A young Hull man played a key role in the Second World War's most famous bombing raid, flying alongside Wing Commander Guy Gibson in his Dambusters Lancaster. James Burton reports ...
AS THEIR Lancaster bomber swooped low through flak over the fields of France, Wing Commander Guy Gibson turned to his flight engineer.
"Pull me out of the seat if I get hit," he said.
Their aircraft was leading the famous Dambusters attack – and had Wg Cdr Gibson been injured, the controls would have gone to a young man from Hull.
Now, a researcher is calling for the city to honour flight engineer John Pulford, who helped pull off the most audacious raid in aviation history.
"I really think the city ought to do something in his memory," said Malcolm Bellamy, who has written an essay on Sergeant Pulford's life.
"The Dambusters was the most famous raid of the Second World War.
"If we're going to name a street like Clive Sullivan Way after a rugby player, surely we can name one after a hero."
Mr Bellamy, a retired flight lieutenant in the RAF Volunteer Reserve, was inspired to explore the engineer's life after a chance meeting with his cousin.
He was lent a folder full of information about the serviceman's life and background.
"He was an ordinary man with a working-class background," he said.
The raid saw British pilots use Barnes Wallis's revolutionary bouncing bombs to destroy German industrial dams.
Although Sgt Pulford had little experience as a pilot, he would have been responsible for the bombing run if his commander had been killed.
"The big American bombers had a pilot and a co-pilot," Mr Bellamy said.
"Our bombers didn't. They had a pilot and a flight engineer and if the pilot was wounded, the flight engineer would take the controls."
The crews involved in the mission spent months preparing for their task.
They practiced flying at night and low altitude, as well as learning to use entirely new bombs.
But the targets were only revealed on May 16, 1943 – just hours before takeoff.
Sgt Pulford was away that day, for family reasons.
"He was attending his father's funeral in Hull," Mr Bellamy said.
"He had to have a police escort to prevent information getting out.
"Before the raid, they would have got all the aircrew together for a major briefing. I think he would have missed that."
The 24-year-old had some combat experience.
Since December 1942, he had been part of 97 Squadron. But in April next year, Sgt Pulford transferred to X squadron and started training for the raid.
"They were not volunteers," Mr Bellamy said.
"In the film Dambusters, you get the suggestion these were handpicked crew.
"There were one or two like that but a lot of them were just posted there."
The historian believes there were careful efforts not to deprive other squadrons of their best men by committing too many aces to the raid.
"Sgt Pulford was baptised but he had only done about ten operations," Mr Bellamy said.
"Perhaps people with a little bit of experience but not too much were picked.
"It would have been a case of, 'Right, we need guys to build up this squadron, let's see who's available'."
Sgt Pulford may not have been at all the briefings.
But he made it to Möhne dam in Germany nonetheless.
Wg Cdr Gibson's aircraft made the first run.
As repeated attacks failed to strike home, he flew his aircraft across the dam to draw the flak away from the others. After three successful attacks, it finally burst, sending water gushing into the valley and crippling German factories.
The exultant pilots headed home.
Sgt Pulford was awarded a Distinguished Flying Medal for his actions.
It was presented to him by King George VI at Buckingham Palace for "courage and devotion to duty of a high order".
As the allied campaign continued, he was promoted to flight sergeant and took part in attacks on factories and rocket sites.
But like so many of his comrades, Sgt Pulford's bravery was not enough to see him through the war.
On February 13, 1944, he was returning from an attack on the Anthior aqueduct in southern France.
As the crew's Lancaster headed home in bad weather, something went wrong.
The bomber crashed into a hill near the village of Upwaltham in Sussex.
Sgt Pulford died instantly.
"All of Wg Cdr Gibson's crew were killed within a year," Mr Bellamy said. "He was the last to go.
"It was the highest attrition rate of any service branch other than the Merchant Navy.
"If you ever bump into an ex-Bomber Command guy, you're meeting a very lucky person."
Of approximately 110,000 bomber aircrew, 55,000 lost their lives.
In life, Sgt Pulford was trusted to take the controls if his commander could not.
But in death, no monument, plaque or street recognises the bravery and ultimate sacrifice of one of Hull's most valiant sons.
"There's no recognition at all for him in the city," Mr Bellamy said.
"There's not a plaque. Everybody's heard of William Wilberforce but not of him."
• Malcolm Bellamy on Hull flyer John Pulford's remarkable place in history
• Picture gallery tribute to Dambuster John Pulford
