Ian Willoughby Bazalgette

Infobox Person
name =Ian Willoughby Bazalgette


image_size =200px
caption =Ian Willoughby Bazalgette c.1944
birth_date =birth date|1918|10|19|df=y
birth_place =Calgary, Alberta, Canada
death_date =death date and age|1944|8|4|1918|10|19|df=y
death_place =Trossy St. Maximin, France
occupation =Aviator
spouse =
parents =
children = Ian Willoughby Bazalgette, VC , DFC, (19 October 1918 - 4 August 1944), was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Early years

Ian Willoughby Bazalgette was born of English/Irish parents in Calgary, Alberta on 19 October 1918. His father was Charles Ian Bazalgette (1888-1956) and his mother was Marion Edith, née Bunn (1891-1977). The great-grandfather of Ian Willoughby (who always known as 'Will' in the family, to distinguish him from his father, who was known as 'Ian') was the civil engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette [He created London's sewerage system] . Will entered primary school at the Toronto Balmy Beach School, but his family returned to England in 1927. He grew up in New Malden, England and attended Rokeby Preparatory school and then Beverley Boys Secondary School as well as receiving private tutelage. Feast 2006, p. 168.] . In his childhood he suffered from poor health, and in his early teens was diagnosed with tuberculosis, undergoing lengthy treatment at the Royal Sea-Bathing Hospital, Margate. That he was able to rise above these afflictions is an indication of a strength of character which was to show itself amply later.

econd World War

When World War II was declared, Bazalgette enlisted in the Royal Artillery, being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1940. After serving in the Searchlight Section as an instructor, he transferred to the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Feast 2006, p. 168.] He soloed within a week of beginning his flight training at RAF Cranwell and swiftly completed his "ab initio" flying by 24 January 1942, given the rank of Pilot Officer. His first posting was to 25 OTU (Operational Training Unit) but by September 1942, he had joined an operational bomber squadron, No. 115 Squadron RAF at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk. Flying the venerable Vickers Wellington bomber, "Baz" was sent out initially on "gardening" sorties, laying mines in the North Sea. After 13 operations, P/O Bazalgette and his squadron transitioned to the Avro Lancaster, completing their training in March 1943. [ Feast 2006, p. 169.]

After completing ten more operations successfully on raids against heavily defended targets, Berlin, Essen, Kiel and St. Nazaire and surviving some harrowing escapes including a crash landing, Bazalgette was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 29 May 1943. The award noted his "great courage and determination in the face of the enemy".

With the end of his tour of 28 operations, Bazalgette was on a leave when he was "recruited" for the famed Pathfinders, but instead he ended up with a posting as an instructor and Flight Commander to 20 OTU in Lossiemouth, Scotland. [ Feast 2006, p. 170.] An opportunity soon arose for him to transfer in April 1944 to No. 635 Squadron RAF No. 8 (Pathfinder Force) Group based in Norfolk.

When his conversion training was completed, 25 year-old "Baz" flew as Acting Squadron Leader, taking part in a number of operations in and around the D-Day campaign. On some operations he was the Master Bomber

Action

On 4 August 1944 at Trossy St. Maximin, France, Squadron Leader Bazalgette's Lancaster bomber was amongst a formation spearhead on a daylight raid on German positions. When near his target, his bomber came under severe anti-aircraft fire from the ground, putting both starboard engines out of action and causing a serious fire. In spite of this, the squadron leader pressed on to the target, marking and bombing it accurately. He then attempted to bring the burning aircraft to safety, having ordered those members of his crew who were able to do so to bail out. Although he managed to land the plane, it immediately exploded, killing him and his remaining two wounded crew members.

His grave is at Senantes Churchyard, 13 miles north-west of Beauvais, France. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon, England.Bazalgette Gardens in New Malden, Surrey, where he had attended Beverley Boys School, was named in his honour during the early 1950s. A school in Calgary, Ian Bazalgette Junior High School, is also named for him. [ [http://www.cbe.ab.ca/schools/view.asp?id=34 Calgary Board of Education - Schools and Areas ] ]

Bazalgette Lancaster

At the Nanton Lancaster Society Museum (located in Nanton, Alberta, south of his hometown Calgary), an Avro Lancaster FM159, after a lengthy period of reconstruction and repair, was painted in the colours and markings of S/L Bazalgette's aircraft. A dedication Ceremony was held in 1990. Mrs. Ethel Broderick, Ian Bazalgette's sister, unveiled a plaque and the markings of the Bazalgette aircraft (F2-T) were unveiled by two of Baz’s crewmembers, Chuck Godfrey and George Turner.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Feast, Sean. "Heroic Endeavour: One Attack, a Victoria Cross and 206 Brave Men". London: Grub Street, 2006. ISBN 1-904943-51-9.
* Harvey, David. "Monuments to Courage:Victoria Cross Headstones & Memorials (Two Volumes)". London: Kevin & Kay Patience, 1999. ISBN 1-84342-356-1.
* Laffin, John. "British VCs of World War II". London: Sutton Publishing, 1997. ISBN 1-84015-107-2.
*"The Register of the Victoria Cross". London: This England, 1997. ISBN 0-906324-27-0.

External links

* [http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/citations/bazalgette BAZALGETTE, Ian W.]
* [http://www.lancastermuseum.ca/bazalgette.html I.W. Bazalgette VC]
* [http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2234612 Commonwealth War Graves Commission profile for Ian Willoughby Bazalgette]

Persondata
NAME= Bazalgette, Ian Willoughby
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Aviator,
DATE OF BIRTH= 19 October 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH=Calgary, Alberta, Canada
DATE OF DEATH= 4 August 1944
PLACE OF DEATH=Trossy St. Maximin, France