Photos of Wallace McIntosh DFC* DFM on the IWM Collections website...?

[wwrsimon]

Hello

On the IWM Collections website are these photos:

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ject/205454352

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ject/205454353

Captioned with the following:

Original wartime caption: Flying Officer Wallace McIntosh, DFC & Bar., DFM., was born at Udney, Aberdeen in 1920 and in civil life was a farmer. He was awarded the D.F.M. in October 1943 and the D.F.C. in July 1944, being awarded a Bar to it the following December. He has destroyed six enemy aircraft. "In times of stress he has shown great coolness, courage and fine fighting spirit" states a citation. He is now serving at an R.A.F. Bomber Station, and is the youngest air gunner in Bomber Command to be so highly decorated.

I'm pretty sure it's not him so who is it? He doesn't have a DFM ribbon, or an Air Gunner brevet, as shown in this photo of Wallace McIntosh (albeit rotated 90º for some reason):

http://www.207squadron.rafinfo.org.u...sh-RGO-red.jpg

The same photo appears in 'Gunning for the Enemy' by Mel Rolfe, and here: https://alchetron.com/Wallace-McIntosh

Another photo here: https://doriccolumns.wordpress.com/w...l-end-charlie/

I asked the IWM if they were sure their photos are of him, and got this reply:

...the caption that we have published with image CH 15150 comes from captions created at the time by the original photographer, so the image could be circulated for press and official use. Of course there’s a possibility that a mistake was made at the time but I’m not aware of any sources we could use to make a definitive judgement of whether these two images that we have are really the man in question.

I understand the reasoning behind their reply, but if it can be proven it's someone else, the captions can be updated, perhaps?

Regards

Simon

[vrajm]

Hi Simon,

"SQUADRON LEADER E.R. LACEY, D.S.O."

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ject/205454351

Regards

Mojmir

[wwrsimon]

Thanks Mojmir

Most curious!

This is captioned as Lacey too, apparently:

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ject/205454350

This is the same photo used in Mel Rolfe's biography of McIntosh!

This is Lacey, it appears: http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/LaceyER.htm

Seems something has gone awry with the captioning somewhere?

Regards

Simon

[bvs]

Were there 2 Air Gunners named ER Lacey DSO ?

http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/LaceyER.htm

Curses - pipped at the post (literally) by Simon :)

[wwrsimon]

I did see that there was another McIntosh of 207 Squadron who was awarded the D.F.C. and Bar, namely 145837 John McIntosh:

http://www.rafcommands.com/database/...submit1=Search

Can't find a photo of him though...

Regards

Simon

EDIT - he's in 'Lancaster at War' and it's none of those in any of the above photos...

[vrajm]

Hi,

"SQUADRON LEADER J.L. MUNRO, DSO., DFC."

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ject/205454348

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ject/205454349

1944-08-05 - Avro Lancaster "M for Mother", L/R: P/O Bob Cook DFC, P/O Bob Jack (Bomb Aimer), P/O Alfred "Happy" Hall (Navigator), W/C John F. Grey DSO, DFC (Pilot), Larry Sutherland DFC & Bar (Mid Upper Gunner) & Wallace McIntosh DFC, DFM (Rear Gunner). There is not Tommy Young (Flight Engineer)

https://blog.safarikovi.org/2019_03_27_archive.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_McIntosh

Regards

Mojmir

[wwrsimon]

Thanks Mojmir

That's clearly not Les Munro, it's Edward Richard Lacey from post #3...!

I'm wondering all these captions are out of synch by one or two.

I've asked the IWM again to see if they know...they'll be fed up with me ere long.

Regards

Simon

[vrajm]

Simon,

Look at that:

https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.a...61021-03.1.jpg

https://www.49squadron.co.uk/personn...il/Woodroffe_J

https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.a...61021-03.1.jpg

You can see his name above his pocket: WOODROFFE

https://www.iwm.org.uk/search/global?query=CH+15143

https://www.iwm.org.uk/search/global...5142&pageSize=

https://www.iwm.org.uk/search/global...5144&pageSize=

Who is who in the 20th century?

Regards

Mojmir

[wwrsimon]

Thank you once again Mojmir.

What a mess! I think I'll just direct the IWM to this thread...

Regards

Simon

[wwrsimon]

I got another e-mail from IWM Collections this morning, and they're now on the case and looking into it.

Hopefully it'ss just a small sample that's wrongly captioned, otherwise it could get very messy!

Thank you Mojmir for your help on this.

Regards

Simon