Flight Sergeant Cecil Lee Hosick
Cecil Lee Hosick was born 22 July 1922 in Belfast, he enlisted 17 August 1940 aged 18.
17 August 1940 to No.3 Reception Centre at Padgate, then to No.2 Reception Centre.
From there he went to RAF Halton and RAF Basford.
Then he went to 930 and 939 squadron which were Balloon squadrons, based at Southampton and Sheffield.
In February 1941 he was admitted to hospital, reason unknown.
His next posting was the the Central Flying School at RAF Upavon.
He was again admitted to hospital on 5 June 1943.
Up until this time he was ground crew and subsequently volunteered for aircrew and was thus posted to No. 14 Initial Training Wing on 30 October 1943. At Bridlington.
He then went to No.5 Air Gunnery School at RAF Jurby on the Isle of man and then to No.1 Air Gunnery School again on the Isle of Man for his air gunner training.
16 may 1944 he was with No.14 Operational Training Unit at RAF Cottesmore. Here he would have crewed up on Wellingtons, a 5 man crew
23 August 1944 he was posted to 51 base, RAF Swinderby, here he would have converted to heavy bombers and joined by two more crew members.
2 November 1944 No.5 Lancaster Finishing School. RAF Syerston.
4 December 1944 he was posted to No.50 Squadron, RAF Skellingthorpe, for his operational tour.
The picture below shows him 3rd from right in front of Lancaster VN-R
Sgt C Hosick 3rd from right
His operations started on 17 December 1944 and he completed 14 operations with 50 Squadron as listed below;
17 December 1944 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Munich
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NF984 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
Sgt D G J Price
18 December 1944 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Gdynia
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NF984 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
Sgt D G J Price
21 December 1944 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Politz
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NF930 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
Sgt D G J Price
1 February 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Siegen
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG271 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
Sgt D G J Price
2 February 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Karlsruhe
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG271 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
Sgt D G J Price
8 February 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Politz
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG271 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
Sgt D G J Price
13 February 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Dresden
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG342 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
Sgt D G J Price
19 February 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Bohlen
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG342 F/Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
Sgt D G J Price
3 March 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Dortmund-Ems Canal
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG342 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
Sgt D G J Price
5 March 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Bohlen
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG271 F/Sgt G Davies
F/sgt S S H Johnson
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
Sgt D G J Price
6 March 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Sassnitz
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG342 F/Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
Sgt D G J Price
7 March 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Harburg
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG342 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
F/O J Annandale
10 March 1945 1112717 Sgt Hosick posted to 53 Base n/e sick
11 March 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Essen (Daylight)
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG342 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
P/O Boxhall
F/O J Annandale
16 March 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Wurzburg
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG342 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick (Possibly am error)
Sgt D G J Price
20 March 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Bohlen
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG342 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C H Gurr
Sgt D G J Price
22 March 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Bremen
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG342 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C H Gurr
Sgt D G J Price
4 April 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Nordhausen
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG342 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
Sgt D G J Price
5 April 1945 1112717 F/Sgt Hosick, posted in from 53 Base ex n/e sick
From the 10 march to 4 April the crew flew without him and had a stand in air gunner. Thus the ORB's for that period may be in error as they show him flying on 16 March and 4 April.
23 April 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Flensburg ‘B’ (Daylight)
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
RA591 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
Sgt D G J Price
25 April 1945 F/O G Leach Bombing attack on Tonsburg
Lancaster I Sgt L V Sharp
NG326 Sgt G Davies
F/O W E Cheeseman
F/Sgt Moseley
Sgt C Hosick
Sgt D G J Price
Cecil Hosick 3rd from right
1 June 1945 Sgt Hosick was posted to 57 Squadron at RAF East Kirkby. By this time the war had ended.
5 October 1945 he was psoted to 617 Squadron at RAF Coningsby.
24 May 1946. 11 Aircrew Holding Unit. RAF Bruntingthorpe.
26 June 1946. No.10 School of Technical Training. RAF Kirkham
24 July 1946. No.1 Embarkation Unit.
7 November 1946. No 7 Service Flying Training School. Fort McLeod, Alberta.
13 February 1947. No.6 Personnel Transit Centre.
21 August 1947. A.M.U. ?
29 September 1947. No.101 Personnel Despatch centre. RAF Warton. Released 29 September 1947.
Post war Cecil worked for a number of years with Cunard-White Star Line as a First Class steward on the Queen Mary. He then worked as a stevedore, until he retired, in Southampton docks.
Southampton was his home until he passed away on 30th November, 2004.
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