Showing 169 results

Pierson, Peter Douglas Humphrey, son of George H. Pierson, manufacturing chemist, and Hel­ena Marion, d. of William Edward Jones of Eastnor, Herefordshire; b. 12 July 1919; adm. May 1933 (H); left July 1936; enlisted Gunner HAC, transf. RHA 1940 (L/Bdr), p.o.w. Greece 1941; d. as prisoner in Germany 18 Oct. 1942.

Peter Douglas Humphrey Pierson was born at St Annes-on-Sea, Lancashire on the 12th of July 1919 the son of George Humphrey Pierson, a manufacturing chemist, and Helena Marion (nee Jones) Pierson of 94, Queensway, Bayswater, London W2.
He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from May 1933 to July 1936.
He enlisted as a Gunner in the Honourable Artillery Company in 1939 where he served with D Battery. He transferred to the 2nd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery in 1940. He was posted to Egypt and later to Greece.
He was captured at the fall of Greece on the 28th of April 1941 and was taken to Germany where he was interned at Stalag XVIIIA at Wolfsburg from the 24th of September 1941 as POW No. 1208. On his arrival there it was recorded that he was six feet four inches tall and that he had brown hair.
He was admitted to the hospital at Wolfsberg on the 18th of October 1942 suffering from typhus. He died there the following day.
He was buried at Wolfsberg Cemetery II, Grave 24 on the 21st of October 1942 but his body was later exhumed and moved to its present location.
He is buried at Klagenfurt War Cemetery Plot 6, Row A, Grave 4.

Phillips, Godfrey Sidney Philip, son of Morris G. P. Phillips and Gretta Wharton; b. 21 Mar. 1921; adm. from Repton Sch. May 1935 (R); left Apr. 1938; RNVR (A) in WW2; killed in action in HMS Patia 27 Apr. 1941.

Godfrey Sidney Philip Phillips was born at Chelsea, London on the 21st of March 1921 the only son of Morris Godfrey Philip Phillips and Annie Margaretta “Gretta” (nee Wharton formerly White) Phillips of 3, Kensington House, Kensington High Street, Kensington in London.
He was educated at Repton School and at Westminster School where he was up Rigaud’s from May 1935 to April 1938.
He enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a Leading Naval Airman 1st Class in the Fleet Air Arm before becoming an Ordinary Seaman. He was posted to the 5,500 ton naval auxiliary vessel HMS Paita which had been requisitioned by the Admiralty in September 1940 and had been fitted out as a aircraft catapult ship for the defence of convoys.
On the 27th of April 1941, HMS Patia, under the command of Commander David Marion Burton Baker RNR, set sail on her maiden voyage as part of a convoy. She was on her way to pick up a Hurricane Mk IA aircraft which was to operate from her. After nightfall HMS Patia was sailing near 20G Buoy off Coquet Island, some eight miles off Seaton Point in Northumberland when she was attacked by a Heinkel 111 bomber which dropped two 550lb bombs on her. The aircraft also fired on her with its machine guns, killing four of her crew. Both of the bombs fell short of the ship. Under heavy fire from HMS Patia’s gun crews the Heinkel turned for a second run and, although hit by anti aircraft fire, it dropped more bombs, one of which hit the ship causing a massive explosion. Hit by anti aircraft fire from the ship, the enemy aircraft was forced to ditch into the sea with the crew being taken prisoner.
HMS Patia had been badly damaged with many of her crew having been killed or wounded in the attack. As the stricken vessel began to sink the survivors climbed into lifeboats in the pitch black. The Boulmer lifeboat “Clarissa Langdon” was launched at 11pm and made for the site of the sinking where it found a great deal of wreckage but none of the crew. At daybreak they received a call from the local coastguard that three men had been seen on a life raft and these were rescued by the fishing boat “Primrose”. More men were later rescued and a number of bodies were recovered from the sea during the morning.
One of the lifeboats came ashore at Howick Burn with 41 survivors on board and another landed at Embleton Bay with 40 men on board, both making landfall at around 1am.
The Captain, seven officers and thirty one ratings had been killed during the attack.
He is commemorated on a brass plaque at Boulmer lifeboat station.
He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial 50,2.

Philcox, Philip George, brother of Geoffrey Vincent Philcox (qv); b. 24 July 1909; adm. Apr. 1923 (R); left July 1927; Caius Coll. Camb., matric. 1927, BA 1930; a stockbroker; RNVR (A) 1939-40 (Lieut.); m. 27 June 1936 Constance, d. of John Hutton of Effingham, Surrey; accidentally killed on active service 12 Mar. 1940.

Philip George Philcox was born at Streatham, South London on the 24th of July 1909 the third and youngest son of George Ernest Philcox, a stock and share dealer, and Edith (nee Vincent) Philcox of 9, Aldrington Road, Streatham Park, later of Stone Court, Staplefield in Sussex. He was christened at St Alban’s Church, Streatham Park on the 3rd of October 1909.
He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Rigaud’s from April 1923 to July 1927. He matriculated for Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge in 1927 from where he graduated with a BA in 1930. On leaving university he worked as a stockbroker’s clerk from 1933 before becoming a stockbroker and a Member of the London Stock Exchange. He became a Partner his father’s firm of Philcox & Co of 1, Copthall Chambers, Angel Court, London where he became prominent in the West African market and later in the South African market.
He was married at Holy Trinity Church, Brompton on the 27th of June 1936 to Constance (nee Hutton later Belchem) of South Lodge, Effingham, Surrey; they lived at Tunmore Farm, The Street, West Horsley in Surrey.
He was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the Reserve of Air Force Officers on the 19th of March 1928 and was promoted to Flying Officer on the 19th of September 1929. He passed onto the non active list on the 3rd of March 1935 and relinquished his commission on the 19th of March 1938, retaining the rank of Flying Officer.
Following the outbreak of war he was commissioned as a Sub Lieutenant (A) in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on the 27th of September 1939 and was later promoted to Lieutenant (A). He was posted to 758 Naval Air Squadron and was attached to HMS Raven, the Royal Naval Air Station at Eastleigh as an instructor.
George Philcox took off from RNAS Eastleigh at 10am on the 12th of March 1940 in Proctor Mk 1A P6008 with trainee air gunner, Able Seaman Douglas Lucas, for a wireless training exercise. Shortly after taking off the aircraft experienced trouble with its engine and George Philcox decided to make a forced landing. Having made an attempt to land in a field which he had been forced to abandon he was making a turn at low level when the aircraft stalled, the port wing tip struck the ground and it crashed at Stanmore Lane, Winchester, to the south of Worthy Down airfield in Wiltshire. George Philcox was killed on impact with Douglas Lucas being mortally injured and dying later in the day.
His wife received the following telegram dated the 12th of March 1940: - “From Admiralty. Deeply regret to inform you that your husband Lieut. P.G. Philcox was killed in an aircraft accident this morning near Worthy Down.”
An inquiry was convened at RNAS Eastleigh under the chairmanship of Commander R. Poole RN to determine the cause of the accident and it reported its conclusions in a report dated the 18th of March 1940: - “The reason which caused the pilot to forced land cannot be definitely established from the evidence, but the Board is of the opinion that it was most probably due to the loss of engine revolutions or irregular running of the engine, which may have been caused by the water which was found in the petrol system on examination after the crash.”
The Surrey Advertiser wrote of him: “He was very popular in all sections of the “House “and was held in high esteem by all with whom he came into contact by his endearing nature and kindly disposition. His tragic and untimely death is deeply regretted.”
His funeral took place on the 16th of March 1940 in a service which was conducted by the Reverend W. A. Dengate.
He is commemorated on the war memorial at St Mark’s Church, Staplefield.
He is buried at St Mark’s Church, Staplefield.

Percy-Pitt, Patrick George, son of Percy Pitt, composer, and Margaret, d. of G. H. Bruce of Syd­ney NSW; b. 13 July 1919; adm. May 1933 (G); left Apr. 1935; 2nd Lieut. RE (TA) Sept. 1938, transf. RA Aug. 1940 (Lieut.); accidentally killed on active service 27 July 1941.

Patrick George “Pat” Percy-Pitt was born in London on the 13th of July 1919 the only son of Percival George “Percy” Pitt, a conductor, and Ivy Margaret (nee Bruce) Pitt, a professional singer, of 19, Eton Villas, Hampstead, later of 43, Portland Court, Great Portland Street in London.
He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Grant’s from May 1933 to April 1935. He enlisted as a Sapper in the Royal Engineers in the Territorial Army and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 26th (London Electrical Engineers) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers on the 23rd of September 1938. He transferred to the Royal Artillery at the same rank on the 1st of August 1940 when his unit was transferred from the Royal Engineers to the Royal Artillery and was re-designated as a Searchlight Regiment.
On the night of the 28th of July 1941, George Percy-Pitt was riding a motor cycle near Chelmsford, Essex when he was in collision with an “unlit road obstruction”. He was taken to Clacton Hospital where he died from his injuries the following day. An inquest into the accident recorded a verdict of accidental death.
His funeral took place at 11am on the 1st of August 1941.
He is remembered on his father’s grave at Hampstead Cemetery.
He is buried at St Mary’s Church, Frinton Row B, Grave 18.

Patterson, Basil Horace, son of Horace Harvie Patterson, accountant, of Muswell Hill, and Edith Emma. d. of Charles Clement Vyle of Muswell Hill; b. 31 Oct. 1919; adm. Sept. 1933 (H); left. July 1938; a clerk in Lloyds Bank; RASC 1940 (Staff Sgt-Major), served MEF; d. 4 Sept. 1947 as the result of injuries received on active service Palestme 1943.

Basil Horace Patterson was born at Hackney, London on the 31st of October 1919 the only son of Horace Harrie Patterson, an accountant for an insurance company, and Edith Emma (nee Vyle) of “St Albans”, 7, Beechwood Avenue, Finchley in North London. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from September 1933 to July 1938. On leaving school he worked as a clerk for Lloyd’s Bank at the Cox’s and King’s Branch, 6, Pall Mall in London before enlisting in the Royal Army Service Corps in 1940. He served in the Middle East and was badly injured in Palestine in 1943.
His engagement to Daphne Margery Hayhow of Rosario, Argentine was announced on the 21st of July 1947.
He died from complications of his injuries.
His funeral took place on the 10th of September 1947.
He is commemorated on the Lloyds Bank 1939-1945 war memorial at 6, Pall Mall, London.
He is buried at East Finchley Crematorium Section Y4, Grave 112.

Parker, David Shirley, son of John Anthony Parker, solicitor, of Bromley, Kent, and Ethelwyn, d. of Samuel Arthur Stanger of Bromley; b. 18 Dec. 1916; adm. Sept. 1930 (R); left Dec. 1933; arti­cled to a solicitor; RAFVR 1941-3 (Flt Lieut.), 51st Bomber Sqdn; m. 20 Aug. 1941 Moira McNeill of Kildonan, I. of Arran; killed on active service 24 Sept. 1943.

David Shirley Parker was born at Bromley, Kent on the 18th of December 1916 the only son of John Anthony Parker, a solicitor, and Ethelwyn (nee Stanger) Parker of “Packwood”, 10, Homefield Road, Bromley. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Rigaud’s from September 1930 to December 1933. He was a member of the 4th Rowing VIII in 1933. On leaving school he became an articled clerk to a firm of solicitors. He was a member of Bromley Cricket Club and was an Assistant Scout Master with the St John’s Troop, 14th Bromley Scouts. He was also a member of the local amateur dramatic group, the Quavers, appearing in several of their productions.
He attended No. 5 Air Crew Selection Board on the 3rd of July 1940 where he was selected for pilot training. He enlisted as Aircraftman 2nd Class 1255393 in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve at No. 1 Reception Centre, Uxbridge on the 6th of July 1940. Six days later he reported to Blackpool for his basic training. On the 6th of September 1940 he was posted to No. 3 Initial Training Wing at Torquay and completed his initial training on the 6th of November 1940 when he was promoted to Leading Aircraftman. He was posted to No. 3 Service Flying Training School at South Cerney where he trained on both single and twin engined aircraft. He was awarded his Wings and was promoted to Sergeant on the 14th of June 1941. He was commissioned as a Pilot Officer on the 15th of June 1941. He was then posted to No. 2 School of Air Navigation at RAF Squires Gate before being posted to No. 12 Operational Training Unit at RAF Benson on the 23rd of August 1941, but soon transferred to No. 19 Operational Training Unit at RAF Kinloss where he converted to Whitleys.
He was married on the 20th of August 1941 to Flight Officer Moira (nee McNeill) of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force.
He was posted to 51 Squadron on the 19th of November 1941 where he flew on his first operation against enemy shipping in the harbour at Brest on the 17th of December.
He was promoted to Flying Officer on the 15th of June 1942.
David Parker and his crew took off from RAF Chivenor 5.24am on the 20th of June 1942 in Whitley Mk V BD191 for an anti submarine sortie and was carrying a load of depth charges and bombs. At 8.05am they received a message diverting them to search for the crew of a Wellington aircraft which had come down in the sea. The aircraft was flying at 1,000 feet towards the Scilly Isles when the port engine developed a glycol leak. The aircraft descended to 500 feet where the bomb load was jettisoned and the port engine feathered. At 100 feet the aircraft stalled and hit the water with the crew managing to board the life raft before the aircraft sank four minutes later. They were rescued two hours later and were landed at St Mary’s on the Scilly Isle at 4.30pm.
On the 24th of September 1942, David Parker and his crew were having a rest day, having been stood down from operations for the day. That morning the operations room called to request a crew to take off and to search for a dinghy which had been reported as having been seen in the Bristol Channel, between Lundy Island and Cardiff. As Parker and two of his crew were nearby when the call came in to the flight office they quickly boarded Whitley Mk V Z9425 and called for two members of the ground crew to join them. They took off from RAF Chivenor and once airborne they began searching the Channel and working their way eastwards. Having been airborne for two hours the rear gunner reported that there was a glycol leak in the port engine and that white smoke was trailing past his turret. David Parker shut down the port engine to avoid it overheating. With the aircraft flying at 1,500 feet he decided to return to base and crossed the coast between Lynton and Porlock but before they had gone much further the starboard engine began to backfire and to overheat. He told the crew that he was going to make a forced landing and seeing a field ahead he warned them to brace themselves. The aircraft crash landed at North Horridge Farm near the village of Chelfham, and one mile to the east of Chelfham viaduct with the front half of the aircraft being reduced to a tangled mass of wreckage when it crashed through a hedge and into a sunken road, killing David Parker and the two ground crewmen who had been with him in the cockpit.
The rear gunner was in the bomb bay area when the aircraft crashed and was injured but was rescued and was assisted away from the aircraft by the son of the farmer who had seen the aircraft crash. Having placed the rear gunner a safe distance from the aircraft, he returned to it to find the wireless operator crawling out of it injured, but alive. The two injured men were taken to North Devon Infirmary.
The crew was: -
Flight Lieutenant David Shirley Parker (Pilot)
Corporal Robert Victor Doak (Ground Crew, 51 Squadron)
Corporal Harry Todd (Ground Crew, 51 Squadron)
Sergeant Eric Ford Goodwin (Rear Gunner) (Injured/Survived)
Sergeant Hugh Alan Roberts (Wireless Operator) (Injured/Survived) (Killed in action 13th May 1943)
He is commemorated on the Boy Scouts Roll of Honour.
He is commemorated at Plymouth City Crematorium Panel 5.

Pardoe, George Patrick Lefroy, brother of Stephen Walter Lefroy Pardoe (qv); b. 25 June 1916; adm. May 1930 (R); left July 1934; Aeronautical Engineering Coll. Chelsea, AFRAeS 1937; Vickers (Aviation) Ltd and Follando Aircraft Co.; Fleet Air Arm 1941-4 (Lieut. (A) RNVR), served Fighter Command UK and FAA Salerno; killed on active service 25 Jan. 1944.

George Patrick Lefroy “Pat” Pardoe was born at Purley, Surrey on the 25th of June 1916 the youngest son of Stephen George Pardoe, a newspaper manager, and Mabel Gertrude (nee Lefroy) Pardoe of 36, Foxley Lane, Purley in Surrey. He was christened at St James’ Church, Riddlesdown on the 22nd of October 1916. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Rigaud’s from May 1930 to July 1934. He went on to the Aeronautical Engineering College, Chelsea and qualified AFRAc.S in 1937. He joined the staff of Vickers (Aviation) Ltd as an aeronautical technician, and later joined the Follando Aircraft Company. He was awarded a Royal Aero Club Certificate (No. 14607) at Brooklands Flying Club on the 18th of November 1936 while flying a DH Moth aircraft. He was elected as an Associate Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in October 1941.
He enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1941 and was commissioned as a Sub Lieutenant (A) on the 30th of July 1942. He joined 879 Naval Air Squadron on the 22nd of March 1943. He served for a time with Fighter Command before joining the Fleet Air Arm. He saw action during the landings at Salerno on board the escort carrier HMS Attacker (D02).
On the 29th of January 1944 Pat Pardoe was flying Seafire Mk IIC LR761 and was leading a formation of other aircraft on a low flying photo reconnaissance exercise when his aircraft crashed into a hillside at Glenarm near Larne in County Antrim, at 11.15am killing him.
His mother received the following telegram: - “From Admiralty. Deeply regret to inform you that your son Sub Lieutenant (A) G. P. L. Pardoe RNVR has been killed in an aircraft accident.”
He was posthumously promoted to Lieutenant (A) on the 17th of March 1944.
He is buried at Larne New Cemetery Section 10, Block F, Grave 899.

O'Sullivan, Cornelius Dion, son of Curtis Dion O'Sullivan (qv); b. 27 Apr. 1919; adm. May 1935 (A); left July 1935; Univ. of California; Lieut. USN (submarines); m. 12 May 1942 Katharine, d. of John Black of San Francisco; lost on active service in US submarine Triton (Pacific) 15 Mar 1944.

Cornelius Dion “Sully” O’Sullivan was born at San Francisco, California on the 27th of April 1919 the elder son of Colonel Curtis Dion O’Sullivan OW, United States Army, later Adjutant General of the State of California, and Helen (nee Hooper) O’Sullivan of 2717, Hearst Avenue, San Francisco. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Ashburnham from May to July 1935. He was admitted to US Naval Academy as a Midshipman Second Class on the 17th of June 1938.
He attended the University of California, Berkeley on a Lexington Scholarship in the Class of 1942, where he rowed for the University and was later appointed as Captain of Rowing. He was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and was a member of the orchestra.
His class had been due to graduate in February 1942 but instead graduated on the 19th of December 1941, due to the United States declaration of war on Japan on the 7th of December. He was promoted to Midshipman First Class in 1941and to Ensign on the 19th of December 1941. He was posted to the coastal and harbour defence submarine R-20 on the 31st of May 1942.
He was married at the United States Naval Academy Chapel, Annapolis on the 19th of May 1942 to Kathryn (nee Black) of San Francisco.
He was later promoted to Lieutenant, Junior Grade and was posted to the submarine USS Triton as 2nd Navigator.
The USS Triton (SS-201), under the command of Lieutenant Commander George Kenneth Mackenzie Jr. USN, set sail from Brisbane, Australia on the 16th of February 1943 for what was to be her sixth patrol. She was to operate against enemy shipping in the area between Rabaul, the Shortlands Basin.
On the 6th of March the USS Triton attacked a Japanese convoy consisting of five merchant vessels escorted by a destroyer. During the attack she sank the cargo ship Kiriha Maru and damaged one other ship. Two nights later she attacked another enemy convoy and claimed that five of the eight torpedoes she had fired scored hits. She was unable to confirm this due to gunfire from the escorting destroyers which forced her to submerge.
On the 11th of March the USS Triton reported that she was stalking two convoys, each made up of five or more ships. She contacted the submarine USS Trigger (SS-237) which was operating in an adjacent area. She was ordered to remain to the south of the equator and to continue her pursuit. Two days later she received a warning from her base that three enemy destroyers were in the area and that they were either looking for convoys to attack or were hunting American submarines.
On the 15th of March 1943, USS Triton was off the Admiralty Islands to the north of New Guinea when she reported that she had attacked an enemy convoy and that she was under a depth charge attack by three Japanese destroyers. Nothing further was heard from the submarine, but post war Japanese records indicate that they had sunk a submarine that day in an area slightly to the north west of the USS Triton’s last reported position. One of the Japanese crews reported observing an oil slick, debris and items carrying American markings. The entire crew was lost in the attack. USS Trigger had also attacked the convoy and came under depth charge attack which eventually stopped. They reported afterwards that they heard continued depth charging some distance away which lasted about an hour.
The University of California wrote of him: - “Sully began college life at the University of California and has had little trouble standing at the top of the class. Sully climaxed four years of crew by becoming the Academy's No. 1 oarsman and captain. His unruly hair has been a problem, but he manages to divert attention with his contagious smile.”
He is commemorated on the Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery.

O'Malley, Derek Keppel Coleridge, son of Barrett Leonard Albemarle O'Malley, barrister-at­ law, of Richmond, Surrey, and Lorna Josephine, d. of John Coleridge of Snettisham, Norfolk; b. 7 Nov. 1910; adm. Sept. 1923 (G), non-res. KS 1925; left July 1929; Ch. Ch. Oxf., matric. 1929, BA 1932; called to the Bar (Inner Temple) Jan. 1933; PO RAFVR Nov. 1938, FO May 1940; m. 21 Oct. 1939 Rachel, d. of Andrew MacDonald of Hilton House, Inverness; killed in action Sept. 1940.

Derek Keppel Coleridge O’Malley was born at 14A, Northcote Avenue, Ealing on the 7th of November 1910 the only child of Barrett Lennard Albemarle O’Malley, a barrister at law and a correspondent for the Morning Post, and Lorna Josephine (nee Coleridge) O’Malley later of 24, Montague Road, Richmond in Surrey. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Grant’s from September 1923 and was a non resident King’s Scholar from 1925 to July 1929. He was appointed as a Monitor in 1928. He was a member of the 2nd Rowing VIII in 1927, where he rowed at bow, and was a member of the 1st Rowing VIII in 1928 where he rowed at No. 3 and won School Colours in the same year. The Elizabethan wrote the following on his 1928 season: - “Another oarsman who improved during practice. He is beginning to use his leg drive effectively, but the blade work must become more accurate. At present rather liable to lose the rhythm in rowing, and to lose his steadiness forward. The only cure for this is to get the feet on the stretcher at the recovery, and to keep them there by not letting the knees rise too easily at any time on the swing forward.”
He was away from the school for a period of time due to illness and when he returned he was a member of the 2nd Rowing VIII in 1929, where he rowed at stroke. He was a member of the 1st Rowing VIII in the same year where he rowed at No. 4. The Elizabethan wrote the following on his 1929 season: - “With only two days to in the boat before the race at Henley, he settled quickly into the swing of the crew, although he was not as fit as the others, after a long absence from the School, and only six days’ rowing in the Second Eight. He has lengthened his swing, and acquired more control and spring, and is likely to improve into a sound oarsman.”
He matriculated for Christ Church, Oxford in 1929 on a Westminster Scholarship where he read History and rowed for the College boat. He was a member of the Oxford University Air Squadron from 1929 to 1932. He was awarded a BA in 1932. On leaving university he studied for the Bar examinations and was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in January 1933. He worked from chambers at 5, Paper Buildings, Temple.
He was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on the 1st of November 1938, trained as a pilot and was mobilised for active service on the 18th of September 1939.
He was married at Henley-on-Thames on the 21st of October 1939 to Rachel Mary Genevieve (nee Macdonald) of Wharfe House, Henley-on-Thames; they had a son, Stephen Keppel, born on the 21st of July 1940.
He was promoted to Flying Officer on the 1st of May 1940 and was posted to 264 Squadron on the 22nd of May 1940.
At 4pm on the 24th of August 1940 Derek O’Malley was taxiing his aircraft, Defiant Mk I L6996 at RAF Hornchurch for a Squadron scramble during an enemy air raid. A bomb burst close to the aircraft and the dust cloud obscured his vision. In the confusion his aircraft collided with Defiant Mk I L7006. He was unhurt but his air gunner, Pilot Officer Anthony O’Connell, was slightly injured.
On the night of the 4th of September 1940, 264 Squadron was scrambled due to a report of an enemy aircraft in the area. Derek O’Malley took off from RAF Kirton-in- Lindsey at 10pm in Defiant Mk I N1628 PS- with his air gunner, Sergeant Lauritz Andrew Woodney Rasmussen RNZAF, for the night interception patrol. After takeoff the aircraft remained at a very low level before crashing near Northorpe, some three miles to the west of the airfield at 10.05pm, killing both men.
His mother received the following telegram dated the 5th of September 1940: -“Deeply regret to inform you that your son Flying Officer Derek Keppel Coleridge O’Malley is reported as having lost his life as the result of air operations on Sept 4th /40. Letter follows. The Air Council express their profound sympathy. His wife not informed. Address not available. Repeat not informed.”
His funeral took place on the 8th of September 1940.
He is commemorated on the war memorial at Christ Church, Oxford.
He is buried at Kirton-in-Lindsey Cemetery Block A, Grave 181.

O'Brien, Michael William, son of Capt. George William O'Brien MC, The Border Regt, of Grange-over-Sands, Lancs; b. 13 Nov. 1921; adm. Jan. 1935 (KS); Capt. of the school 1939; left July 1940; elected to Ch. Ch. Oxf., but did not matriculate; RAFVR 1941-5 (Sqdn Ldr), DFC Oct. 1944; killed in action 22 Mar. 1945.

Michael William O’Brien was born at Hyderabad, India on the 13th of November 1921 the eldest son of Lieutenant George William O’Brien MC, 1st Battalion, Border Regiment, and Enid Mary (nee Perry) O’Brien of 31, Mayfield Road, Sutton Coldfield in Warwickshire. He was educated at St Dunstan’s School, Burnham-on-Sea and at Westminster School where he was admitted as a King’s Scholar from January 1935 to July 1940. He was elected as Captain of Chess and was appointed as an Assistant Librarian in 1938. He represented the School at Squash in 1938 and 1939 and at Lawn Tennis in 1939. He was appointed as Captain of School in 1939 and was appointed as Joint Editor of the Elizabethan from September 1939 to July 1940. He won a Scholarship to Christ Church, Oxford in 1940 but did not matriculate, instead he volunteered for military service.
He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on the 12th of August 1940 where he rose to the rank of Leading Aircraftman before being commissioned as a Pilot Officer on the 26th of June 1941. He was posted to No. 14 Service Flying Training School based at RAF Twinwood Farm on the 26th June. 1941 and was posted to No. 2 School of Air Navigation based at RAF Cranage on the 5th of July. The following month he was posted to No. 9 Service Flying Training School based at RAF Hullavington and he was posted to No. 2 Advanced Flying Unit based at Brize Norton on the 30th of March 1942. He was promoted to Flying Officer on the 26th of June 1942. On the 21st of July 1942 he transferred to No. 3 Glider Training School based at RAF Stoke Orchard and in November 1942 he was posted to No. 1 Glider Training School based at RAF Croughton.
From the 18th of February 1943, he was based at HQ No. 51 Group based at Moorfield House, Leeds and at the end of June he moved to the Headquarters of Flight Training Command at Shinfield Park, Reading. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant on the 26th of June 1943. By late in October 1943, he was flying Mosquitoes with 139 Squadron based at RAF Wyton.
He joined 192 Squadron, based at RAF Foulsham in January 1944 and while he was serving with them he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross which was announced by the Air Ministry on the 13th of October 1944. In August 1944 he transferred to 1692 Bomber Support Training Unit, based at RAF Great Massingham, as an instructor. He returned to operations when he joined 23 Squadron based at RAF Little Snoring on the 5th of February 1945 and was appointed as the commanding officer of B Flight.
Michael O’Brien took off from RAF Little Snoring at 7.35pm on the 22nd of March 1945 with his navigator, Flight Lieutenant Philip Allan Disney, in Mosquito FB Mk VI RS577 YP-T for an intruder operation over the enemy airfield at Handorf and Münster. During the operation the aircraft crashed onto the airfield and both men were killed.
They were buried in the Waldfriedhof Lauheide at Handorf but were later exhumed and moved to their present location.
He is commemorated on the war memorial at Christ Church, Oxford.
He is buried at Reichswald Forest War Cemetery Plot 18, Row E, Grave 17.