• Operation Chastise (Dambusters Raid)

Date of birth:

June 16th, 1922 (Chichester/Sussex, United Kingdom)

Date of death:

March 15th, 1982 (Letchworth/Hertfordshire, United Kingdom)

Nationality:

British

Frederick Tees, born in Chichester, Sussex on 16 June 1922, was the son of barber Henry Tees. He attended local schools before joining the RAF in 1941, training as an air gunner by 1942. Assigned to 207 Squadron, he flew 17 missions transferring to 617 Squadron in April 1943.

On the Dams Raid of 17 May 1943, Tees was in the rear turret of Lancaster AJ-C, a position that likely saved his life when the aircraft was hit near Hamm. Knocked unconscious, he survived the crash—his turret blown clear—only to be captured and spend the rest of the war as a POW.

His survival was unknown for months, leaving his family in uncertainty. Tragically, in May 1944, his mother, Elizabeth, died when a USAAF B24 Liberator crashed into her workplace in Chichester. Tees learned of her death only after his release in 1945.

After the war, he became a hairdresser in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, following his father’s trade. He died by suicide on 15 March 1982. His final wish was for his ashes to be scattered on the graves of his fallen comrades in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.

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• Photo 1: Dambustersblog.com
• - Dambusters

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