Toy Fox Is Only Remaining Member Of Dambuster Crew

A toy fox which flew on dozens of bombing runs in World War II is the only remaining member of his crew.

The crewmate, thought to be up to 100-years old, was the childhood toy and lucky mascot of Flight Sergeant Bill Hovey.

But the fox has now been "permanently grounded" in the navigator's position in a public display at a museum dedicated to its squadron.

Andy Marson, chairman of Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre in Lincolnshire, said:

"Bill Hovey's crew did all survive the war but none of them are with us now.

"He is in a way the last surviving member of his crew.

"They were involved in all the operations in D-Day and afterwards the big operations in the Allied advance through Europe.

"Mr Fox would have seen the Victory in Europe Day - he would have seen the fall in Germany - if only he could speak it would be absolutely brilliant, he would have one hell of a story to tell.

"We are now going to keep him in one of the rooms where we've got all the Lancaster crew stations recreated.

"He's such a treasured part of the museum. If there was a fire in the visitor centre, he'd be the first thing we'd save.

"He has done his final mission and he's now grounded at Metheringham permanently."

The charismatic cuddly toy became the eighth member of his crew, taking part in the historic Allied aerial offensive over Normandy in 1944.

Every mission Mr Fox took part in was written on his leg by crewmates as Mr Hovey navigated their Lancaster bomber.

Its Warrant Officer Norman Jackson won the Victoria Cross and 59 Lancaster bombers and 300 aircrew were lost while it was stationed at RAF Metheringham between 1943 and 1946.

106 Squadron was originally due to carry out the legendary Dambusters bombings before its Commanding Officer Guy Gibson was asked to lead the assault with 617 Squadron.

Mr Hovey's widow, Jean Hovey, 89, donated Mr Fox to the museum following his death.

Mrs Hovey, from Castle Carey, Somerset, said it was a tribute to his crew, captained by Warrant Officer Jock Cunningham, after he died aged 85 on November 20, 2007.

She said: "I think it must have been a comfort to them.

"It was getting very very old at the house, and had belonged to my husband since he was a child.

"It wasn't about very much and I think it was probably stored in a box as he grew older by his parents and then it was taken as a mascot when he joined the air crew."

Mr Hovey volunteered to join the RAF aged 18 and took part in the D-Day bombings and war in Japan.

His two younger brothers Kenneth and Peter also joined the RAF and Mr Hovey married Jean after he left at the end of the war and retrained as an accountant.

The couple, who had no children and worked in accountancy firms, lived in Sydenham, London, after marrying at a nearby church in the Holy Trinity Church in Beckenham on 1 September 1951.

Mrs Hovey said: "When we got married and our own place, Mr Fox came with him and he has kept it since.

"I remember him showing it to me and he said it was our mascot during the war. I think he was quite proud about it but he never really talked about the war.

"It was probably in a box up in the attic but in later years it was on his desk.

"He used to put it on his desk and he remembered his days in the RAF."

Mrs Hovey said her husband told her another crew member on their Lancaster wrote down their missions on Mr Fox.

"The wireless operator had more time than my husband because being the navigator he was trying to get out of the attack," she said.

"I remember one day saying to him did you ever feel scared and my husband never swore, but he said, 'Of course I felt bloody scared because you would never know if you would come back'.

"His crew never talked about it or showed off about it, they just didn't do that, absolutely marvellous.

"It's terribly, terribly sad and they were so brave, you realise now they were so brave."

Mrs Hovey added: "I cannot believe any of his crew are still alive.

It's very very sad, I know when I watch the Armistice Parade it's so very sad they are getting less and less the older ones."

Cover picture courtesy of SWNS.