Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ronald Rashleigh SILLCOCK was born in Morwell, Victoria on 26th August, 1912

His parents were Thomas Martin SILLCOCK & Evelyn Beatrice RASHLEIGH

He enlisted in the RAAF in Melbourne on 9th November, 1940

Ronald died on 10th November, 1942 during Air Operations in the Caribbean Sea as a pilot of a Hudson III V925 aircraft , serving in the 53rd Squadron of the RAF - no known grave

His name is memorialised on the Australian War Memorial and the Ottawa Memorial in Ontario, Canada

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Three of his brothers also served during WW2

1. Arnod Munro SILLCOCK  (V391113) Army - discharged in 1945 - 12th Battalion Volunteer Defence Corp

2. Brice Evan SILLCOCK (V381114) Army - discharged in 1945 - 12th Battalion Volunteer Defence Corp

3. Kenneth Mathison SILLCOCK (VX48773) Army - discharged 1942 and re-enlisted in RAAF (SN 428287) & discharged in 1945 - 460 Squadron

Ronald Sillcock was a Dairy Farmer. He volunteered for RAAF Aircrew in 1940. Ron was 28 years old when enlisted on 09 Nov 1940.

He made the initial aircrew sorting cut to be a Pilot.

Ron was sent to Rhodesia for his Pilot Training. From there he went to the U.K. for his Operational Training.

He likely thought that he was bound for Bomber Command. For he had converted to the Hudson Bomber. 

However Ron was posted to No 53 Sqn RAF. His  Lockheed Hudson would be hunting for U-Boats.

No 53 Sqn RAF was transfered to the American East Coast to protect outward Liberty Ships. This Coastal Command Squadron, with Ron as an RAF Hudson Pilot, was then sent to the Caribbean.

No 53 Sqn RAF then operated from an Airfield on Trinidad. 

Pardoxically, the former British Airfield was now a U.S. Naval Air Station. FDR had extracted 99 year leases for British bases in the Caribbean. That was central to his "Bases for Destroyers" deal. That in turn enabled Churchill to acquire 50 ageing U.S. Destroyers.

FDR wanted to protect the Panama Canal to transit his USN Fleet, to and from the Pacific. FDR needed Churchill's Carribean Naval Bases and Churchill needed FDR's Destroyers. Hence, it was reluctantly billed as a "win-win" deal. 

Then when a British Liberty Ship was sunk by U-Boat due East of Trinidad on 07 Nov 1942. No 53 Sqn RAF was tasked to hunt for the U-Boat that sunk the "Ocean Justice".

Ron was posted MIA after he failed to return from his 10 Nov 1942 U-Boat sweep. The known facts from his NAA RAAF File is that he departed Trinidad at 0945 GMT. He was the Pilot of V9253, an RAF Lockheed Hudson Bomber. He was due back by 1700 GMT.

However, when he failed to return, two search aircraft were dspatched. They found an oil slick but no debris or survivors.

Ron was eventually presumed dead on 30 July 1943.

His file was closed. 

AWM record that he had been credited with two U-Boat attacks prior to his 10 Nov 1942 U-Boat sweep.

However, it can now be revealed that the USN had known Ron's fate since mid 1944. That intel was not shared with the RAAF liason Officer in Washington nor the RAF liason.  

For the U-Boat crew source of that USN intelligence pertaining to Ron's V9253 Hudson was Ultra Secret. 

U-505 was captured intact, along with her crew on 04 June 1944. The U-Boat Kapitan blew her tanks and surfaced to save his crew. Following battle damage.

The USN Hunter Killer group, led by escort carrier USS Guadalcanal sent a boarding party into U-505 to close her seacock. LTJG Albert L. David USN who led the U-505 boarding party got the Medal of Honor.  

The U-505 crew were interogated but denied access to the Red Cross. Hence their families were not notified that they were POWs. The U-505 crew were isolated until well after the war.

U-505 had a treasure trove of code books and enigma machines.

The capture of U-505 two days before epic D Day landing was immediatley classified as Ultra Secret. 

Ron had attacked U-505 on 10 Nov 1942. He made a low level attack when he caught U-505 on the surface. There were two U-Boat casualties, including the watch officer. Unfortunately for Ron, the depth charge which caused enemy caualties had exploded on the U-Boat deck. The reflected blast caused V9253 tail plane to nose dive. Ron's crew were KIA.

That intelligence came from the captured U-505 crew. It is confirmed by U-Boat net which records the fate of U-Boat. F/SGT Ron Sillcock is listed as the RAAF Pilot who attacked U-505. Likewise from USN's U-505 crew POW interrogations. 

The USN had a specific interest in V9253's fate. For Ron's supernumerary was a U.S. Navy rating, Seaman 1st Class Harold L. Drew 6461768 USN. Harold was a USN Aircraft Mechanic. He was an Observer in Ron's V9253 Hudson on that last fatal U-Boat sweep.

The USN learnt of SEA1 Drew's fate plus that of Ron's V9253 RAF Hudson from interrogating U-505 POW's.

SEA1 Harold L. Drew USN's death was caused by the relected blast of an exploding depth charge that hit the deck of U-505. That was the sole hit that Ron scored. That reflected blast caused Ron's V9253 to nose dive. Hence, that was cause of death for the entire V9253 RAF Lockheed Hudson aircrew, including FSGT Ron Sillcock RAAF. 

U-505's Kapitan scored Ron's V9253 Hudson as a kill.

There is Kreigsmarine footage of the damage to U-505's deck pressure hull caused by Ron's attack. A screenshot from that 1942 German footage is attached and cited.        

U-505 transfered casualties from Ron's attack to a Type XIV U-Boat "milk cow". U-505 then made its way back to Germany's U-Boat base at Lorient in France. It underwent a six month refit to repair the damage caused by Ron's attack.

Then U-505 was returned to service.

U-505 was captured off French West Africa on 4 June 1942. It was the first enemy vessel capured in combat by the USN since the War of 1812.

U-505 was towed by the USS Guadalcanal escorts ships all the way to Burmuda. The longest U-Boat tow in WW2. U-505 was not scuttled post war as per the surrendered U-Boats. 

The U-Boat that Ron attacked, U-505 is preserved intact as the centre piece in the Chicago U-Boat Museum. The first enemy vessel captured in combat since the War of 1812. Hence, it was preserved beause it is historically significant to American Naval History.  

Hence Ron attacked not two U-Boats as per his AWM record but three. His U-505 attack was Ultra Secret.

U-505 was his final but fatal attack. Though, he did not sink it, Ron did succeed in putting U-505 out of action for six months.

However, it cost him and his crew their lives.

Lest we Forget.

Reference links attached.