A BOY GOES TO WAR
Jacques Duchossoy
Jacques far right with his crew in front of their plane
'bombing up'
Heading for Occupied Europe
Perrins aircraft after crash landing back at Vitry-en-Artois due to flak damage
Jacques reunited with his wartime pilot, wartime 'nom de guerre', 'Cdmr Gorri', at Vitry-en Artois' in 1969, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 342's return to liberated France. By now 'Gorri', whose real name was General Fourquet, was Chief of the French Air Force
Jacques with his friend Marulli at Blackbushe (Hartford Bridge), in 2000. Marulli was shot down over Chevilly-Larue, Paris, while making a low level attack on a power station on 3.10.43, he evaded capture and escaped through occupied France to rejoin the squadron. On this raid Jacques was flying in the No.1 aircraft of a section of 4. The No.2 and 3 aircraft were shot down.
Jacques returning to Great Massingham in 2005, for the first time since 1943, to receive an engraved lead crystal plaque from the villagers of Great Massingham on behalf of all the Free French airman who flew from the village, as a token of gratitude for the efforts and sacrifice made by them towards winning the war in Europe.
Some of Jacques comrades who did not return to Great Massingham or Hartford Bridge after an operation.
The old runway at Great Massingham as it appears today
Jacques medals and insignia, Croix de Guerre and 3 bronze stars, Medaille Militaire. The steel fragment above the silver propeller, is a piece of German anti-aircraft (flak) shell that Jacques found embedded in his parachute pack after one raid.
Wartime memory
By Andre Duchossoy
Jacques Duchossoy lived for most of his life in Newhaven and for many years worked as a Marine Engineer on the cross channel ferries.
This is his 'War Story'
In 1942, living in Newhaven, at the age of 17, Jacques ran away from home and joined the Free French Air Force (FAFL).
After doing some initial Radio training at Cranwell and Gunnery training at Morpeth on the Northumberland coast, he was posted to 342 (Lorraine) Squadron as an Air Gunner flying in Douglas Boston medium bomber aircraft, based firstly at West Raynham and then Great Massingham in Norfolk.
On only his second operation he was wounded, a grim introduction to the reality of war!
From Great Massingham the Squadron moved to Hartford Bridge, (now renamed Blackbushe Airport), from where they continued operations until after D-day when they moved to Vitry-en-Artois, finally setting foot once more on liberated French soil.
Re-equipped with Mitchell bombers, their final move was to Gilz Reigen in Holland, where after having flown on 64 operations, his, and the squadrons war, ended.
As a postscript to my Dad's wartime experiences, there was always one story he related to me that that never ceased to amaze me.
At the end of the war he returned to Dieppe to see his father whom he had not seen in over 5 years. During the course of their conversation his father asked him if by any chance, at anytime, his squadron had attacked Abbeville? Rather baffled my Dad replied 'yes' they had indeed attacked the Railway Marshalling yards at Abbeville, 'but how on earth did you know that'? His Dad then replied 'because I was waiting for a train on the platform of Abbeville station when you attacked it!' He said that as the planes screamed into the attack they were flying so low he could see the cross of lorraine emblazoned on their 'noses', and as he ran to take cover as the bombs started to fall, he knew it was likely that his son was in one of them!
A truly remarkable wartime encounter between father and son!!