Thomas Matthew Kneale was born on 19th December 1914 in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. He was the son of Matthew Marshall and Jessie Kneale (nee Rutherford) who had married in East Oxford, Ontario in December 1910. He had a brother James (Jimmy) Allan and sister Kerma Christine and his father had died by the time he enlisted. After attending school and college in Woodstock he begun working as a clerk for the Ontario Government Savings office in Woodstock in 1935, a job he was still working at when he enlisted into the RCAF. He had joined the Oxford Rifles auxiliary force in June 1940 but would leave this battalion when he enlisted for RCAF service in London, Ontario on 8th April 1941. He initially was convinced by the enlisting officer that he enlist for ground duties, specifically as a radio mechanic and having passed the course he did not like the work so in late 1941 he re-mustered as aircrew and was deemed suitable for pilot training.
This photograph shows Thomas Kneale (left) with his mother, sister and brother just after he had enlisted.
On arrival in the UK on 5th NOvember 1943 he was posted to 18 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit ((P)AFU) at Church Lawford airfield on 17th November 1942, he flew his first training flight with 18 (P)AFU on 31st December 1942. On 18th January 1943 he was posted to 1533 Beam Approach Training (B.A.T.) Course which may have been at the same airfield, he completed this
and returned to 18 (P)AFU on 1st February 1943. He passed the training at Church Lawford on 22nd February 1943 and was posted to 23 Operational Training Unit (O.T.U.) at Pershore airfield on 23rd March 1943 having spent the period in between on leave. He flew in his first Wellington as part of a basic circuits and landings flight with 23 OTU on 23rd March 1943 as a passenger. This was the first time that he, Sgt Prill and Sgt Johnston flew together. His first flight as pilot of a Wellington was on 30th March 1943 again with Sgt's Prill and Johnston. P/O MacKay joined the crew days later. Tom Kneale's logbook then lists him as pilot and then lists others on the aircraft simply as "crew". An assessment on his training at 23 OTU stated that his original navigator was withdrawn from the course and replaced, so it is likely that Sgt Jones also joined Kneale and Sgt Prill, Sgt Johnston and P/O MacKay around this period and the five became a fixed Wellington crew. They finished their course at 23 OTU on 3rd May 1942 and were posted to 426 Squadron two weeks later after a further period of leave. They appear to have been immediately posted on detachment to 1679 Conversion Flight to convert to fly Lancasters. The rest of their flying from here on is given in a seperate section but does cover their re-training to fly Lancasters and further Beam Approach flying training.
Of interest is that on 12th June 1943 he was flying a local flying exercise in Wellington "OW-W" at 426 Squadron, in the aircraft was his regular crew and P/O David DeBloeme RCAF flying as second pilot having arrived from 23 OTU two days previously. The aircraft overshot on landing at Dishforth and was slightly damaged. P/O De Bloeme was also convert to flying Lancasters and return to 426 Squadron. He was at the controls on 24th November 1943 when Lancaster LL629 crashed near North Grimston, Yorkshire with the loss of two airmen.
F/Lt Thomas Kneale and F/O James MacKay were involved in a further mishap whilst stationed at Linton on Ouse in a rare aircraft. On 19th October 1943 they were air-testing B.A. Eagle DP847, the aircraft belonged to No.6 Group Communications Flight. The flight lasted thirty minutes and on landing back at Linton on Ouse at 15.10hrs the aircraft was damaged when the port undercarriage collapsed. This aircraft was not repaired and was written off. The Eagle had being requesitioned by the RAF on 14th March 1941 from the Marquess of Donegal where it carried the civilian serial of G-ADVT where it went to White Waltham for the next few months. After a period of storage it was released to No.6 Group on 9th December 1942 for use as they pleased, probably as a run-about aircraft and a taxi aircraft.
With regard promotions after his commission on 9th October 1942, he was promoted from P/O to F/O (temp) on 9th April 1943, Acting F/Lt on 25th August 1943 (later to F/Lt (temp) on the same date) and Acting S/Ldr on 27th November 1943.
Acting Squadron Leader Thomas Kneale was killed in the accident to Lancaster DS837 at Yearsley on 16th December 1943, this was on his sixteenth operational flight. He was twenty nine years old. He is buried at Stonefall Cemetery in Harrogate, Yorkshire with other members of his crew.
At the time of his death he was engaged to a Yorkshire lady, Mary Womar. She later married another man and was still living in 2011 when traced, her nephew Mr Andy Groome was able to attend the memorial dedication service. He initially contacted me in 2003 during the very early stages of my research and kindly supplied this photograph of Tom Kneale and Mary to this account. I appreciate his email and for allowing this photograph to appear here.
He initially trained to be a pilot in RCAF Fleet Finch training aircraft at the St. Catharine's Flying Training School Ltd / No.9 Elementary Flying Training School (E.F.T.S.), Ontario. After completing this initial pilot training he was posted to No.16 Service Flying Training School (S.F.T.S.) at Hagersville, Ontario around 20th June 1942. He flew in his first Anson
here on 26th June 1942 and over the next months he flew dozens of such training flights in the Anson he was awarded his Pilot's Wings on 9th October 1942. He received his commission to the rank of P/O on the same date just prior to going overseas.
