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2018 France/Belgium Trip Post No. 15
As well as the DLOY graves in St. Pierre Cemetery in Amiens we visited the two graves of the RAF aircrew killed in the Mosquito raid on Amiens prison.
Grp Capt Percy Charles Pickard, Distinguished Service Order & 2 Bars, Distinguished Flying Cross, MID was born in Handsworth, Sheffield, the son of Percy Charles Pickard and his wife Jenny. He was the youngest of five children, with an older brother and three older sisters. His father was a stone merchant. In 1920 the family moved to Hamstead, North London where Pickard's father began a successful catering business.
He was the first RAF officer to be awarded three DSO’s in the Second World War. He flew over a hundred sorties and distinguished himself in a variety of operations requiring coolness under fire. He won the DFC during the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940. He also survived 14 hours in the sea after being shot down over the channel, the rescue launch was unable to pick up his crew until they had drifted out of a minefield.
In 1941 he participated in the making of the 1941 wartime film Target for Tonight which made him a famous public figure. Shortly after in March 1941 he won his first DSO for services as a Pilot Instructor with 311 (Czechoslovak) Sqn. He was also awarded the Czechoslovak Cross and mentioned in Dispatches.
In 1942 he won his second DSO for leading the squadron of Whitley bombers on Operation Biting, which involved dropping paratroops to recover parts of the German Wurzburg radar from Bruneval, near Le Havre in northern France.
Throughout 1943 he flew the Lysander with 161 (Special Duties) Sqn on night-time missions from Tempsford airfield into occupied France for the SOE, performing insertions of agents and picking up personnel from very small landing strips. During this period he won his third DSO.
Percy Charles Pickard ranks among the likes of Guy Gibson and Leonard Cheshire as legends of Bomber Command. His log book records show Pickard flew nearly 2200 hours during his RAF career in numerous different types of aircraft and carried out bombing raids and clandestine operations against the enemy on at least 103 occasions.
Percy is buried in Plot 3 Row B Grave 13…..RIP
Flt Lt John Alan Broadley DSO, DFC, DFM was born in Richmond, Yorkshire in 1921. Joining the RAF on leaving school, he trained as a Sergeant Observer, and flew many operations over Germany during the first two years of war.
He joined 9 Squadron in May 1941, and became Pickards regular navigator. During June-August he flew with Pickard against major German targets such as Hamburg, Dusseldorf and Cologne. In August 1941 he was posted to 138 Squadron, a special duties unit, supplying the resistance and dropping / recovering of agents. Shortly after he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal. On November 18th 1941 he was commissioned as Pilot Officer and moved to No. 51 squadron.
During the night of February 27th/28th 1942, he flew with Pickard on the Bruneval Raid. In July 1942 he was posted to 296 Squadron, a glider towing unit. During November Broadley moved to 161 Squadron followed by other special duties. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 20 April 1943 and on October 19th the Distinguished Service Order.
On 1st December 1943 he made his final move to 21 Squadron, part of 140 Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force and was appointed Wing Navigational Officer during January 1944. He flew many low level raids with Pickard, culminating with Operation Jericho on which he and Pickard were shot down and killed.
John is buried in Plot 3, Row A, Grave 11…...RIP
Myself and PK had the honour of leaving poppy crosses at their gravesides.
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