Sgt. Maurice Raes, 350 (Belgian) Sqn RAF
Sergeant Pilot Maurice RAES
(Born 17th June 1921 - KIA 13th June 1942)
350 (Belgian) Squadron RAF
Crashed near Sprowston Road
on June 13th. 1942
returning to Debden after
a convoy patrol
1299915 Sgt. Pilot Maurice Herman Marceun Raes, RAFVR, 350 (Belgian) Squadron, RAF.
Maurice Raes was born on 17th. June 1921 at Mons, Belgium.
He signed up for 3 years with the Belgian Aronautique Militaire in September 1939. He received basic military education at Zellik and then started flight training at Wevelghem until Belgium was invaded by Germany on 10th. May 1940. The flying school was then evacuated to Oujda, Morocco, but after the capitulation of France, most of the trainees were evacuated to Great Britain where they arrived on 5th. August.
Maurice was posted to RAF Odiham for flying training in November 1940. He made his first flying sortie in a Magister with his instructor G. Dieu on 23rd. November and his first solo flight on 19th. December.
He joined 53 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) at RAF Llandow in Wales during November 1941 to convert onto the Spitfire. Rated as 'Above Average' he was posted to 350 (Belgian) Squadron in March 1942. On his first flight in a Spitfire Vb on 20th. March 1942 he severely damaged his aircraft whilst landing. After several training flights, he went 'Combat Ready' and on 4th. June 1942. He undertook his first operational sortie, flying as 'Blue 2' in Spitfire Vb P8545, coded MN-U.
Maurice, flying the Supermarine Spitfire Vb W3446, coded MN-R, took off from RAF Debden in Essex at 16:50 hr on Saturday 13th. June 1942 to patrol a northbound convoy that was 8 miles east of Martlesham in Suffolk. In total ten 350 Squadron Spitfire's made up the patrol from 13.05 to 19.10 hrs.
Maurice was flying in the last section to leave the convoy off the Norfolk coast. With the weather bad and visibility at 1,000 to 2,000 yards and the cloud base at 200 feet he became separated from his No. 1 and was given a vector back to Debden. Flying towards Norwich, the Spitfire was plotted as an enemy aircraft. Perhaps due to recent air raids during April and May, barrage balloons had been deployed in the city. The balloon crews saw him heading south east and very low. The Spitfire hit one of the standing balloons over a residential area. It is thought he remained with the aircraft trying to steer it away from houses, when he could have simply bailed out. The Spitfire crashed at the rear of 120 Sprowston Road at 18:27 hr, killing Maurice, four days before his 21st. birthday, with the aircraft burning out.
Maurice was buried with military honours at Brookwood Military Cemetery at Woking at 15.00 hr on June 18th, 1942, Sqn Ldr Guillaume, P/O Deltour and Sgt Ester attended as squadron representatives. After the war, Maurice, as were most Belgian aircrew, was reinterred in the Belgian Airman's Field of Honour at Brussel's Town Cemetery.
A housing development on the Spitfire's crash site now bears the name Maurice Raes Close. This was the first time in Great Britain that such an honour was bestowed on a Belgian pilot.
This brass plaque was unveiled at Maurice Raes Close on 10th. October 2006, attended by members of Maurice's family, the Lord Mayor of Norwich and Belgian Air Force officers. A fly past was made by a Belgian Air Force General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Sgt. Maurice Raes, 350 (Belgian) Sqn RAF
Sergeant Pilot Maurice RAES
(Born 17th June 1921 - KIA 13th June 1942)
350 (Belgian) Squadron RAF
Crashed near Sprowston Road
on June 13th. 1942
returning to Debden after
a convoy patrol
1299915 Sgt. Pilot Maurice Herman Marceun Raes, RAFVR, 350 (Belgian) Squadron, RAF.
Maurice Raes was born on 17th. June 1921 at Mons, Belgium.
He signed up for 3 years with the Belgian Aronautique Militaire in September 1939. He received basic military education at Zellik and then started flight training at Wevelghem until Belgium was invaded by Germany on 10th. May 1940. The flying school was then evacuated to Oujda, Morocco, but after the capitulation of France, most of the trainees were evacuated to Great Britain where they arrived on 5th. August.
Maurice was posted to RAF Odiham for flying training in November 1940. He made his first flying sortie in a Magister with his instructor G. Dieu on 23rd. November and his first solo flight on 19th. December.
He joined 53 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) at RAF Llandow in Wales during November 1941 to convert onto the Spitfire. Rated as 'Above Average' he was posted to 350 (Belgian) Squadron in March 1942. On his first flight in a Spitfire Vb on 20th. March 1942 he severely damaged his aircraft whilst landing. After several training flights, he went 'Combat Ready' and on 4th. June 1942. He undertook his first operational sortie, flying as 'Blue 2' in Spitfire Vb P8545, coded MN-U.
Maurice, flying the Supermarine Spitfire Vb W3446, coded MN-R, took off from RAF Debden in Essex at 16:50 hr on Saturday 13th. June 1942 to patrol a northbound convoy that was 8 miles east of Martlesham in Suffolk. In total ten 350 Squadron Spitfire's made up the patrol from 13.05 to 19.10 hrs.
Maurice was flying in the last section to leave the convoy off the Norfolk coast. With the weather bad and visibility at 1,000 to 2,000 yards and the cloud base at 200 feet he became separated from his No. 1 and was given a vector back to Debden. Flying towards Norwich, the Spitfire was plotted as an enemy aircraft. Perhaps due to recent air raids during April and May, barrage balloons had been deployed in the city. The balloon crews saw him heading south east and very low. The Spitfire hit one of the standing balloons over a residential area. It is thought he remained with the aircraft trying to steer it away from houses, when he could have simply bailed out. The Spitfire crashed at the rear of 120 Sprowston Road at 18:27 hr, killing Maurice, four days before his 21st. birthday, with the aircraft burning out.
Maurice was buried with military honours at Brookwood Military Cemetery at Woking at 15.00 hr on June 18th, 1942, Sqn Ldr Guillaume, P/O Deltour and Sgt Ester attended as squadron representatives. After the war, Maurice, as were most Belgian aircrew, was reinterred in the Belgian Airman's Field of Honour at Brussel's Town Cemetery.
A housing development on the Spitfire's crash site now bears the name Maurice Raes Close. This was the first time in Great Britain that such an honour was bestowed on a Belgian pilot.
This brass plaque was unveiled at Maurice Raes Close on 10th. October 2006, attended by members of Maurice's family, the Lord Mayor of Norwich and Belgian Air Force officers. A fly past was made by a Belgian Air Force General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.