Page 25 - Nov_2018

The Beer Run By the time I got down to 5,000 the welcoming from the
By Flight Lieutenant Lloyd Berryman Rodney was hardly inviting but sure enough there was
DFC 412 Squadron, the strip.
126 Wing, Second Tactical Air Force RCAF
On June 13, 1944, (D-Day plus seven) number 412 Wheels down and in we go, three Spits with 90 gallon jet
(Falcon) Squadron, along with the others tanks fully loaded with cool beer.
comprising 126 Wing gathered for a briefing by
W/C Keith Hodson at our Tangmere base.

We would get details of our now regular Beach
Patrol activities, only this one had a slight variation.

The Wingco singled me out to arrange delivery of a
sizable shipment of beer to our new airstrip being
completed at Beny-sur- Mer.
The instructions went something like this – "Get a
couple other pilots and arrange with the Officers
Mess to steam out the jet tanks and load them up
with beer. When we get over the beachhead drop
out of formation and land on the strip. We're told
the Nazis are fouling the drinking water so it will be
appreciated."

"There's no trouble finding the strip, the Battleship As I rolled to the end of the mesh runway it was hard to
Rodney is firing salvoes on Caen and it's figure . . . there was absolutely no one in sight.
immediately below. We'll be flying over at 13,000
What do we do now, I wondered, we can't just sit here
so the beer will be cold enough when you arrive."
and wait for someone to show up. What's with the
communications?

Finally I saw someone peering out at us from behind a
tree and I waved frantically to get him out to the
aircraft. Sure enough out bounds this army type and he
climbs onto the wing with the welcome . . . "What the
hell are you doing here?"

Whereupon he got a short, but nevertheless terse,
I remember getting Murray Haver from Hamilton version of the story.
and a third pilot (whose name escapes me) to carry
out the caper. "Look," he said "can you see that church steeple at the
far end of the strip? Well it's loaded with German
was employed at the time. A chap arrived to snipers and we've been all day trying to clear them out
discuss some business and enquired if I had been in so you better drop your tanks and bugger off before it's
the Air Force. "Yes, indeed," I responded. too late."

"Did you by chance land at Beny-sur-Mer in In moments we were out of there but such was the
Normandy with two other Spitfires with jet tanks welcoming for the first Spitfire at our B4 airstrip in
loaded with beer?" he asked. Normandy.

"Yes for sure I did," I answered, "But how on earth The unbelievable sequel to this story took place in the
would you possibly be aware of that?" early 1950s at Ford Motor Company in Windsor where I
"Well I'll tell you," he said, "I was the guy who worked after the war
climbed on your wing and told you to bugger off."