Grostenquin France

Memories of Butch Handley

Chuck Myles

On the morning of 4 November 1941, Bob Morrow called in the pilots of 402 Squadron at Warmwell in Dorsetshire for a briefing. We were to carry out a low-flying raid on a German airfield at Berck-sur-Mer in France. On the wall was a large reconnaissance photograph of our target. The Squadron Leader pointed out the hangars that were to be our particular targets. Sergeant Pilot "Butch" Handley (later Group Captain/Colonel) exclaimed, "look at that building about 200 yards off the airfield! That looks like an Officers Mess. Let's get it!" The CO replied, " Let's have no messing around with the Officers Messes. Our job is to get those hangars." We arrived at the target so suddenly, flying at 100 feet, that I had to turn sharply to line myself up for an attack on one of the hangars. As I dropped my bombs I saw, staight ahead of me, the building that Butch reconed to be the Officers Mess. I fired my machine guns at it and it exploded. I was lucky not be damaged by flying bricks. At debriefing I told the CO that it must have been an ammunition dump to blow up on receiving my gunfire. Bob Morrow turned to Butch, however, and said, "Sergeant Handley, would you please point out the exact hanger you bombed?" Butch indicated the same one I had attacked, and added, "Of course, mabey I overshot the target a little." Needless to say it would be next to impossible for a Hurri-bomber (Hurricane carrying two 250 lb bombs) to miss a traget as big as a hangar of that size by 200 yards. However I am glad that he did, because his bombs exploded when I was at 50 feet directly over the hangar he was told to hit. Had he not disobeyed orders, I would not be here today to write this story.

Well, what do you know about our CO disobeying orders! W/C Butch Handley took over 423 AW (F) Squadron at St. Hubert on 9 November 1956, took us to France, and was relieved 9 March 1958. As Don, Gary and Johnny will remember, he took over from W/C LeCompte (Joe the Group) and as we also know, he was replaced by W/C Murray in France. I can still remember Butch, a .38 in his shoulder holster, bumming a ride back to the H.Q. in our Unimog after a flight. I will try to find out more on his history-from knowing his style and reading this I bet he had quite a colourful career.