Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Fred and Matilda Scott, of Cabramatta, New South Wales, Australia.

BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES OF A GALLANT YOUNG AIRMAN AND DEVOTED SON

"NOW SLEEPING SIDE
BY SIDE"
KILLED IN PLANE CRASH
STORY OF LOCAL AIRMAN
This is the story of Frederick Roy Scott, flight-sergeant in the R.A.A.F., who, at the age of 24, with seven young English lads of The R.A.F., died when his plane crashed on December 16, 1943, shortly  after it took the air for an operational flight over Germany. Shoppers at the Parramatta branch of Scott's Provision Stores will remember Fred, who, before he donned the Air Force blue, served behind  the counter with a cheery word for every body. Proudly wearing his pilot's wings, Fred went to England two years ago and became captain of his crew of seven fine English boys. On leave, he was  "adopted" by Mrs. Peggy Ellis, of Waianstead, Lonidon, whose son Pete was a member" of his 'crew.'

Today, Fred and Pete sleepside-by side in a quiet war cemetery near England's venerable, seat of learning, Cambridge. Writing to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. F. Scott, of- Humphries-road, Canley Vale,  Mrs. Ellis told of the love and esteemn her family circle held for the tall, amiable Australian. She described a visit to  his grave, and enclosed a picture showing a plain white cross bearing the inscription: "Flight Sergeant F.R. Scott, Pilot, Royal Australian Air Force. Died 16.12.43."   At the foot were two vases of Emperor Daffodils.

"Peter and Fred are buried side by-side," wrote Mrs. Ellis. "We all went down to Cambridge the other day and put flowers on the boys' graves." "It was a lovely, sunny day, and it made my heart sad to see all those little White crosses. Each little grave has a rose tree. They are beautifully kept, and when the war. is over a stone will be put over each, and your own inscription will be on dear Fred's."

Mrs. Ellis also enclosed a cutting from a local papeir which told how at a party at the ivy-clad vicarage they drank a' toast' to Fred and his crew.  ".... on Thursday, when their
aircraft crashed in this country, so very soon after their return to work, Fred and his pal Pete, together with the others, lost their lives . ..," the story ends.

"Fred was a fine fellow" the manager of Scott's, Mr. W. W. Scott, said this week." "Although he, was no relation to the firm, we all looked on him as one of the family."

Flight Sergeant Scott was educated at Parramatta High School.

Adapted from: High in the Sunlit Silence, Tony Vine, Vivid Publishing 2017.

Flight Sergeant Frederick Roy Scott

Roy Scott, as he was known to his family, was called up for service in the RAAF at the age of twenty-one on 13 September 1941. Roy was the only son of Fred and Matilda Scott. He lived with his parents and sister Bell in Canley Vale in South West Sydney, where the extended Scott family ran a number of poultry farms. Roy grew up in Kellyville, NSW where the family had previously run a poultry farm, and Roy was employed in the family’s provision store as a shop assistant.

On completion of his initial training at Bradfield Park, Roy joined Pilots’ Course 20 at 5 EFTS at Narromine, where he received basic flying training. He completed the course on 22 February 1942. He returned to Narromine for a brief period of refresher training, before posting to 1 SFTS at Point Cook to complete his flying training.

The men who trained at Point Cook had high expectations of becoming fighter pilots, but by the time the men graduated and received their wings on the 27th of May 1942, the focus of the war in Europe had shifted from the defence of the United Kingdom against German bombers to a strategic bombing campaign against Germany. As a result, Roy, along with eight other course mates from Narromine, embarked for the United Kingdom in October 1942 for further training before becoming RAF Bomber Command pilots.

Roy arrived in the United Kingdom in early December. After a period of time at 11 PDRC in Bournemouth, he commenced his advanced flying training in March 1943, before posting to 21 Operational Training Unit to form a crew and then to 1662 Heavy Conversion Unit. Having proven themselves competent to fly the Lancaster, Roy’s crew joined the newly formed  No. 567 Squadron RAF. The squadron was based at Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire with 103 Squadron RAF. Roy, the old man at twenty-three, had a very young crew. They were made up of a fellow Australian, Sergeant Brian Wicks (AG)[1] and four Englishmen, Sgt Stan Cull (FE),[2] Sgt George Critchley (N),[3] F-Sgt Peter Ellis (BA)[4] and Sgt Joe Ross (AG),[5] as well as a Scot, Sgt John Caldwell (WO/AG).[6]

On 16 December, Roy and his crew were listed to participate in a raid on Berlin. The visibility at Elsham Wolds was moderate with the cloud base at 1000 feet, with the cloud thickness also 1000 feet. To minimise the chance of collisions between aircraft, all captains were briefed that under no circumstances were they to circle below or in cloud but to climb straight ahead after takeoff until they were clear of the cloud. Roy and his crew took off at 1636 in Lancaster LM322. It was dusk, and they were followed a minute later by a 103 Squadron Lancaster also bound for Berlin piloted by F-Sgt Val Richer,[7] a 576 Squadron pilot attached to 103 Squadron.

For some reason, Roy failed to follow the briefing instructions and began his turn either just below or in the cloud cover. The 103 Squadron Lancaster followed Roy’s aircraft. Three minutes after takeoff, the two Lancasters collided over the village of Ulceby, north-east of Elsham Wolds. At the time of the collision, Roy’s aircraft was flying on the reciprocal of their take-off course. There were no survivors from either crew.

On 20 December, Fred and Matilda received the news that their only son had been killed. It would be many more months before his personal effects arrived from the United Kingdom. The RAAF arranged for a local Anglican minister to visit the Scotts. Christmas 1943 would have been a bleak affair in their household.

Flight Sergeant Frederick Roy Scott, RAAF and his crew are buried in the War Graves section of Cambridge City Cemetery. Not far from Roy’s grave is that of his Narromine course mate, Flight Sergeant Ken Scott, who was killed on 18 December 1943, and another Australian pilot, Flight Sergeant Ian Scott,[8] who was killed on 17 December 1943. Although the three Scotts were not related, they now lie together in a corner of England.

[1] F-Sgt Brian Price Wicks, 416815; b. Unley Park SA 21 Jul 1923; KIFA 16 Dec 1943.
[2] Sgt Stanley Victor Cull, 1814522, RAFVR; of Windsor, Berkshire, UK. Cull was the youngest Bomber Command crew member to lose his life on operations.
[3] Sgt George Gordon Critchley, 1515736, RAFVR; KIFA 16 Dec 1943.
[4] F-Sgt Peter Martin Crowle Ellis, 1388790, RAFVR; of Birmingham, UK; KIFA 16 Dec 1943.
[5] Sgt Joseph William Ross, 1804080, RAF; of Westminster, London, UK; KIFA Ulceby, North Lincolnshire, UK, 16 Dec 1943, aged 20.
[6] Sgt John Hamilton Caldwell, 1370276, RAFVR; of Glasgow, Scotland; KIFA 16 Dec 1943, aged 21.
[7] F-Sgt Valentine Richer, 1271609, RAFVR; of Chingford, Essex, UK.
[8] F-Sgt Ian MacDonald Scott, 417123; b. Burra, SA, 2 July 1923; KIFA Graveley, Cambridgeshire, UK, 17 December 1943. Ian Scott’s aircraft crashed in bad weather after having been diverted to Graveley following a raid on Berlin. Everyone on board was killed.