Flying
Officer Maurice Preston Laycock
Royal
Canadian Air Force
Son
of G. P. and S. Esma Laycock, of Shellbrook, Saskatchewan, Canada, age
21, died on 28-Oct-1944 on a bombing mission to destroy a rail line
that was heavily defended. F/O Laycock had been based at Melsbroek,
Holland and was on his second tour with 77 operational sorties.
The
following entry is from 439's War Operations Record Book (Form 540): We
had the great misfortune of losing J.22035
F/O M.P. Laycock who hails from Fairey Glen, Saskatchewan. It was
on the first show this morning and the Squadron was bombing a railroad
two miles west of Deventer, Holland, map reference z.8806.
Maurice
was another original of 123 squadron in Canada and has completed 77
Operational Sorties totalling 73:45 hours. It was a very tough break
for us and the whole Squadron felt this terrific blow. He had planned
on entering the Ministry when the war terminates, but fate dealt a
deadly blow.
Photo courtesy of Mr Ken Laycock, photo via Wilco Gorter.
The
following entry is from 439's War Operations Record Book (Form 540): This
was the first show in four or five days and found all the boys keen
but a little rusty. F/L Jimmy Hogg led the Squadron into the air with
500 lb bombs (.025 tail) slung on their racks with intent to prang the
rails running west from Deventer, Holland, at a point about four miles
from the town. It was a beautiful morning and the target stood out
clearly in spite of a slight haze. The boys approached from the west
so as to avoid the town, flying parallel to the track; they rolled to
the left and dived from east to west. The leader had barely commenced
his dive when the flak came up, first a trickle of 20mm then a dense
curtain of 40mm and soon the 88's added to the barrage to create one
of the fiercest flak
situations
the pilots have yet encountered. It
was inevitable that someone would get hit, unfortunately it was
J.22835 F/O M.P. Laycock whom fate had decreed: he burst into flames
and spun into the ground, presumed killed. The others pressed home the
attack however and at least one pair of bombs found their mark with
all the others coming very close. The Squadron reformed and returned
with an escort of heavy flak as far as the Rhine, but with no further
mishap.
Following
entry is from The
Canadian Virtual War Memorial website courtesy
of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
J/22035
F/O MP Laycock is
buried at VOORST (TERWOLDE) GENERAL CEMETERY, Netherlands Grave
Reference: Plot 8A. Row 1. Grave 8.
Photo courtesy of Wilco Gorter.
Copyright
© 2005. Used with permission
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