumb injury. In 1940, also, he joined the local security force (LSF).

In May 1941, Norman joined the Royal Air Force as a volunteer aircrew member. From

a posting in England in August to November, he then went to Canada and from there to

Alabama, U.S.A. in December 1941. Next, he was posted to Florida and from there, to

Terrell, Texas from February to August 1942. His log book lists his training aircraft as a

P.T.18. His training included climbs, glides, coordinates, stalls and spins, take-offs,

landings and instruments, not to mention night-flying. On March 17, Norman flew solo

for the first time from Terrell to Sherman and back again. At this stage, his total flying

hours were 26 hours and 28 minutes. By May 8 1942, his flying total was 69 hours 23

minutes flying time. His 9th

posting was to Canada and from there, he returned to Britain.

Numerous other locations ended with Norman’s final posting to Bardney, with 9

Squadron, in May 1943. From then on, he flew the Lancaster aircraft, the type he would

fly during his entire Bomber Command operations. On March 19 1943, Norman

recorded in his diary his pay as ‘Paid £8’ and previously on March 5 he wrote, ‘Pay £7’.

On May 27 1943, Norman Robinson flew his first Bomber Command Mission to Essen,

Germany. He was second pilot to flight Ft. Lt. Meyers in a Lancaster 3 bomber aircraft.

This operation involved some 518 aircraft and included 274 Lancasters, 151 Halifaxes,

81 Wellingtons and 12 Mosquitoes. The weather was cloudy and sky marking was used,

with many aircraft undershooting with consequent limited damage inflicted. Norman’s

logbook for this mission reads:

Ops. Essen. Good trip. 4000 H.E. 40 x 90 incend.

Norman’s diary for this operation reads:

2

nd dicky trip to Essen. All 9Squadron ok. 5.00.

German statistics reveal that 488 buildings were destroyed, 196 people were killed and

547 were injured. Bombs fell on ten surrounding Ruhr towns. The Allied casualties

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were 23 aircraft lost, which included 11 Halifaxes, 6 Lancasters, 5 Wellingtons and 1

Mosquito. These losses comprised 4.4% of the attacking force10

.

Two nights later, on May 29 1943, Norman took part in his second bombing mission,

when he was first pilot on a Lancaster 1 bomber, which attacked Wuppertal. This

operation involved some 719 aircraft and was the outstanding success of the ‘Battle of the

Ruhr’. According to German sources, five out of the six largest factories, 211 other

premises and almost 4000 homes were destroyed. It is estimated that 3,400 people were

killed in this raid. Norman’s log book records:

Ops. Wuppertal. 4000lb. H.E. 90 x 40 incend. Photo of fires and smoke.

Losses of 4.6% of the aircraft that took part in this operation were recorded and included

7 Lancasters11

.

His personal diary for this venture reads:

Wuppertal 6.25. Frank on 2

nd deck. All 9Squad ok.

June 11 was the next operation for this crew, when Düsseldorf was the target. 783

aircraft took part in this operation. This was the most damaging raid of the war on this

city. Some 130 acres of property were destroyed. Norman’s logbook for his Lancaster 3

bomber records:

Ops. Dusseldorf. 1 x 4000 H.C. 4 x 500lb. 12 x 8 x 30 incend. Good trip. Photo plotted.

His diary for this operation reads:

Ops. Dusseldorf. 4.30. Photo plotted. 9 squad ok.

4.9% of the aircraft involved were lost on this mission and included 14 Lancasters12

.

June 12 the following night was the next mission for Norman and his crew. This time,

the operation was to Bochum. 503 aircraft took part. The target was completely cloud-

covered but accurate Oboe sky marking enabled the bombing force to cause severe

damage, with daylight photographs showing some 130 acres of destruction. Norman

Robinson’s Lancaster 3 logbook states:

Ops. Bochum. 1 x 4000 H.C. 12 x 8 x 30 incend.

His diary reads:

40 N.F.T. Ops. Bochum. 4.50.

German losses were recorded at 312 people killed, with 449 buildings destroyed. Allied

losses amounted to 4.8% of the strike force and included 14 Lancasters13

.

The next day, June 13, Norman returned home to Carbury via London, on leave. He

notes on June 19 in his diary:

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Dick (his brother) home. Confession.

He returned to Bardney on June 22nd

. June 24 to Wuppertal was the next bombing

operation for this crew. Again, Norman was 1st pilot in a Lancaster 3 bomber. Some 630

aircraft took part and included 251 Lancaster bombers. 1,800 people were killed, 2,400

were injured and damage was done to 171 industrial premises. 3,000 homes were

destroyed. Norman’s log book reads:

Ops. Wuppertal. 1 x 4,000 H.C. Good trip. Photo fires.

5.4% allied aircraft were lost, which included 8 Lancasters14

. His diary reads:

N.F.T. 1.20. Ops Wuppertal 5.15

On June 28 this crew took part in a raid on Cologne, in which 608 aircraft took part. This

mission included 267 Lancasters. This was Cologne’s worst raid of the war. German

sources tell that 43 industrial, 6 military and 6,348 other buildings were destroyed.

Almost 1,500 other buildings were damaged. Cologne Cathedral was seriously damaged

also. Casualties were reckoned at 4,377 people killed, 10,000 injured and 230.000 people

were forced to leave their homes. The number of dead was greater than any other

Bomber Command raid of the war on any target. Norman’s log book states:

Ops Cologne. Good trip but late on target. Wanganui. 1 x 4,000 H.C. 1 x 500 incend. Leaflets.

His diary reads:

0.33 N.F.T. Ops Cologne 5.20.

Losses totaled 4.1% of the strike force and included 8 Lancasters.15

The reference to Wanganui may mean Wangerooge – one of the Frisian Islands. In 1939

a German radar station had detected Allied Wellington bombers and had shot down 12

out of 22 attacking aircraft16

.

Norman took part with his crew, in their next operation, on July 3 to Cologne. The raid

consisted of 653 aircraft, of which 293 were Lancasters. It resulted in 20 industrial

premises and 2,200 houses being destroyed. Casualties included 588 people killed, 1,000

injured and 72,000 people bombed out of their homes. Norman’s log book states:

Ops Cologne. 1 x 4,000. 4 x 500. 4 x 30lb. Incend. Photo dense smoke and fires.

His diary records:

1.00 N.F.T. (v) Ops Cologne 6 hrs. Photos from Rita.3

Losses amounted to 4.6% and included 8 Lancasters.17

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Gelsenkirchen on July 9

th was the next operation for this crew. The strike force totaled

418 aircraft and included 218 Lancasters. This raid was not a success due to oboe

equipment failure. Overall damage was light and fatalities were estimated at 41 people

killed. Norman’s log book reads:

Ops Gelsenkirchen. 1 x 4,000. 4 x 500. 4 x 30lb. Incend. Wanganui. No camera.

His diary reads:

Ops Gelsenkirchen. 6.35.

Again, as on June 28th

, he references Wanganui, which, I believe, refers to the Frisian

Islands. Wangerooge controlled the approach to the ports of Bremen and

Willhelmshaven. On this mission, 18 aircraft were detailed to mine-lay on the Frisian

Islands – without loss. Allied fatalities were 2.9% of the strike force and included 5

Lancasters.18

On July 12 Norman commanded a unit in a bombing mission to Turin. This raid

involved 295 Lancasters. 4.4% of the strike force, or 13 Lancasters, were lost in this

operation. Italian reports state that 792 people were killed, with 914 people injured. This

was Turin’s highest number of fatalities, suffered from air raids undertaken by Bomber

Command during the war. Norman’s log book reads:

Ops Turin. Early return due to engine failure off French Coast. 4,000lb jettisoned.19

His diary for this operation reads:

Boomerang from Turin. Ops 3.45.

Hamburg on July 24th

was the target for this crew in their Lancaster 3 Bomber. 791

aircraft took part and included 347 Lancasters. 2,284 tons of bombs were dropped in 50

minutes. Fatalities numbered 1500 people killed. Norman’s log book for this operation

reads:

Ops Hamburg. Good trip. 1 x 4,000. 4 x 500 incend. F/E + nav out through oxygen lack over target.

Plotted ¾ m A.P. Photo Fires.

Losses were 1.5% of the strike force and included 4 Lancasters.20

His diary reads:

Ops Hamburg. 5.25.

This Lancaster 3 bomber and crew next took part in a bombing raid on Hamburg on July

29. There were 777 aircraft involved and included 340 Lancasters. Some 707 bombers

dropped 2,318 tons of bombs in this operation. Fatalities numbered 370 people killed in

a single incident. Norman’s log book for this raid reads:

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Ops Hamburg. Nice trip – rear turret U/S. 1 x 4,000 H.C. 4 x 30lb. Incends. Plotted 1½m from A.P.

Losses were 3.6% of the strike force and included 11 Lancasters21

. His diary records:

0.35 N.F.T. v Ops Hamburg 5.00. Paid £9.10

Norman’s diary records for August 2nd

1943:

0.45 Monica test.

The term ‘monica’ refers to a radar device fitted to Allied bombers, which detected

enemy aircraft approaching from the rear.22

This crew next saw Bomber Command action on August 15th

when Milan was the target.

The strike force comprised totally of Lancaster bombers and totaled 199 aircraft.

Norman’s logbook reads:

Ops Milan. Very easy trip. Aiming point. No gee.

7 aircraft were lost on this mission23

. His diary reads:

Mass + H.C. 0.45 N.F.T. Ops Milan 8.00 v.

Two days later, on August 17, this crew took part in a raid on Peenemünde. Their

Lancaster was one of 324 planes of this type, which comprised a total strike force of 596

aircraft. This was a special raid against the German research establishment, where the V-

2 rockets were built and tested. 560 aircraft dropped 1800 tons of bombs and it is

estimated that the v-2 programme was set back at least two months. Norman’s log book

reads:

Ops Peenemunde. Good trip. 8 x 1,000. 5 x 500. Photo fires & smoke.

German fatalities numbered 180 killed together with approximately 600 Polish workers.

6.7% of the strike force were lost and included 23 Lancasters.24

Norman’s diary entry reads:

Ops Peenemunde. 6.35

On August 22, Norman and his crew plus F/O English took part in a raid on Leverkusen.

Their Lancaster was one of 257 which were part of strike force that totaled 462 aircraft.

Cloud covered the target, which resulted in bombs falling over a wide area. 40 people

were reported killed. Norman’s log book for this operation reads:

Ops Leverkusen. Unable to identify target due to cloud. Photo fires.

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3 Lancasters were lost, in which 1.1% of the strike force was casualties25.

At this stage,

Norman’s flying experience totaled 504 hours.

Norman’s diary reads:

Mass 9.30. Ops Leverkusen 4.45

Nuremberg on August 27 was the next mission in which this crew took part. 674 aircraft

participated and included 349 Lancasters. The target was cloud free but very dark.

Bomber Command estimate that most of the bombing fell in open countryside. 65 people

were killed. Norman’s log book reads:

Nuremberg. Good trip. Photo smoke and fires. 1 x 4000 + incends.

His diary simply reads:

Ops Nuremberg. 7.30 v.

4.9% of the strike force were lost and included 11 Lancaster bombers.26

On August 31st Norman Robinson and his crew took part in a raid on Berlin. 622 aircraft

were involved and included 331 Lancasters. The raid was not successful, with the

pathfinder flairs being dropped well short of target. 66 civilians and 2 soldiers were

killed, 109 people were injured and 2,784 were bombed out of their homes. Norman’s

log book reads:

Ops Berlin. Good trip. 1 x 4,000 + incends. No photo flash carried.

His diary reads:

Ops Berlin. 7.30 Y.

Losses totaled 7.6% of the bomber force and included 10 Lancasters.27

After this raid, Gauleiter Goebbles ordered the evacuation from Berlin of all children and

adults not engaged in the war effort.

Berlin on September 3 was the target for the next mission undertaken by this crew and

their Lancaster. The strike force consisted of 316 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitoes. 422

people were killed in the raid. Berlin records also mention the death of 7 ‘criminal’

assistants when two delayed action bombs exploded. ‘Criminals’ could earn remission of

sentence if they volunteered for this type of work. Norman’s log book reads:

Ops Berlin. Easy trip. 1 x 4,000 + incends. Plotted 2½ m from A.P.

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His diary reads:

Ops Berlin. 8.00 N.F.T. 0.50v.

Nearly 7%, that is 22 Lancaster bombers, were lost on this operation.28

For September 16th

, Norman’s diary reads:

Out all night on find yourself.

While on September 18, he notes, ‘No flying. Shot partridge and pheasant’.

On September 22 this crew took part in a raid on Hannover. 711 aircraft participated in

the mission, which included 322 Lancaster bombers. American B-17 bombers took part

in this raid, their first night raid on Germany. Strong winds caused the marking and

bombing to be off-target. No reports on casualties are available for this operation but it is

considered unlikely that serious damage was caused in this, the first serious raid on

Hanover for two years. Norman’s log book reads:

Ops Hanover. Good trip. Photo fires and smoke.

His diary reads, ‘5.30 Ops Hanover v. W Cantrell as M/U’. 3.7% of the strike force

were lost, which included 7 Lancasters in this raid.29

The following night, Norman and his crew’s next operation was to Mannheim on

September 23rd

. F/Sgt Argent also took part in this raid. The strike force consisted of

628 aircraft and included 312 Lancaster bombers. This raid was considered a success by

the Allies. Apart from damage to property, some 102 people were killed, 418 were

injured and 25,000 lost their homes. Norman’s log book records:

Ops Mannheim. Good trip. Photo smoke and fires.

His diary reads for this mission:

Ops. Mannheim. 6.20 Robertson M/U Argent. 2

nd Dick.

The strike force lost 5.1% of its number, which included 18 Lancasters.30

On September 27, Norman returned to Ireland on leave for the third time that year. His

diary records shooting parties at Newbury Hall on October 1, 2 and 3. ‘9 pheasant, 9 part

(partridge), 5 snipe, 1 pigeon’ were bagged on the last shoot. Norman left Ireland for the

last time on October 6 and returned to his base at Bardney.

On October 8 Norman and his crew, plus P-O Gould, took part in a raid on Hannover.

504 aircraft took part in this mission, which included 282 Lancaster bombers. This was

the last Bomber Command raid in which Wellington bombers took part. Conditions were

clear and this was Hanover’s worst attack of the war. German casualties were 1,200

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people killed and 3,345 injured. 3,952 buildings were destroyed and more than 30,000

houses were damaged. The German’s guessed correctly that Hanover was the target and

many defending night fighters arrived before the attack was over. Norman’s log book for

this operation reads:

Ops Hanover. Good trip. Photo fires and built up area.

His diary records:

Ops. Hanover. 4.50 v. 2

nd Dick.

5.4% of the strike force was lost and this included 14 Lancasters.31

On October 18, this crew took part in a raid again on Hannover. The strike force was

composed entirely of Lancaster bombers, which numbered 360. The target was cloud

covered and the pathfinders were inaccurate in marking the target. Consequently the raid

was scattered. Norman’s log book for this operation reads:

Ops. Hanover. Easy trip. Photo fires and built up area.

His diary reads:

Ops Hanover. 5.10 v.

5% of the strike force or 18 Lancasters were lost in this raid.32

Two nights later, on October 20, this crew was again in operation, this time to Leipzig.

358 aircraft, all Lancaster bombers, took part. This was the first serious Allied attack on

this distant German city. Weather conditions were appalling which resulted in scattered

bombing. No German statistics are available for this raid but it is considered unlikely

that serious damage was caused. Norman’s log book for this raid reads:

Ops Leipzig. Washout. Heavy cloud. No P.F.F. flairs. Fuel shortage.

His diary records:

Ops. Leipzig. 7.10 V.

Allied casualties were 4.5% of the strike force, which totaled some 16 Lancaster

bombers.33

On November 3 Norman and his crew, having taken part in an air test earlier that day,

participated in a raid on Düsseldorf. 589 aircraft, including 344 Lancasters, participated

in this mission. The centre and south of the city felt the brunt of the attack. It was

difficult to obtain precise German casualties as their records started to show a

deterioration under the pressure of severe Allied raids in 1943. Local reports suggest that

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118 people died with extensive damage being caused to industrial and housing premises.

Norman’s log book for this raid reads:

Ops Dusseldorf. Easy trip. Photo fires only.

His diary records:

Ops Dusseldorf. 4.25 Photo fires N.F.T. V 1.25.

3.15% of the strike force was lost, which included 11 Lancasters.34

Norman Robinson recorded his final entry in his personal diary on November 4th

the

following day, when he wrote simply, ‘Stand down’.

The pressure and tension felt by Bomber Command aircrew can only be imagined.

Anecdotal evidence tells of Norman having lost weight and appearing pressurised when

he made his final visit home. The following unfinished poem written by Norman and

perhaps composed by him is recorded at the end of his diary. This perhaps reveals his

feelings:

Once only by the garden gate

Our lips are joined and parted

I must fulfil an empty fate

And travel the unchartered

Hail and farewell I must arise

Leave here the fatted cattle

And paint on foreign lands and skies

…………………………………..……..

On November 10, Norman, his crew and P.O. Porter took part in a raid on Modane. 313

Lancaster bombers comprised the strike force. The railway system was severely

damaged as a result of this raid. There are no French reports on this operation.

Norman’s log book records for this venture:

Ops. Modane. No defences. 8 x 1,000 H.E. Aiming point.

No aircraft were lost on this mission.35

Norman Robinson flew his penultimate mission on November 18 to Berlin. P.O. Porter

was also on this assignment. 440 Lancaster bombers with 4 Mosquitoes comprised the

strike force. The target was completely cloud covered and both marking and bombing

were carried out blindly. German casualties were 131 people dead, 391 injured and 14

missing. 27 of the dead were foreign workers or prisoners of war. Norman’s log book

recalls for this raid:

Ops Berlin. Easy trip. Landed Tangmere. Short of fuel.

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9 Lancasters were lost, which comprised 2% of the strike force. This was the first raid in

an all out assault in Berlin, which would ensue for the next 4½ months. This phase of the

war was known as, ‘The Battle of Berlin’.36

On November 23 1943, Norman Robinson flew his last mission when he piloted his

Lancaster 3 on a bombing operation to Berlin. Pilot officer Hinton was also on this

mission. 469 Lancaster bombers comprised part of the 764 aircraft who participated in

this raid. This was the largest force sent to Germany so far during World War II. Bad

weather kept most of the German fighters on the ground and so the bomber forces were

able to take a ‘straight in, straight out’ route to the target. Berlin was cloud free and this

was, in effect, the most effective raid on this city of the war. A vast area of destruction

was reported. The damage inflicted was included with the details from a smaller raid,

which took place the following night. At least 3,000 houses and 23 industrial premises

were completely destroyed with thousands of other buildings damaged. It is estimated

that 175,000 people were bombed out of their homes, more than 50,000 German soldiers

or nearly 3 army divisions were diverted from normal duties to assist. Approximately

2,000 people were killed. Norman Robinson’s Lancaster bomber crashed on return to

Lincolnshire. The accident report form stated:

A/C crashed into the ground. Probably caused by attenuation freezing up.

(v) Pilot sound pilot and

captain the Co. as above. A.O.C. causes remain obscure. Not considered likely that static vent iced up

as no other instruments affected. A.O.C. in C. concurs. Based at Bardney (Lincs) crew. Sgt R.G.

Taylor, Flt Sgt. T.F. Davis, Flt. Sgt. B. J. Pitman, Sgt. W. E. Jones, Flt. Sgt. L.E. Mitchell, Flt. Sgt.

Casey.

All killed except Mitchell and Casey (gunners).

Curiously, the report did not specify the death of the pilot, Norman Robinson, or mention

P/O Hinton, who was entered in the log book as having participated. 3.4% of the aircraft

were lost on this operation, which included 11 Lancaster bombers37

.

Norman’s log book for his final mission reads, ‘Ops. Berlin crashed on return’. (In

another person’s handwriting)

His grand total of flying hours after this entry was 574 hours, 35 minutes. The final entry

in his logbook is a red stamp from the Central Depository Royal Air Force, May 1946. It

states starkly, ‘Killed in Action’.

The death of Norman Robinson was reported in the Irish Independent obituary columns

as follows:

Robinson (Carbury) November 23

rd 1943. Norman John, dearly beloved elder son of John and Mrs.

Robinson, Newberry Hall, Carbury, Co. Kildare. Eternal rest grant to him Oh Lord, May he rest in

Peace.38

Reporting restrictions in neutral Ireland during the war were probably responsible for this

low key death notice.

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Norman Robinson is buried, near his home, in Derrinturn, Roman Catholic Cemetery.

His parents and sister were subsequently buried beside him. His Royal Air Force

headstone reads:

Per adua ad astra.

Pilot officer

N.J. Robinson

Pilot

Royal Air Force

24th

November 1943 age 26

May he rest in peace

The following poem, written on a loose page in his own handwriting, was found in

Norman’s log book. It reads:

We have no graceful form, no flashing shape

To flicker, fish-like, in the dome of sky;

No famous whine of motor glint of light

Proclaim us to the earthlings ear or eye

Darkly we go, unseen, by friends unsped,

Leaving the homely fields that are our own,

Up to the heights where sunsets’ early red

Changes to blackness. We are there alone.

No heat of battle warms our chilling blood

No friendly soil beneath us if we fall;

Our only light the stars, whose fickle mood

Will lead them to desert us when we call.

Death down below or stealing through the dark

Awaits our coming with a silent grin;

Bellowes’ fireworks curtained round our mark

Form doors of fire, through which we enter in.

Flame, smoke and noise surround us for a while.

A shuddered jerk – the load goes screaming down;

Cold hands and feet move levers for escape;

A chain of fire bespatters through the town

Back to the darkness, friendly now we speed

To count our wounds, and set a course for home.

Speaking to base, attentive to our need,

Watching for that far-friendly line of foam.

- 15 -

Hour upon hour, the long-drawn journey seems;

Fights and searchlights still our road proclaim.

Salt-eyed, we watch the heaven for the Huns,

Weary we dodge the heaven-splitting flame.

Then, with no certain victory to impart, out of the dawn we drop from frosty light

Welcomed alone by those who saw us start

And watched and waited for us through the night.

These lines well-describe Bomber Command aircrews’ feelings – not knowing if or when

they would return to base. There is no author’s name to these lines. Perhaps Norman

wrote them himself.

Norman Robinson and his crew belonged to 9 Squadron, which was formed on December

8 1914, and is described as the senior squadron serving in Bomber Command. In

Mason’s ‘History of 9 Squadron’, it is noted that August 1943 was the most successful

month of that year regarding combat. Intensive pilot training was rewarded with

excellent results in the raid on Peenemunde and Norman was specifically mentioned

amongst this group. This publication also features a photograph of Norman Robinson’s

Lancaster 3 bomber with the caption:

Bardney 1943 Lancaster Number ED656 ws. V Waiting for take off.39

In 5 Group, the Lancaster bombers flew 52,262 sorties with 1,389 aircraft lost. This was

a loss rate of 2.7%. At least 253 Lancaster bombers were also lost in crashes.40

Approximately 125,000 air crew served in the Royal Air Force. Nearly 60% of this

number became casualties. Those who died on operations made up 85% of the total, with

15% being killed in training. The total aircrew casualties were 55,500.41

Some 49,400 Irishmen were killed in the 1914/18 war and it is estimated that almost

500,000 Irishmen served in this conflict. Some 23,000 of the latter total came from Co.

Kildare.42

567 Kildare men lost their lives in World War I. In contrast, World War II saw some

80,000 Irishmen fight with the Allied Forces. It is estimated that 10,000 of them were

killed.

Thirty Kildare men lost their lives in this war43

. Of the 3,080 pilots who fought in

the Royal Air Force, just ten came from Ireland. Norman Robinson was one of this

number44

.

Arguably, the most valiant Kildare man in World War II was Major Darby Michael

Kennedy, or John, as he preferred to be called. From Bishopcourt, Kill, John was a

member of the Irish Guards. He died on February 21 1945 on the German Dutch border

in an engagement while leading No. 3 Company45.

His participation in the Italian

campaign at Anzio saw Kennedy promoted from the rank of Captain to Major. He was

also awarded the Military Cross for his part in stopping a German advance in January

1944. John Kennedy and Norman Robinson were related through the marriage of Major

- 16 -

Kennedy’s sister Maev to George Robinson (3rd

Cousin to John Robinson – Norman’s

father).

During 1943 1,000 British bombers were lost, 300 of them in attacks against Berlin. The

majority of them were shot down by German fighters46

. Norman Robinson took part in

26 operations. It was normal for air crew to complete 30 missions. Few, however, did

so. It is of interest to note that 8 Victoria Crosses, the British Empire’s highest honour,

were awarded to Irish Free State citizens who fought in World War II. As the war

progressed, the Irish Free State became decidedly anti-German. This was caused by the

sinking of 16 Free State ships by German submarines together with bombings of Ireland.

The greatest loss of life occurred with the bombing of Dublin’s North Strand. 34 people

were killed in this event in May 194147

.

In February 1944 Jimmy Casey, one of the two survivors of the Lancaster Air Crash on

November 24 1943, wrote to Norman Robinson’s mother. The letter reads:

7

th February 1944.

Dear Mrs. Robinson,

I am so sorry that I have not wrote to you before now, but when my wife forwarded your letter on to me

I was away on a Medical and I came on leave after that, so I hope that you will excuse me for not

writing sooner. I wish to thank you very much indeed for your lovely “Memoriam Card” for I can’t tell

you how much I will cherish it, for Norman and I were the only two Catholics in the crew, and I

understand and appreciate your love for Norman when I read those lovely verses on the card.

I can’t tell you how much all of the crew thought about Norman, both as a friend and as a pilot, for we

had all been flying together for just on a year, and I will always regard Norman as having saved my life,

for he was one of the best pilots to fly on operations on our Squadron, and one of the best liked too!

There is not very much that I can tell you about the crash, for we were only about five minutes flying

away from the Drome and losing height, when there was a sudden impact, and that was the last I

remembered, and I awoke to find myself lying about 30 or 40 yards away from the plane. What

happened as far as I have been able to gather since I came out, is that the Station gave us the wrong

O.F.E. which has something to do with the height, and when Norman set the altimeter by this it was

about a thousand feet or so wrong, and consequently we hit the ground when we should have been

about a thousand feet up in the air.

One of Norman’s last wishes was for me to call my baby after him, for it is my wife’s first and when I

told Norman that my wife was expecting a baby at Christmas he was overjoyed and every other day he

would say to me, ‘Don’t forget Jimmy to let me be the godfather and to christen him after me if it’s a

boy’, and the night we crashed he asked me the same thing before we got into the plane to take off. As

it happened it was a boy and the least I could do was for me to keep my last promise to Norman, so my

wife called him Norman Anthony, and the only thing I wish now is for him to grow up as fine a chap as

your son.

If God spares me to see this war through and if I ever get the opportunity of going to Ireland I will bring

him through to see you, for I know you will be pleased to see him.

By the way Norman had some photographs of the crew which was taken when we were going to

Hamburg some time ago, if however you failed to get one of these off him, I think that I have one that I

could spare you.

- 17 -

I shall have to close now so here’s wishing you everything I could wish myself.

Yours sincerely,

J. Casey

This heart-rending letter speaks for itself. From it, Norman comes across as a capable

pilot and a loyal friend, well-liked by his fellow crew. Nothing was heard from Jimmy

Casey by Norman’s family since the receipt of this letter. An inquiry to the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission did not reference this survivor of the 1943

crash. It is therefore assumed that he survived the war.

The casualty search details regarding Norman Robinson in the same archive reveals his

service number as 155261 and his regiment as Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve with

the rank of Pilot Officer (pilot)48

.

Norman Robinson did not speak of his Bomber Command operations, neither did he

write of them. Perhaps he couldn’t. The poems in his diaries were the nearest to

describing the indescribable. Hastings vividly describes the terror of being a member of

Bomber Command aircrew. He states that aircrew vigilance lessened when pilots flew a

number of raids which did not experience German defence anti-aircraft flak or combat

with defence fighter planes. He likens it to the tedium of drowning on a darkened

motorway. Careful pilots banked their aircraft every few minutes, so allowing their

gunners to scan the sky beneath for enemy fighters. No good pilot tolerated chatter on

the intercom. The silence was reserved for the awesome moment when the rear gunner

exclaimed, ‘Fighter Port’ and then ‘Corkscrew Port’. At these words, the aircraft would

spin the stomach churning routine of fighter evasion. The gunner directed the pilot who

could not see the enemy, as the latter twisted the aircraft in torment. The pilot’s

confidence was vital in throwing the plane through the sky. Some bombers, banked

cautiously, because of their fear of causing the aircraft to break up. They died. Others,

the ones who lived, knew that enemy fighter cannon were a greater threat than a wing

breaking off. They threw their aircraft about the sky, ‘Steep bank to port, full left rudder,

fall sideways for a thousand feet, wrench the controls to starboard, soar into a climbing

turn to the right, then opposite and dive again’.

The speed varied between 200 and 90mph; the altimeter lost and gained 1,000 feet and

the rate of descent and ascent varied between 1,000 and 2,000 feet a minute. The

physical exertion of each pull at the bottom of each dive was about equal to ‘pulling on a

pair of oars in a boat race’. The smell of vomit often wafted up from a navigator or

bomb-aimer, overcome by fear and the violence of their movement as the fuselage

shuddered as the gunners fired. Skilled pilots almost cart wheeled their Lancasters as

they banked onto one wingtip. They raced the upper engine and cut the lower. They

knew their bombers had little chance of shooting down a well-armoured German fighter.

Their best hope of survival lay in escape. The true value of gunners was as lookouts. If

they saw the Germans first – they could survive. If not, they were probably dead men.

- 18 -

The gunners smeared Lanolin on their necks to combat the soreness and aches of

constantly scanning the sky. They took caffeine tablets to stay awake and faced instant

dismissal if they were caught dozing. Always, boredom and the corrosion of fear and

fatigue were deadly enemies. Always, a bomber was caught unawares49

.

On their way home, some pilots nursed damaged engines or flak-torn controls, lost height

over France and struggled to get across the sea to the bombers’ emergency airstrips.

Often in the fuselage darkness, a crew member tended to a wounded colleague, doing his

pathetic best to repair terrible wounds caused by shrapnel or cannon fire. Often they

threw everything portable overboard to reduce weight as they drifted helplessly

downwards into the north sea or channel. The chances of survival were improved if their

wireless operator could tap out a ditching signal. Often they could not and lingered for

days in their dingy before rescue or death overtook them50

.

The crew of a stricken aircraft had a one in five chance of escaping alive. They had to

fight the G-forces of diving and spiraling uncontrollable descent. They had to bale out

before the bomber struck the ground. Also, they strove to avoid bailing out over a target

area for stories abounded of bomber crews being killed by enraged civilians or soldiers.

This was a fate not unknown to Luftwaffe airmen in the London blitz51

.

As one airman succinctly put it:

You live on the brink of death yourself, it is as if those who have gone before have merely caught an

earlier train to the same destination. And whatever the destination is, you will be sharing it soon, since

you will almost certainly be catching the next one 52

.

The airman who wrote these lines was shot down on November 3 1943 in a raid on

Düsseldorf. He survived and made a successful escape across France to England for

which he was awarded a D.F.C.53

This was also an operation in which Norman Robinson took part.

In 1940, Britain stood alone and seemed doomed to defeat. Bomber Command was the

sole remaining tool for offensive action. Prime Minister Winston Churchill said, ‘We

have no continental army who can defeat German military power. There is one thing that

will bring him (Germany) down and that is an absolutely devastating exterminating attack

by very heavy bombers from this country upon the Nazi homeland’.54

The controversial area bombing cost almost 56,000 members of aircrew their lives. A

further 10,000 were shot down or killed. Bomber Command losses amounted to almost

1/7 of all British deaths between 1939 and 1945. The Royal Air Force’s Commander in

Chief, Sir Arthur Harris, argued that this policy ‘saved the flower of the youth of this

country and of our Allies from being mown down by the military in the field, as it was in

Flanders in the war of 1914-1918’55

.

It is curious that Bomber Command aircrew were never awarded their own campaign

medal, after surviving the extraordinary battle they fought for so long, against such odds,

- 19 -

and in which so many died. With the benefit of hindsight, and in the safety of victory and

peace, it appears that many politicians and civilians preferred to forget the airmen’s war

contribution56

. Indeed, in the Battle of Britain, which lasted from July to October 1940,

the R.A.F. pilots took to the skies with as little as ten hours training in their single seater

fighter planes. Furthermore, the air force comprised 640 planes, whereas the more

experienced Luftwaffe’s bombers numbered 2,400. Disproportionately large numbers of

the latter were shot down, however, and Hitler changed tactics.57

Norman’s diary of 1943 reveals correspondence with two girls. One was an Irish girl,

Eva, and the other, Rita, a girl he met while training in Texas. To this day, almost 62

years after his brother’s death, Norman’s brother still receives an annual Christmas card

from Rita. In the 1970s, Rita and her husband visited Ireland and Newberry Hall, to see

where Norman lived. The endurance of the human spirit is truly marvelous.

Many Royal Air Force bomber crews did not allow their aircraft to be photographed as

they believed it brought them bad luck. However, Norman and his crew had no such

reservations. It is an irony that Norman’s brother, who worked as an aircraft engineer in

Handly Pages in England, came home and was accepted in the Irish Air Force, which he

served in for the duration of World War II.

Leaving aside the question of his motivation, necessity also drove Norman to join the war

effort. The closure of the Peat Fuel Company, his inability to gain further employment in

war time Ireland and his rejected application to join the Irish army are all factors that

make it seem almost destiny that Norman Robinson would join the conflict of World War

II and pay the supreme sacrifice. He was 26 years of age.

- 20 -

References

1. Richard G. Bard, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to World War II, Alpha, ISBN 1-

5927-04-09

2. Bradley Lightbody, Ambition to Nemesis, The 2nd

World War, Rootledge, Taylor

Francis Group, London, 2004

3. James Durney, Far From the Short Grass – The Story of Kildare Men in Two

World Wars, Leinster Leader Ltd., 1999, p123

4. James Robinson, The Robinsons of North Kildare – 300 Years of Family History,

McRobin Publications, Dublin, 1997, p278

5. J. Robinson, Ob. Cit., p282

6. The Clongownian, Volume 3, 1902–04, p79

7. The Clongownian, Ob. Cit., p59

8. Ulick Sadlier, Journal of the Kildare Archaeological Society, Volume 8, 1915-17,

p30

9. James Robinson, James L. Carew M.P. (1853 – 1903), Dublin, Historical Record,

Volume LVII, No. 2, 2004, p219

10. Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt, The Bomber Command Diaries, Midland

Publication Ltd., 1985, p393

11. M. Middlebrook and C. Everitt, Ob. Cit., p394











22. Max Hastings, Bomber Command, Pan Books Ltd., London, 1979, p285
















- 21 -

38. Irish Independent, Volume 52, No. 283

39. T. Mason, 9Squadron, The Lincolnshire Chronicle, Lincoln, 1965, p64



42. J. Durney, Ob. Cit., p117

43. J. Durney, Ob. Cit, p258



46. Wilbur H. Morrison, Fortress Without a Roof – The Allied Bombing of the Third

Reich, W.H. Allen, London, 1982, p169

47. J. Lee Ready, World War II – Nation by Nation, Arms and Armour Press,

London, 1945, p147/8

48. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 2002 – 2003, ISBN, 0 33026236

X

49. M. Hastings, Ob. Cit., p193








57. John Paul Flintoff, ‘The Last of the Few’, The Sunday Times Magazine, June 5th

,

2005, p36

I am particularly indebted to Richard Robinson for making available his family

papers and photographs, which were vital to the production of this paper.

Documents

Pilot Officer Norman Robinson (1917 – 1943) · 2015. 1. 2. · - 1 - Pilot Officer Norman Robinson (1917 – 1943) Killed in Action, World War II By James Robinson M.Phil. World