The service record of my father, Master Signaller George Graham Murray RAF

George Graham Murray lived on the Newtownards Road In Belfast.

He worked as a crane driver, and joined the RAF shortly after the Belfast Blitz.

(The Belfast Blitz occurred between April and May 1941 and the area that George lived in would have been affected.

Living in Northern Ireland, service was voluntary as conscription did not apply to Northern Ireland.)

He trained as a Wireless Operator and at the Aircrew Receiving Centre in Blackpool. (He would also act as an air gunner).

He served in a number of squadrons and in different aircraft types, but most of his time before D-Day seems to have been spent preparing for airborne operations.

His log has many references to glider towing operations and paratrooper drops.

D-Day was very eventful for George and his colleagues in (Halifax 'H' of squadron 298).

At 0140 on the 6th of June 1944 they towed a Horsa glider to France on a 3 hour round trip. This was 'Operation Tonga' - landing the 6th Airborne Division around Caen.

At 1930 they took off again, this time towing a Hamilcar glider on 'Operation Mallard'.
George's log simply states they ditched and were picked up by a minesweeper before transferring to LST428 to return to England.

(The website www.raf38group.org has the following description of events.

"...after releasing, Flying Officer Carpenter's aircraft, Halifax LL407 T-'H', was hit by flak - The enemy were within a few hundred yards of the glider landing zone - and ditched 8 miles from the French coast. Squadron Leader Briggs circled until a naval vessel came up. All the crew returned safely to England.")

(There are several entries in Georges log that refer to 'special ops' and on one occasion they seem to have dropped supplies to the resistance in Norway.) In September 1945 there is an intriguing reference to moving 2 tons of bullion to Prague.

George also trained wireless operators and paratroopers.

(The Halifax was designed as a bomber, but in the sample pages there is only on reference to a bombing mission.)

George left the RAF in 1947 to work for a wireless company in Rushton Tarrant. He rejoined the RAF in 1949 and finally retired in 1969.