No. 429 Squadron

Badge On a mount, a bison the head lowered
Motto Fortunae nihil (Nothing to chance)
Authority King George VI, June 1944

The bison is a fierce and powerful op­ponent indigenous to Canada.

Formed at East Moor, Yorkshire, England on 7 November 1942 as the RCAF’s 27th – tenth Bomber – squadron formed overseas, the unit flew Wellington, Halifax and Lancaster aircraft on strategic and tactical bombing operations. After hostilities in Europe, it remained in England as part of Bomber Command’s strike force, under which it airlifted Allied prisoners of war, and British troops from Italy, back to England. The squadron was disbanded at Leeming, Yorkshire on 1 June 1946.

Brief Chronology: Formed at East Moor, Yorks., Eng. 7 Nov 42. Disbanded at Leeming, Yorks. 1 Jun 46.

Adoptions: City of Bradford, Yorks., Eng. (January 1943) City Council of Lethbridge, Alta. (1944)

Commanders

• W/C J.A.P. Owen (RAF) 7 Nov 42 – 31 May 43.
• W/C J.L. Savard, DFC 1 Jun 43 – 22 Jun 43 KIA.
• W/C J.A. Piddington (Can/RAF) 28 Jun 43 – 27 Jul 43 KIA.
• W/C J.D. Patterson, DFC 30 Jul 43 – 2 Mar 44.
• W/C AF. Avant, DFC 1 May 44 – 10 Oct 44.
• W/C R.L. Bolduc 11 Oct 44 – 9 Apr 45.
• W/C E.H. Evans 10 Apr 45 – 31 May 45.
• W/C J. Comar, DFC and Bar 26 Sep 45 – 1 Jun 46.

Higher Formations and Squadron Locations

Bomber Command:

No. 4 Group,

• East Moor, Yorks. 7 Nov 42 – 31 Mar 43.

No. 6 (RCAF) Group,

No. 62 (RCAF) Base,

• East Moor, Yorks. 1 Apr 43 – 12 Aug 43.

No. 63 (RCAF) Base,

• Leeming, Yorks. 13 Aug 43 – 29 Aug 45.

No. 1 Group,

• Leeming, Yorks. 30 Aug 45 – 1 Jun 46.

Representative Aircraft (Unit Code AL)

Vickers Wellington B.Mk.III (Nov 42 – Aug 43)

Vickers Wellington B.Mk.X (Jan – Aug 43)

Handley Page Halifax B.Mk.II (Aug 43 – Jan 44)

• JD164 K JD275 T JD318 F JD325 F JD333 W JD327 E JD411 A LW285 X

Handley Page Halifax B.Mk.V (Nov 43 – Mar 44)

• LK662 Q LK697 D LK734 C LK746 K LK947 R LK974 Z LK993 J LK995 C LL168 M LL170 N LL171 U LL178 V

Handley Page Halifax B.Mk.III (Mar 44 – Mar 45)

• HX339 D MZ282 A MZ303 R MZ312 Y MZ318 V MZ424 Z MZ755 0 MZ824 G MZ825 E MZ880 X MZ906 H NP954 P NR203 P LK800 N LK804 Q LV860 T LV913 N LV914 V LV950 C LV967 R LV989 R LW127 F LW136 Z LW137 K

Avro Lancaster B.Mk.I & III (Mar 45 – May 46)

• ME534 0 ME536 Q ME537 N ME538 E ME539 A ME540 P ME543 B NG343 J NG344 U NG345 V NP967 L NN701 T P A225 G P A226 H P A227 C P A273 R PA274 F PD209 K RE153 V RE155 X RE571 D RF207 S RF252 G RF257 W

Operational History: First Mission 21 January 1943, 3 Wellington X’s from East Moor dispatched to lay mines at Terschelling; 1 completed the mission, 1 aborted, 1 failed to return.

First Mission, Bombing: 26127 January 1943, 10 Wellington X’s from East Moor dispatched to bomb Lorient, France; 6 bombed the primary target, 3 aborted, 1 failed to return.

Last Mission: 25 April 1945, 10 Lancaster I/III’s from Leeming dispatched to bomb gun positions on the Island of Wangerooge; 9 bombed the primary target, 1 aborted.

Summary Sorties: 3221 (including 45 airlifting 1055 POW’s back to England).

• Operational/Non-opera­tional Flying Hours: 17,289110,934.
• Bombs dropped: 9356 tons.
• Victories: Aircraft: 7 destroyed, 1 probably destroyed, 10 damaged.
• Casualties:
  • Operational: 71 air­craft; 451 aircrew, of whom 82 were killed, 322 missing, 23 POW, 7 injured; 17 proved safe.
  • Non-operational: 11 air­craft; 25 personnel, of whom 15 were killed, 10 injured.

Honours and Awards: 2 bars to DFC, 45 DFC’s, 1 AFC, 1 CGM, 7 DFM’s.

Battle Honours:

• English Channel and North Sea 1943-1945.
• Baltic 1943-1945.
• Fortress Europe 1943-1944.
• France and Germany 1944-1945: Biscay Ports 1943-1944, Ruhr 1943-1945, Berlin 1943-1944, German Ports 1943-1945, Normandy 1944, Rhine. Biscay 1943-1944.