John Terence Waterfall
John Terence Waterfall was the only son of Arnold and Letitia. He was born on 14th February 1913 at “Burnside” otherwise 76 Carsick Hill Road and was baptised at Fulwood two months later. He attended King Edward VII school between 1922 and 1929.
He probably joined the family firm of Provision Merchants with a shop on the Wicker started by his Grandfather. By 1921 Terence’s father was a director of the company.
There is virtually no record of John Terence’s life as a child. We can imagine that he would have frequently walked the short distance between his home and that of his grandparents on Brookhouse Hill, perhaps occasionally calling on his Uncle Sydney at their house on Brookhouse Hill
The only snippet is that, like many young men of the time, he owned a motor bike that
In Rustlings Road, Sheffield, on Saturday, John Waterfall (18). 76, Carsick Hill Road, a motor-cyclist. ran into Olive Mottershaw (29), 16, Bingham Park Crescent. Waterfall suffered from concussion, and Mottershaw received head and legg injuries. They are detained in the Royal Hospital. (Daily Telegraph 16 November 1931)
He married Ethel King in the summer of 1940 in Wolverhampton. His wife was Ethel King of Tettenhall a village near Wolverhampton that has, like Fulwood, become a suburb of the nearby city.
Waterfall had joined the RAFVR early in the war. Late in 1940 he was promoted from Leading Aircraftman to Sergeant. He became a flying Officer sometime in 1941.
In June 1940 he was at RAF Wattisham in Suffolk flying as a an observer in a crew of three flying a Blenheim. On the 7th, this crew along with five others were on a sortie to bomb targets in the town of Airaines (Somme) to block communications. All six aircraft were hit by Anti-Aircraft fire but returned to base safely.
Waterfall was transferred to Malta sometime after his marriage which may have been hastily arranged once he knew he was going overseas.
The Squadron Operations record for 24th September 1941 noted that:
Two Blenheims captained by W/Cdr. Harte and S/Ldr. Warren were ordered to attack transport on the MISURTA – BENGHAZI ROAD. The aircraft took off at 14.05 hrs and MT. on different parts of the road were attacked by bombs and machine gun. fire. A petrol truck received a direct hit and burnt out, damaging four other vehicles. Machine gun fire beside damaging between 10 – 20 trucks, caused mamy others to collide or run off the road.
Medium A.A opposition was encountered at MISURTA. W/Cdr. Harte returned safely at 17.50 hrs. Aircraft captained by S/Ldr. Warren – crew, F/O. Waterfall and P/O. Law did not return and is missing.
John Terence Waterfall is commemorated on the memorials at Malta, Fulwood and King Edward VII School. He is also mentioned on the grave of his grandparents and parents