Mason, Sydney Thomas

Service number:: 1333284
Nationality:: British

Biography

Sydney Mason was on a second tour of duties when his Lancaster aircraft JB608 was shot down during the squadron’s ill-fated and famous 2nd/3rd December 1943 raid on Berlin in which 460 Squadron lost five Lancasters including two carrying war reporters, a third reporter who survived the raid, described it the next day as "Berlin - Orchestrated Hell of Light and Flame"
Having successfully bailed out he spent the remainder of the war as a P.o.W. in Stalag Luft 4B.

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Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Flight Sergeant
Unit:: No. 460 (RAAF) Squadron, Royal Air Force
Awarded on:: August 15th, 1945

Recommendation (Total hours flown 393, number of sorties 58):
“Flight Sergeant Mason has a long and fine record of operations. He has now completed 58 sorties, and he has been operating since June 1942. As rear gunner in Wellingtons, he completed 45 sorties without any rest. Tobruk, the most heavily defended target in the Middle East has been attacked by him on more than 20 occasions and he has also operated against Crete and the Dodecanese.
Flight Sergeant Mason in now rear gunner in a Lancaster aircraft and has completed 13 sorties in fine fashion, having taken part in two attacks on Berlin.
Both in the Middle East and European operation he has shown a high courage and great coolness under fire, and throughout this entire period he has displayed a keenness and undiminishing desire to engage the enemy. This experience and determination has been an inspiration to his crew and the gunners with whom he has come in contact.
In view of such proved devotion to duty I strongly recommend him for the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.”

Granted with effect from 1st December, 1943.