Eric Lock
Encyclopedia
Flight Lieutenant
Eric Stanley Lock DSO
, DFC
& Bar
(19 April 1919 – 3 August 1941 ) was a fighter ace
of the Royal Air Force
during World War II
. Lock became the RAF's most successful British-born pilot during the Battle of Britain
, shooting down 16.5 German aircraft. After the Battle of Britain he went on to bring his overall total to 26.5 victories in 25 weeks of operational sorties over a one-year period - during which time he was hospitalised for six months. During the Battle of Britain he became known to his RAF chums as "Sawn Off Lockie", because of his extremely short stature. Within less than six months of becoming one of the most famous RAF pilots in the country, he went missing in action
over Calais
.
village
of Bayston Hill
. He was privately educated at Prestfelde
Public School
, London Road, Shrewsbury. On his 14th birthday his father treated him to a five shilling, fifteen-minute flight with Sir Alan Cobham
's Air Circus. At 16 he left school and joined his father's business. In 1939 he made the decision that if there was going to be a war, he wanted to be a fighter pilot, and so immediately joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
and learned to fly.
in September 1939, as a trained pilot Lock was immediately called up to the Royal Air Force
as a Sergeant Pilot
. After further training at No.6 Flying School RAF Little Rissington
, he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer
(Service Number 81642) and posted to No. 41 Squadron
at RAF Catterick
, North Yorkshire
, flying Spitfires
. In July 1940 Lock was granted a seven-day leave pass
and returned to Bayston Hill to marry his childhood sweetheart, Peggy Meyers, a former Miss Shrewsbury.
Operations from RAF Catterick were organised to defend the industrial assets of the north, as well as the transport hubs of the rivers Humber
, Tees
and Tyne
. Being so far north they were out of reach of most Luftwaffe
fighter patrols, bar the odd reconnaissance
mission. However, although missing out on the fierce combat of the Battle of Britain
, bomber
campaigns from occupied Norway occurred from mid-1940 as the Germans tried to press home their attack. On 15 August 1940, Lock gained his first victory when he shot down a twin-engined Messerschmitt Bf 110
that was escorting a bomber formation at 20000 feet (6,096 m).
's dire need for pilots in the south of the country, No. 41 Squadron was redeployed to RAF Hornchurch
in Essex
on 3 September 1940. On 5 September, Lock shot down two Heinkel He 111
s over the Thames Estuary
. During the second attack he sustained damage to his Spitfire and injured his leg after being shot at by a German Messerschmitt Bf 109
fighter. After he saw the second Heinkel destroyed, Lock slipped and countered the Messerschmit's attack, and after two bursts of gun fire the Bf 109 exploded in mid-air. The following day, despite pain from his leg and against medical advice, Lock claimed his fifth victory, a Junkers 88 bomber, making him an ace
.
On 9 September 1940, Lock claimed another two Bf 109s, and on 11 September he destroyed another Ju 88 and a Bf 110. Having destroyed eight enemy aircraft in a week, Lock was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
(DFC), the award was gazetted
on 1 October 1940 with a citation reading:
Lock continued to shoot enemy aircraft down regularly, including one that he pursued across the English Channel
before finally downing it over the German gun batteries at Boulogne-sur-Mer
. Only three weeks after receiving his first, he was awarded a Bar
to his DFC, this time for reaching a tally of 15 aircraft in only 19 days. During this period he had been slightly wounded once, and had to bale out of stricken Spitfires three times. Published on 22 October 1940, the citation read:
No. 41 Squadron's pilots were placed on four weeks' rotation rest following the intense period of operational sorties, returning to RAF Hornchurch in mid-October 1940. Lock immediately commenced where he had left off, shooting down four Bf 109s, including one in the air immediately above RAF Biggin Hill in full view of the cheering station airmen below. This victory brought his total to 20, making Lock a 'Quadruple Ace'.
As the Luftwaffe attack faltered, Lock achieved fewer air victories. On 8 November 1940 his Spitfire was badly damaged during a skirmish with several Bf 109s over Beachy Head
in East Sussex
. The Spitfire was so badly damaged that Lock crash-landed in a ploughed field, but was able to walk away.
, which severely injured Lock's right arm and both legs, knocked the throttle permanently open, and severed the control lever. The open throttle enabled the Spitfire to accelerate swiftly to 400 mi/h, leaving the Bf 109s in his wake, without Lock having to attempt to operate it with his injured right arm. However, at 20000 feet (6,096 m) and with little control, his aircraft was too badly damaged to execute a safe landing and Lock was too badly injured to parachute to safety. After losing height to 2000 feet (609.6 m), Lock found a suitable crash site near RAF Martlesham Heath
, Suffolk
, into which he glided the stricken fighter.
Lying in the aircraft for some two hours, he was found by two patrolling British Army
soldiers and carried two miles (3 km) on an improvised stretcher
made of their Enfield
rifles and Army issue winter coats. By this point, Lock had lost so much blood that he was unconscious, and so unable to feel the additional pain of being dropped three times.
After being transferred to the Princess Mary’s Hospital at RAF Halton
, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
(DSO) on 17 December 1940, the citation read:
Lock underwent fifteen separate operations over the following three months to remove shrapnel
and other metal fragments from his wounds. For the following three months he remained at Halton recuperating from his injuries, leaving on only one occasion to travel on crutches and in full uniform to Buckingham Palace
, where King George VI presented him with his DSO, DFC and Bar. He was also Mentioned in Despatches in March 1941.
clubs and Masonic Lodge
s.
In June 1941 he received notification that he had been promoted to Flying Officer
and was requested to report back for immediate flying duty with 41 Squadron. Four weeks later he was promoted again to Flight Lieutenant
and posted to No. 611 Squadron
in command of B Flight.
, and the vastly depleted German fighter force was defensive in its tactics. This meant that rather than the Germans now having short fighter airtime over southern England amidst British defences, the RAF fighters now had short airtime over Northern France.
However, Lock adapted to these new challenges, and within the first few weeks of being back in the seat of a Spitfire had shot down another four German aircraft, bringing his overall total to 26.
attack - the last time he was seen. Neither his body or his Spitfire MkV, No. W3257, have ever been found, despite a thorough search of the area in the years following World War II
by both the RAF and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
.
Lock was the first of three well-known RAF aces who were shot down during this period: Douglas Bader
was shot down and taken prisoner on 9 August 1941; Robert Stanford Tuck
's Spitfire was hit by enemy ground-based flak near Boulogne-sur-Mer
on 28 January 1942 and he was forced to crash land and taken prisoner.
during World War II. His name also lives on in several places within Shropshire, including a new road named after him that was built in the 1970s next to Lythhill Road in which his family's former home lies, as well as the members' bar at the Shropshire Aero Club based at the World War II airfield RAF Sleap
, named in his honour. The local Scout Troop is also named the 1st Bayston Hill Eric Lock Scout Troop. He also has a memorial bench at Shrewsbury Castle.
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Eric Stanley Lock DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
& Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
(19 April 1919 – 3 August 1941 ) was a fighter ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Lock became the RAF's most successful British-born pilot during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, shooting down 16.5 German aircraft. After the Battle of Britain he went on to bring his overall total to 26.5 victories in 25 weeks of operational sorties over a one-year period - during which time he was hospitalised for six months. During the Battle of Britain he became known to his RAF chums as "Sawn Off Lockie", because of his extremely short stature. Within less than six months of becoming one of the most famous RAF pilots in the country, he went missing in action
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
over Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
.
Early life
Eric Stanley Lock was born in 1919 to a farming and quarrying family, whose home was in the rural ShropshireShropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Bayston Hill
Bayston Hill
Bayston Hill is a large village and civil parish in central Shropshire, England. It is south of the county town Shrewsbury and located on the main A49 road, the Shrewsbury to Hereford road....
. He was privately educated at Prestfelde
Prestfelde School
Prestfelde School is an independent coeducational day and boarding preparatory school, located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England for children between the ages of 3 and 13...
Public School
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
, London Road, Shrewsbury. On his 14th birthday his father treated him to a five shilling, fifteen-minute flight with Sir Alan Cobham
Alan Cobham
Sir Alan John Cobham, KBE, AFC was an English aviation pioneer.A member of the Royal Flying Corps in World War I, Alan Cobham became famous as a pioneer of long distance aviation. After the war he became a test pilot for the de Havilland aircraft company, and was the first pilot for the newly...
's Air Circus. At 16 he left school and joined his father's business. In 1939 he made the decision that if there was going to be a war, he wanted to be a fighter pilot, and so immediately joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...
and learned to fly.
RAF Catterick
On the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in September 1939, as a trained pilot Lock was immediately called up to the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as a Sergeant Pilot
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
. After further training at No.6 Flying School RAF Little Rissington
RAF Little Rissington
RAF Little Rissington is an RAF aerodrome and former RAF station in Gloucestershire, England. It was once home to the Central Flying School, the Vintage Pair and the Red Arrows.Built during the 1930s, the station was opened in 1938 and closed in 1994...
, he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
(Service Number 81642) and posted to No. 41 Squadron
No. 41 Squadron RAF
No. 41 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is currently the RAF's Test and Evaluation Squadron , based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Its official title is "41 TES". The Squadron celebrates its 95th anniversary in 2011, and is one of the oldest RAF squadrons in existence.-First World War, 1916–1919:No...
at RAF Catterick
RAF Catterick
RAF Catterick is a former Royal Air Force airfield located near Catterick, North Yorkshire in England.-History:Catterick airfield first opened in 1914 as a Royal Flying Corps aerodrome with the role of training pilots and to assist in the defence of the North East of England...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, flying Spitfires
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
. In July 1940 Lock was granted a seven-day leave pass
Leave (military)
In military, leave is a permission to be away from one's unit, either for a specified or unspecified period of time.The term AWOL, standing for absent without leave, is a term for desertion used in armed forces of many English speaking countries....
and returned to Bayston Hill to marry his childhood sweetheart, Peggy Meyers, a former Miss Shrewsbury.
Operations from RAF Catterick were organised to defend the industrial assets of the north, as well as the transport hubs of the rivers Humber
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
, Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
and Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
. Being so far north they were out of reach of most Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
fighter patrols, bar the odd reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
mission. However, although missing out on the fierce combat of the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
campaigns from occupied Norway occurred from mid-1940 as the Germans tried to press home their attack. On 15 August 1940, Lock gained his first victory when he shot down a twin-engined Messerschmitt Bf 110
Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten...
that was escorting a bomber formation at 20000 feet (6,096 m).
RAF Hornchurch
In light of RAF Fighter CommandRAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...
's dire need for pilots in the south of the country, No. 41 Squadron was redeployed to RAF Hornchurch
RAF Hornchurch
RAF Hornchurch was an airfield in the south of Hornchurch in what is now the London Borough of Havering. Known as Sutton's Farm during the First World War, it occupied of the farm of the same name and was situated east north-east of Charing Cross...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
on 3 September 1940. On 5 September, Lock shot down two Heinkel He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
s over the Thames Estuary
Thames Estuary
The Thames Mouth is the estuary in which the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea.It is not easy to define the limits of the estuary, although physically the head of Sea Reach, near Canvey Island on the Essex shore is probably the western boundary...
. During the second attack he sustained damage to his Spitfire and injured his leg after being shot at by a German Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
fighter. After he saw the second Heinkel destroyed, Lock slipped and countered the Messerschmit's attack, and after two bursts of gun fire the Bf 109 exploded in mid-air. The following day, despite pain from his leg and against medical advice, Lock claimed his fifth victory, a Junkers 88 bomber, making him an ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
.
On 9 September 1940, Lock claimed another two Bf 109s, and on 11 September he destroyed another Ju 88 and a Bf 110. Having destroyed eight enemy aircraft in a week, Lock was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(DFC), the award was gazetted
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
on 1 October 1940 with a citation reading:
Lock continued to shoot enemy aircraft down regularly, including one that he pursued across the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
before finally downing it over the German gun batteries at Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
. Only three weeks after receiving his first, he was awarded a Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
to his DFC, this time for reaching a tally of 15 aircraft in only 19 days. During this period he had been slightly wounded once, and had to bale out of stricken Spitfires three times. Published on 22 October 1940, the citation read:
No. 41 Squadron's pilots were placed on four weeks' rotation rest following the intense period of operational sorties, returning to RAF Hornchurch in mid-October 1940. Lock immediately commenced where he had left off, shooting down four Bf 109s, including one in the air immediately above RAF Biggin Hill in full view of the cheering station airmen below. This victory brought his total to 20, making Lock a 'Quadruple Ace'.
As the Luftwaffe attack faltered, Lock achieved fewer air victories. On 8 November 1940 his Spitfire was badly damaged during a skirmish with several Bf 109s over Beachy Head
Beachy Head
Beachy Head is a chalk headland on the south coast of England, close to the town of Eastbourne in the county of East Sussex, immediately east of the Seven Sisters. The cliff there is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain, rising to 162 m above sea level. The peak allows views of the south...
in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. The Spitfire was so badly damaged that Lock crash-landed in a ploughed field, but was able to walk away.
Shot down
On 17 November 1940 No. 41 Squadron attacked a formation of 70 Bf 109s of JG 54 that were top cover for a bomber raid on London. After shooting down one Bf 109, and setting another on fire, Lock's Spitfire was hit by a volley of cannon shellsMG FF cannon
The MG FF was a drum-fed, 20 mm aircraft autocannon, developed in 1936 by Ikaria Werke Berlin of Germany. It was a derivative of the Swiss Oerlikon FF F cannon, itself a development of the German World War I Becker 20 mm cannon, and was designed to be used in fixed or flexible mountings, as...
, which severely injured Lock's right arm and both legs, knocked the throttle permanently open, and severed the control lever. The open throttle enabled the Spitfire to accelerate swiftly to 400 mi/h, leaving the Bf 109s in his wake, without Lock having to attempt to operate it with his injured right arm. However, at 20000 feet (6,096 m) and with little control, his aircraft was too badly damaged to execute a safe landing and Lock was too badly injured to parachute to safety. After losing height to 2000 feet (609.6 m), Lock found a suitable crash site near RAF Martlesham Heath
RAF Martlesham Heath
RAF Martlesham Heath is a former Royal Air Force airfield in England. The field is located 1½ miles SW of Woodbridge, Suffolk.- RFC/RAF prewar use:Martlesham Heath was first used as a Royal Flying Corps airfield during World War I...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, into which he glided the stricken fighter.
Lying in the aircraft for some two hours, he was found by two patrolling British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
soldiers and carried two miles (3 km) on an improvised stretcher
Stretcher
A stretcher is a medical device used to carry casualties or an incapacitated person from one place to another. It is a simple type of litter, and still called by that name in some cases....
made of their Enfield
Royal Small Arms Factory
The Royal Small Arms Factory was a UK government-owned rifle factory in the London Borough of Enfield in an area generally known as the Lea Valley. The factory produced British military rifles, muskets and swords from 1816...
rifles and Army issue winter coats. By this point, Lock had lost so much blood that he was unconscious, and so unable to feel the additional pain of being dropped three times.
After being transferred to the Princess Mary’s Hospital at RAF Halton
RAF Halton
RAF Halton is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom, located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire.HRH The Duchess of Cornwall is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Halton.-History:...
, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(DSO) on 17 December 1940, the citation read:
Lock underwent fifteen separate operations over the following three months to remove shrapnel
Fragmentation (weaponry)
Fragmentation is the process by which the casing of an artillery shell, bomb, grenade, etc. is shattered by the detonating high explosive filling. The correct technical terminology for these casing pieces is fragments , although shards or splinters can be used for non-preformed fragments...
and other metal fragments from his wounds. For the following three months he remained at Halton recuperating from his injuries, leaving on only one occasion to travel on crutches and in full uniform to Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
, where King George VI presented him with his DSO, DFC and Bar. He was also Mentioned in Despatches in March 1941.
611 Squadron
Discharged from hospital in May 1941, Lock returned to his wife in Shropshire for four weeks recuperation leave at his father’s house in Bayston Hill. Privately uncomfortable with the attention of the British public and press, Lock remained a quiet, shy and reserved man, although he accepted a number of civic engagements and attended functions as Guest of Honour with local RotaryRotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
clubs and Masonic Lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
s.
In June 1941 he received notification that he had been promoted to Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
and was requested to report back for immediate flying duty with 41 Squadron. Four weeks later he was promoted again to Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
and posted to No. 611 Squadron
No. 611 Squadron RAF
No. 611 Squadron was a British Auxiliary Air Force later Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadron first formed in 1936 and lastly disbanded in 1957.-Early years:...
in command of B Flight.
The changed battle
Lock returned to a very different air battle, one in which the operational tactics had changed as a result of the British victory in the Battle of Britain. German bomber units had mainly left France for the Eastern FrontEastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
, and the vastly depleted German fighter force was defensive in its tactics. This meant that rather than the Germans now having short fighter airtime over southern England amidst British defences, the RAF fighters now had short airtime over Northern France.
However, Lock adapted to these new challenges, and within the first few weeks of being back in the seat of a Spitfire had shot down another four German aircraft, bringing his overall total to 26.
Final sortie
On 3 August 1941, Lock was returning from a fighter "Rhubarb" when he spotted a column of German troops and vehicles on a road near the Pas-de-Calais. Signalling the attack to his wingman, Lock was seen to peel off from the formation and prepare for the ground strafingStrafing
Strafing is the practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. This means, that although ground attack using automatic weapons fire is very often accompanied with bombing or rocket fire, the term "strafing" does not specifically include the...
attack - the last time he was seen. Neither his body or his Spitfire MkV, No. W3257, have ever been found, despite a thorough search of the area in the years following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by both the RAF and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
.
Lock was the first of three well-known RAF aces who were shot down during this period: Douglas Bader
Douglas Bader
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, FRAeS, DL was a Royal Air Force fighter ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 20 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged.Bader joined the...
was shot down and taken prisoner on 9 August 1941; Robert Stanford Tuck
Robert Stanford Tuck
Wing Commander Roland Robert Stanford Tuck DSO, DFC & Two Bars, AFC was a British fighter pilot and test pilot.Tuck joined the RAF in 1935. Tuck first engaged in combat during the Battle of France, over Dunkirk, claiming his first victories...
's Spitfire was hit by enemy ground-based flak near Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
on 28 January 1942 and he was forced to crash land and taken prisoner.
Memorial
Lock’s name is carved in Panel 29 on the Runnymede Memorial in Surrey, along with the 20,400 other British and Commonwealth airmen who went missing in actionMissing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
during World War II. His name also lives on in several places within Shropshire, including a new road named after him that was built in the 1970s next to Lythhill Road in which his family's former home lies, as well as the members' bar at the Shropshire Aero Club based at the World War II airfield RAF Sleap
Sleap Airfield
Sleap Airfield is located north of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.Sleap Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee .-RAF Sleap:Sleap is an ex-RAF airfield, which was opened in April...
, named in his honour. The local Scout Troop is also named the 1st Bayston Hill Eric Lock Scout Troop. He also has a memorial bench at Shrewsbury Castle.
Combat record
| Date | Service | Flying | Kills | Probables | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 June 1940 | Royal Air Force Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world... |
Spitfire Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s... |
Joins No. 41 Squadron No. 41 Squadron RAF No. 41 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is currently the RAF's Test and Evaluation Squadron , based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Its official title is "41 TES". The Squadron celebrates its 95th anniversary in 2011, and is one of the oldest RAF squadrons in existence.-First World War, 1916–1919:No... |
||
| 15 August 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 *Messerschmitt Bf 110 Messerschmitt Bf 110 The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten... |
Operating from RAF Catterick RAF Catterick RAF Catterick is a former Royal Air Force airfield located near Catterick, North Yorkshire in England.-History:Catterick airfield first opened in 1914 as a Royal Flying Corps aerodrome with the role of training pilots and to assist in the defence of the North East of England... |
|
| 5 September 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 2 *Heinkel He 111 Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium... 2 *Messerschmitt Bf 109 Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s... |
Operating from RAF Hornchurch RAF Hornchurch RAF Hornchurch was an airfield in the south of Hornchurch in what is now the London Borough of Havering. Known as Sutton's Farm during the First World War, it occupied of the farm of the same name and was situated east north-east of Charing Cross... |
|
| 6 September 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 *Junkers 88 | Becomes fighter ace Flying ace A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more... |
|
| 9 September 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 2 * Messerschmitt Bf 109 | ||
| 11 September 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * Junkers Ju 88 1 * Messerschmitt Bf 110 |
Awarded DFC Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against... |
|
| 14 September 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 2 * Bf 109 | ||
| 15 September 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * Bf 109, 1* Do 17 | ||
| 18 September 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * Bf 109 | ||
| 20 September 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * 'He 113'(sic), 1 Hs 126 | Awarded Bar to DFC | |
| 5 October 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * Bf 109 | ||
| 9 October 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * Bf 109 | ||
| 11 October 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * Bf 109 | ||
| 20 October 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * Bf 109 | ||
| 8 November 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | Shot down over Beachy Head Beachy Head Beachy Head is a chalk headland on the south coast of England, close to the town of Eastbourne in the county of East Sussex, immediately east of the Seven Sisters. The cliff there is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain, rising to 162 m above sea level. The peak allows views of the south... |
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| 17 November 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 2 * Bf 109 | Shot up by Bf 109; crash lands near RAF Martlesham Heath RAF Martlesham Heath RAF Martlesham Heath is a former Royal Air Force airfield in England. The field is located 1½ miles SW of Woodbridge, Suffolk.- RFC/RAF prewar use:Martlesham Heath was first used as a Royal Flying Corps airfield during World War I... ; awarded DSO Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September... |
|
| 6, 8,14 July 1941 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire MkV | 3 * Messerschmitt Bf 109 | During "sweep" operations | |
| 3 August 1941 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire MkV No. W3257 | Killed in action while undertaking ground strafing attack near Pas-de-Calais | ||
| TOTALS | 26 kills | 8 probable | |||
External links
- BBC Shropshire Bio on Eric Lock
- Military Aviation talk page about Eric Lock
- Bio - Eric Lock at Waffen HQ in German