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BIGORAY, William Walter Flight Sergeant, No.1474 Flight, RAF, R93566 Distinguished Flying Medal RCAF Personnel Awards 1939-1949
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BIGORAY, FS William Walter (R93566) - Distinguished Flying Medal - No.1474 Flight, RAF - Award effective 29 December 1942 as per London Gazette dated 12 January 1943 and AFRO 232/43 dated 12 February 1943. Born 13 September 1918 in Redwater, Alberta; home there (dairy farmer, labourer); enlisted Edmonton, 15 March 1941. To No.2 Manning Depot, 15 March 1941. To No.34 SFTS for non-flying duties, 29 April 1941. To No.2 WS, 22 June 1941. Promoted LAC, 24 July 1941 but not posted away until 8 November 1941 when sent to No.8 BGS. Promoted Sergeant, 8 December 1941. To \"Y\" Depot, Halifax, 9 December 1941. Struck off strength in Canada, 7 January 1942 on posting to RAF overseas. Taken on strength of No.3 PRC, Bournemouth,, 24 January 1942. To No.1 Signal School, 12 February 1942. To No.16 OTU, 7 April 1942. Promoted Flight Sergeant, 8 June 1942. To No.1474 Flight, 15 August 1942. Promoted WO2, 8 December 1942. His Flight had become No.192 Squadron by early 1943 and he was detached from that unit to Lossiemouth (20-24 March 1943). Promoted WO1, 8 June 1943. To No.90 Squadron, 11 November 1943. To No.7 Squadron, 29 January 1944. Commissioned 26 April 1944 as per Overseas Order 1141/44. Missing, presumed dead, 27 April 1944 (Lancaster JB676, No.7 Squadron). Cited with P/O E.A. Paulton (RCAF), DFC and P/O H.G. Jordan (RAF), DSO. Award presented 13 April 1943. For further details see Paulton entry. \"Pilot Officers Jordan and Paulton and Flight Sergeant Bigoray have displayed great gallantry, fortitude and devotion to duty in exceptionally hazardous circumstances. \" Notes on Training: Interviewed on 27 January 1941 in Edmonton. At the time he gave his sports as baseball, hunting and horseback riding. He played the violin as a hobby. Described as follows: \"Has little experience but is keen for flying duties as Gunner. Rugged type of youth, and is recommended as an Air Gunner. Has the educational qualifications but speaks brokenly in English.\" His parents were of Austrian origin. He was five feet eight inches tall and weighed 176 pounds. Course at No.2 WS was 23 June to 9 November 1941. Flew 25 minutes in Flying Classrom as First Operator, three hours 25 minutes in Flying Classroom on listening watch and six hours five minutes in Flying Classroom as sole operator. Placed 64th in a class of 178. Courses and marks as follows: Theory (23/50, failed), Radio Equipment (129/250), Morse, buzzer and lamp (198/200), Procedure (156/200), Signals Organisation (115/150), Armament (80/100, Drilland P.T. (33/50). Following course at No.2 WS he was described as follows: \"This airman failed written paper on theory. As he is well up on the practical side of the subject, he has been allowed to go through to Bombing and Gunnery School.\" While at No.2 WS he served three days Confined to Barracks for \"Conduct to the prejudice of good order and Air Force discipline in that he left the Sparts Parade before the Roll had been called.\" Armament Course at No.8 Bombing and Gunnery School lasted 10 November to 8 December 1941. It comprised eight hours 40 minutes day flying in Fairey Battles plus two hours 55 minutes as passenger. Placed 12th in a class of 27. Fired 298 rounds on ground, 400 rounds air to ground, and 1,991 rounds air-to-air. On Beam Test he scored seven percent hits, on Beam Relative Speed Test it was 5.25 percent and Under Tail Test 1.75 percent. Described as \"A good student with some mechanical experience.\" At No.16 OTU his course lasted 7 April to 15 May 1942. In this period he flew 18 hours 35 minutes by day on Ansons plus six hours five minutes by night on Ansons. He also flew 36 hours 50 minutes by day on Wellingtons and 34 hours 55 minutes by night. In addition to this he took part in one operational sorties (eight hours 20 minutes). He fired 200 rounds on the 25-yard range and participated in one drogue exercise (300 rounds fired, 2.8 percent hits). The Chief Signals Instructor (S/L G.F. Loveridge) wrote, \"Above average. Has done extremely well throughout the course but could improve from the point of view of discipline.\" S/L G.D. Lyster, writing for the Chief Instructor, added, \"One operational sortie completed. Has done very well indeed during his training and is becoming a first class wireless operator.\" Following crash of aircraft in sea he was hospitalized at RAF Station Tempsford (Gransden) on 3 December 1942, transferred same day to No.1 General Hospital at Ramsgate. Injuries described as \"Severe sprain right ankle, superficial wounds left and right knee.\" X-Rays showed no damage to bones. Nevertheless, his flesh wounds healed slowly. Discharged to duty on 27 January 1943. He nevertheless wrote to his family of weakness (he lost much blood in the incident) and in March 1943 they wrote AFHQ requesting his return to Canada for instructional duties. Operations: The sortie for which he was decorated involved Flight 1474 (later No.192 Squadron) and Wellington Ic, DV819, flying from Gransden Lodge, Huntingdon. The crew were J16114 P/O Edwin Amos Paulton (captain, awarded DFC), R93566 Flight Sergeant William Walter Bigoray (WOP, awarded DFM), 121561 P/O Harold Graham Jordan (Radio Observer, awarded DSO), R10054 Flight Sergeant W.A.R. Parry (Navigator),R95585 Flight Sergeant Frederick Percy Grant (Air Gunner, Mentioned in Despatches) and R79229 Flight Sergeant E.T. Vachon (Air Gunner, awarded DFM). Mission described as a \"Ferret\" search over Frankfurt. Subsequently he was \"Severely Reprimanded\" for \"creating a disturbance in Feltwell Village\" on 25 July 1943. He must have been a restless NCO, for on 15 September 1943\" he was assessed as follows: \"This Warrant Officer is very inconsistent in his general bearing and attitude, being at times keen and at others disintereted.\" The same day the Commanding Officer, Station Feltwell, wrote under recommendations \"That he is to take much more interest in his work and that just because he is not crewed up it does not mean that he can sit back and slack and become a generally indifferent Non-Commissioned Officer.\" Particulars of Death: The crew of Lancaster JB676 consisted of the following: 1675802 Sergeant F.W. Shields (Rear Gunner), 112728 W/C W.G. Lockhart, DSO, DFC (Pilot), 106968 S/L J/L. Martin, DFC and Bar (Navigator), 130244 F/L L.D. Goldingay, DFC (Air Bomber), R93566 Warrant Officer W.W. Bigoray, DFM (Wireless Operator), 79219 S/L G. Ryle, DFC (Mid-Upper Gunner) and 1591067 Sergeant J.E. Johnson (Flight Engineer). German sources reported it was shot down by a night fighter at 0140 hours on 28 April 1944 at Reichenbach, Germany.
BIGORAY
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WILLIAM WALTER P/O(WAG) J89731 D.F.M. From Redwater, Alberta. Killed in Action Apr 28/44 age 24. #7 Squadron (Per Diem Per Noctum), Pathfinder Force. Lancaster aircraft #JB 676 was badly damaged during the operation killing P/O Bigoray. On December 3, 1942, P/O Bigoray was flying Wellington aircraft #DV 819 for #192 Squadron on a special trip to act as a decoy and to determine the radio frequency the German JU-88 night fighter aircraft were using. The operation was successful but Bigoray was wounded and paralyzed from the waist down, he was put into a parachute and pushed out of the aircraft. P/O Bigoray landed on the roof of a church in Deal, Kent, England, recovered and was assigned to another squadron. Pilot Officer Wireless Operator Air Gunner Bigoray is buried in the War Cemetery at Durnbach, Germany. Addendum: - Distinguished Flying Medal - No 1474 Flight, RAF - Award effective 29 December 1942 as per London Gazette dated 12 January 1943 and AFRO 232.43 dated 12 February 1943. Born 1918 in Redwater, Alberta; home there (labourer); enlisted Edmonton, 15 March 1941. Trained at No.2 WS (graduated 8 November 1941) and No.8 BGS (graduated 9 December 1941). Cited with P/O E.A. Fulton (RCAF), DFC. Award presented 13 April 1941 The citation reads - "Pilot Officers Jordham and Paulton and Flight Sergeant Bigoray have displayed great gallantry, fortitude and devotion to duty in exceptionally hazardous circumstances." Detail provided by H. Halliday, Orleans, Ontario.
BIGORAY
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W.W. J89731//R93566. Age at time of death was 26. - Distinguished Flying Medal - No1474 Flight, RAF - Award effective 29 December 1942 as per London Gazette dated 12 January 1943 and AFRO 232.43 dated 12 February 1943. Born 1918 in Redwater, Alberta; home there (labourer); enlisted Edmonton, 15 March 1941. Trained at No.2 WS (graduated 8 November 1941) and No.8 BGS (graduated 9 December 1941). Cited with P/O E.A. Paulton (RCAF), DFC. Award presented 13 April 1943. The citation reads - "Pilot Officers Jordham and Paulton and Flight Sergeant Bigoray have displayed great gallantry, fortitude and devotion to duty in exceptionally hazardous circumstances." Detail provided by H. Halliday, Orleans, Ontario.