W/Cdr Chris Bartlett, crew 76

Wing Commander Chris Bartlett was piloting Halifax LW-713, (WL-Q "Queenie") on June 12/13 1944 to the rail yards at Arras, France. They failed failed to return, F/L D.H. Crawford survived and became a pow, the rest of the crew perished.

The following documents were submitted by Anne (nee Bartlett) niece of Chris. Joan Bartlett wrote the following on her brother.

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"BLOW THE BRIDGE"

One of the first Canadians to distinguish himself as a transport pilot took part in several unusual operations in the sometimes fascinating, always puzzling, world of the Middle East. W/C C.S. Bartlett from Fort Q’Appelle, Saskatchewan, joined the RAF on 12 July 1937 and was commissioned as a pilot officer. On completion of his training he was sent to the Middle East where local wars and constant shifts in the power structure kept the area in turmoil.

Early in September 1939, P/O Bartlett reported to No. 216 (Transport) Squadron stationed at Heliopolis, Egypt. In the pre-war years Britain’s defence budget had been relatively small with the result that military organizations often had to make do with obsolete equipment. An example was 216’s aircraft – Vickers Valentias. These large twin-engined biplanes – with copious quantities of bracing wires laced between their two sets of 87-foot wings – looked like museum pieces from the First World War. The undercarriage was fixed and, although the 22 passengers rode in a fabric covered fuselage, the two pilots sat in an open cockpit. With this lumbering aircraft, Bartlett few troops and supplies to the shifting trouble spots in Egypt, Libya, Lebanon and the Sudan.

In November ’39, the squadron was re-equipped with the more modern Bristol Bombays, a high wing monoplane of metal construction. However 216 retained some Valentias; they were eminently suited for some special tasks.

Bartlett continued in the transport role but with a new urgency; the Second World War was threatening to engulf the Middle East. His passenger list began to include senior military personnel. In November 1939 he flew General Wavell, the Commander in Chief Middle East to Iraq, on an important military matter.

On 14 June 1940, 216 squadron added bombing operations to transport duties. Bartlett took part in the squadron’s first raid, on the German-occupied city of Tobruk, and also in the squadron’s first night operation, again to Tobruk on July 12^th, 1940. On Sept. 16^th, Bartlett flew a raid that was not only unsuccessful, but also of such duration that it taxed the crew’s endurance to the limit; from Fuka, Egypt to raid Benina, Libya. Unable to locate the target, they returned to Heliopolis, Egypt after 11 hours flying time. But it was in the transport role that Bartlett did his major work. On 28 April 1941, he flew to a forward base to evacuate aircrews that had escaped from Greece and Crete. Many more transport trips were entered in his logbook as he helped to move reinforcements from British garrisons.

On May 24, 1941, Bartlett took part in an assignment that reads like something out of a spy thriller. At the time, Bartlett’s flight was entered into the records as “secret mission” because the operation would violate the neutrality of Syria. No details could be disclosed. Syria was theoretically a neutral country but, in fact, the British on one side and the Germans and Vichy French on the other were trying to exert their influence on the Syrian people. The Germans were having more success.

A revolt against the British forces in neighbouring Iraq, led by Rashid Ali, was getting out of hand. The Germans were sending, on the only available railway, troops and supplies through Syria to the aid of the Iraqis. Critical to the German supply operation was a railway bridge, which, if destroyed, would cause long-term suspension of this activity. In view of the strategic importance of the bridge, the British decided to ignore Syrian neutrality and accept the outraged indignation of the Syrians once the deed was done. Just how the bridge could be destroyed was another matter. Even later in the war, with the best of aircraft, more sophisticated bombing equipment and proven techniques, bridges remained a challenging target. In the spring of 1941, operating with old aircraft and primitive bombsights, successfully bombing the bridge was simply not possible. There had to be another way. It was decided to fly a demolition team to the site, land, blow up the bridge and make a fast getaway. The task was given to now F/L Bartlett.

On May 24, 1941, thirteen sappers of the Royal Engineers boarded the obsolescent Valentia, which had been chosen because of its slow speed and docility, features that would make it easier to land in an unprepared field. Bartlett flew from Heliopolis to Habbaniya in Iraq, then on to Syria. A few miles west of Campaniya, Bartlett flew over the Mosul-to-Aleppo railway, and then continued parallel to the tracks until he came to the strategic bridge. If he had been unable to land in the area, or had damaged the huge aircraft in the attempt, the operation was doomed.

As it turned out however, Bartlett landed his rustic craft in a rough field as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The sappers climbed out as the propellers were ticking to a stop and hauled their explosives onto the bridge. They would only get one chance. They packed enough charges around the bridge to guarantee demolition. Forty-five minutes later, Bartlett opened the throttles, the engines responded and the giant craft lumbered along the bumpy field, gained flying speed and then was in the air. Just before lift-off, an armoured car arrived and began firing with its machine gun. Too, late; the aircraft was gone and so was the bridge. No more reinforcements would reach the rebellious Iraqis. Bartlett was awarded the DFC for his part in this operation.

“Much of the success of this daring and difficult operation” – read the citation – “is attributed to F/L Bartlett’s skill”.

From the Middle East, Bartlett went to England and became a bomber pilot. He transferred to the RCAF and became Commanding Officer of 434 Squadron in the rank of Wing Commander. He was on his second tour of operations when, on the night June 12 1944, he was killed in the course of bombing raid on Arras, France. On July 25, 1944, the London Gazette recorded the posthumous award of a bar to his DFC.

F/O R. Kelso, crew 76