Royal Air Force Flight Engineer & Air Engineer Association

For all those awarded the RAF "E" flying badge.

Sgt Bill Radcliffe DFC 97 & 617 Sqn

Sgt Bill Radcliffe flew 63 operations as a Lancaster Flight Engineer. After completing his first tour on No 97 Sqn his crew, skippered by Joe McCarthy, were posted to the newly formed 617 Sqn for the Dambusters raid. He was commissioned in November 1943, and awarded the DFC in June 1944.

Thank you to his son, also named Bill, for providing us access to his aircrew flying log books. which are displayed below.

Some years ago the Association hosted a visit to the BBMF by Sgt Radcliffe’s family. Read More:

A more detailed account of his service career can be found on the Dambuster Blog.

Sgt Bill Radcliffe DFC 617 Sqn Dambuster
Mr Chuck Chuck – Bill Radcliffe’s Lucky Mascot
Bill-Radcliffe-Log-Book-97-SqnDownload
Bill Radcliffe Log Book 617 Sqn 1943Download
Bill-Radcliffe-Log-Book-617-Sqn-1944Download
Flight Lieutenant Joe McCarthy (fourth from left) and his crew of No. 617 Squadron (The Dambusters) at RAF Scampton, 22 July 1943. The crew of Lancaster ED285/`AJ-T’ sitting on the grass, posed under stormy clouds. Left to right: Sergeant G Johnson; Pilot Officer D A MacLean, navigator; Flight Lieutenant J C McCarthy, pilot; Sergeant L Eaton, gunner. In the rear are Sergeant R Batson, gunner; and Sergeant W G Ratcliffe, engineer.
This is photograph TR 1128 from the collections of the Imperial War Museums.