Bidspirit auction | RARE WW2 Dambuster Harvey Weeks

RARE WW2 Dambuster Harvey Weeks signed Dams Raid 617 Sqn RAF cover. Signed on the back of the cover, really tough autograph to find. Harvey Alexander Weeks was born on 10 December 1919 in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is a large town some 60 miles from Vancouver. After joining the RCAF and qualifying as an air gunner, he crewed up with Canadian pilot Marcel Cuelenaere during training, along with his future Dams raid colleague Jimmy Clay. This crew joined 97 Squadron at Woodhall Spa in October 1942. The Cuelenaere crew had completed almost 30 operations together in March 1943 when their pilot reached the end of his tour. This coincided with the call for volunteers for the new 617 Squadron, which Les Munro and most of his crew had decided to accept. Because Munro's rear gunner was one of those who declined the invitation, Weeks volunteered to take his place, even though Munro told him and Clay that operations with the new squadron would be 'probably special, probably dangerous'. Weeks settled in with his new crew, although he suffered from being jammed into his turret when it was damaged by a plume of water when Les Munro flew too low on a trial drop on 12 May 1943. On the raid itself he was isolated from the rest of the crew when the intercom was severed by flak over Vlieland, and it was only when Percy Pigeon clambered through to the rear of the aircraft that everyone knew he was all right. The Munro crew's next operation was some two months later, an attack on an Italian power station. Over the next 11 months, Weeks went on to complete more operations than anyone else in the crew - a total of 60, made up of 33 under Munro's captaincy and 27 done previously in 97 Squadron. He was commissioned in November 1943, and received the DFC in June 1944. After being taken off operations, Weeks went to 1690 Bomber Defence Training Flight where Munro had been posted as CO. He returned to Canada after the war. Harvey Weeks died in Chilliwack, BC on 22 March 1992.