Ralph Gamble Hayes

Ralph Gamble Hayes (service number 120087) was a navigator in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, the son of Harold and Edith Hayes of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. He flew de Havilland Mosquitoes with No. 105 Squadron, one of the pioneering low-level and high-speed day-bomber units, crewed with pilot John Gordon. Reliable sources record that he was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross — gazetted in early 1943 (London Gazette, 12 February 1943) — recognising the calm courage, resolution and endurance he and Gordon showed in a daylight attack on Berlin on 30 January 1943, pressed home in the face of heavy opposition. On the night of 4/5 November 1943 the pair flew Mosquito DZ587 in a force of 24 aircraft attacking the chemical works at Leverkusen, an operation reported as successful with fires and a large explosion at the target. Returning damaged and on a single engine, they attempted an emergency landing at Hardwick airfield in Norfolk but had to abort because of an obstruction on the runway; the aircraft’s wing dropped, struck a tree and the Mosquito crashed near Hempnall at about 21:10, killing both men. Hayes was 22 years old and is buried at Putney Vale Cemetery and Crematorium, London (Block U, Grave 327). (Note: although the project record lists a DSO, the consulted sources consistently attribute the Distinguished Flying Cross to this airman.)