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Shearman, Philip Montague, brother of John Shearman (adm. 1926, qv); b. 9 May 1920; adm. Sept. 1933 (H); left July 1938; RASC 1941-6 (Capt.); m. 1944 Rachel Monica, d. of William Percy Townsley of Harrogate; d. in a fire on a liner in Hamburg 11 Jan. 1946.

Philip Montague “Phil” Shearman was born at Hampstead, London on the 9th of May 1920 the son of John Shearman OW and Ludmilla Isabelle (nee Davy) Shearman of 45, Devereux Drive, Watford in Hertfordshire. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from September 1933 to July 1938. He was a member of the 2nd Rowing VIII in 1936 and of the 1st Rowing VIII in 1937 where he rowed at No. 2. He was fond of sailing and of bell ringing. He was a member of the Officer Training Corps and was promoted to Corporal in September 1937. He went on to study at the Institute of Automobile Engineers but did not complete his course before he joined the army. He attended an Officer Producing Centre as a Cadet before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Army Service Corps on the 18th of January 1941.
He was married in Cheshire in 1944 to Rachel Monica (nee Townsley) of Leatherhead in Surrey; they had a daughter, Philippe Ann, born on the 6th of May 1945.
He was killed in a fire while on board a German liner at Hamburg harbour.
He is commemorated on the war memorial at St Nicholas’ Church, West Itchenor in Sussex.
He is buried at Hamburg Cemetery Plot 3A, Row F, Grave 13.

Scorer, Paul Geoffrey, only son of George Oakley Scorer, F.R.I.B.A., of Kensington, by Amy Lock; b. May 3, 1905; adm. Sept. 26, 1918 (H); left Easter 1922; manager of a Colonial import and export firm; Pilot Officer, R.A.F.V.R. April 1, 1942; Flying Officer Dec. 1, 1942; m. Feb. 26, 1939, Natasha, daughter of Prof. Simon Frank, of France; killed in action Aug. 27, 1943.

Paul Geoffrey Scorer was born at Kensington, London on the 3rd of May 1905 the only son of George Oakley Scorer FRIBA, an architect, and Amy (nee Lock) Scorer of 21, Warwick Gardens, Earle Court in London. He was christened at St Mark’s Church, Marylebone on the 7th of June 1905. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from the 26th of September 1918 to Easter 1922. On leaving school he became the manager of a Colonial import and export firm, dealing and shipping cocoa and sugar. He was married on the 26th of February 1939 to Natalie (nee Frank, later Norman) and they lived at 46, Corringham Road, Golders Green in Middlesex. They had two sons, Michael, born in 1940 and Peter, born on the 15th of October 1942.
Following the outbreak of war he volunteered as an Air Raid Warden.
He was commissioned as an Acting Pilot Officer on probation in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on the 1st of April 1942 was confirmed in his rank on the 1st of June 1942. He was promoted to Flying Officer on the 1st of December 1942. He was posted to Y Service on board the sloop HMS Egret (L75), under the command of Lieutenant Commander John Valentine Waterhouse DSO RN, which was made up of Royal Air Force personnel who were monitoring the German’s use of an anti ship radio controlled missile system, the Henschel 293 glide bomb, which had been mounted on enemy aircraft and was being deployed against Allied shipping with some success. Paul Scorer and his team of two signallers were using the Enigma machine to intercept German signals in an attempt to give early warning of an attack. His commanding officer on board was Squadron Leader Cuthbert William Prideaux Selby, who acted as the coordinator between the ships and Coastal Command.
On the 27th of August 1943, HMS Egret was one of two sloops, two destroyers and three frigates which arrived in the Bay of Biscay, some 30 to the west of Vigo, to relieve ships of the 40th Support Group. Later in the day the group was attacked by eighteen Dornier 217 aircraft carrying the Henschel 293 bombs damaging the destroyer HMCS Athabaskan and scoring a direct hit on HMS Egret which was virtually cut in half and sank very soon afterwards. The destroyer HMS Grenville was also attacked but managed to out-turn the bomb and was not damaged.
In addition to Paul Scorer and Cuthbert Selby, one hundred and ninety four officers and ratings from the Royal Navy were lost when the ship went down. Thirty two survivors were picked up by HMCS Athabaskan.
He was Mentioned in Despatches, which was announced by the Air Ministry on the 14th of January 1944.
He is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial Panel 129.

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.

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.

Neal, Kenneth Guthrie, son of Lawrence Edward Neal, chairman and man. dir. Daniel Neal & Sons, and Jean Frances Guthrie-Smith, poetess, d. of John Guthrie-Smith, solicitor, of Kelvinside, Glasgow; b. 13 Nov. 1919; adm. Sept. 1932 (H); left July 1938; Magd. Coll. Oxf., matric. 1938; RA in WW2 (Lieut.); killed in action (France) Aug. 1944.

Kenneth Guthrie Neal was born at Glasgow on the 13th of November 1919 the elder son of Lawrence Edgar Neal, chairman and managing director of Daniel Neal & Sons, and Jean Frances (nee Guthrie-Smith) Neal, a poet, of 5, Holland Villas Road, Kensington in London. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from September 1932 to July 1938. He boxed for the school in 1933. He was a member of the Cricket XI and of the Football XI in 1936, 1937 and 1938 where he played at half back. He was appointed as Captain of the Football XI in 1937. He won the Neale History Prize in June 1938. While at the school he was a keen sportsman, enjoying cricket and middle distance running and was a keen fly fisherman.
On leaving school he and four friends bought an old Sunbeam limousine and drove to Yugoslavia for the summer. He matriculated for Magdalen College, Oxford in 1938 where he was a member of the College Football XI and passed exams for History and Constitutional Law in 1939 and in English in 1940. He did not graduate as he left the College for military service after six terms. He was a poet and a book of his poems, “Poems of This War by Younger Poets” edited by P. Leward was published in 1942.
He attended an Officer Cadet Training Unit before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery on the 2nd of August 1941. He joined 68 Anti Tank Regiment on the 8th of October 1941 and was promoted to Lieutenant on the 1st of October 1942. The Regiment trained in Northern Ireland until the spring of 1944 when it moved to England in preparation for the invasion of France.
On the 24th of June 1944 68 Anti Tank Regiment embarked on board the MT7 “Samuel” at the Royal Prince Albert Dock and disembarked at Le Hamel in Normandy on the 28th of June. They were soon involved in heavy fighting in the Caen area and took part in Operation Charnwood and Operation Pomegranate.
On the 25th of July, the Regiment arrived at Les Saullets where they were to support on an attack towards Landelle and Noyers-Bocage and were then to support the crossing of the River Orne by 176 Brigade, codenamed Operation Bluecoat. A bridgehead was established across the Orne on the 6th of August 1944 with Kenneth Neal and E Troop, 270 Battery crossing the river into it. 271 Battery was positioned on the western slope of the near bank with support from 269 Battery covering their flank. A German counterattack later in the day caused E Troop to fall back to the bridge and further counterattacks over the next two days prevented their comrades from joining them. On the 7th of August E Troop reported that they were making a reconnaissance to find suitable positions for the other two batteries and there was no contact from them on the 8th of August. Kenneth Neal’s commanding officer ordered him, a Sergeant and two other ranks to take a carrier and to see if they could capture an enemy prisoner for interrogation and on the 9th of August 1944 E Troop reported that Kenneth Neal had been captured by the enemy. The following day the Regiment advanced to Ronde Fontaine where they found his body and those of three of his men. His carrier had received a direct hit from a German tank.
He is commemorated on the war memorial at Magdalen College, Oxford.
He is buried at Bayeux War Cemetery Plot XXII, Row D, Grave 11.

Mellor, Philip Evert McIlvaine, brother of Anthony Wright Camac Mellor (q.v.); b. Feb. 5, 1903; adm. May 2, 1917 (H); left July 1921; St. John's Coll. Camb., matric. Michaelmas 1921; played football (assoc.) against Oxford 1925; B.A. 1925; inspector, Sudan Plantations Syndicate Ltd., Oct. 1925; 2nd Lieut. Leicestershire Regt. May 11, 1940; transferred to 1st Batt. Parachute Regt. Aug. 1, 1942, and was one of the pioneers of parachuting; Capt.; M.C. Feb. 12, 1943; killed in action in North Africa, Feb. 1943.

Philip Evert McIlvaine Mellor was born at Kensington, London on the 5th of February 1903 the third and youngest son of Sir Francis Hamilton “Frank” Mellor Kt. BA LLB KC, a barrister at law and judge, and Lady Elizabeth Markoe (nee Camac) Mellor of 53, Victoria Road, Kensington in London and of “Woodvale”, Rotherfield Greys, Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. He was christened at St Stephen’s Church, Kensington on the 14th of March 1903. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from the 2nd of May 1917 to July 1921. He was a member of the 1st Cricket XI in 1921 and the Elizabethan wrote the following on his season that year: - “Bowls a good off break but does not vary his pace enough. A poor bat, because his left leg is never anywhere near the pitch of the ball; should make more use of his wrists and less of his forearms.” He was a member of the 2nd Football XI in 1919 and of the 1st Football XI from 1919 to 1921 where he played at left half. The Elizabethan wrote the following on his 1919/20 season: - “A splendid tackler, who never knows when he is beaten. Feeds his forwards well, but apt to give his passes too much in the air. Marks his wing man very closely, but might with advantage converge more into the centre when play is near his own goal.” They wrote the following on his 1920/21 season: - “A sound and reliable half back. But has the great fault of lying too far back and thus concentrating on defence to the entire exclusion of attack.” He was awarded School Colours for Football in 1921.
He matriculated for St John’s College, Cambridge in 1921 on a Marquess of Salisbury Exhibition and graduated with a BA in 1925. He was awarded a “Blue” for Association Football against Oxford in 1925. On leaving university he joined the staff of the Sudan Syndicate Ltd in October 1925, where he was appointed as an inspector.
He enlisted as a Private in the Scots Guards before attending the Officer Cadet Training Unit at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst from where he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Leicestershire Regiment on the 11th of May 1940. He transferred to the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment on the 1st of August 1942 where he was one of the pioneers of military parachuting.
In November 1942, the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment embarked for overseas service on board the passenger liner Arundel Castle and set sail from Clydeside. They disembarked at Algiers from where they marched to the airfield at Maison Blanche.
On the 16th of November 1942 the Battalion boarded aircraft at Maison Blanche and took off at 11am for an operation to capture the airfield at Souk-el-Arba which was thought to be held by Vichy French forces. It was not known whether the French would oppose the landing. The Battalion landed on the airfield at 1.30pm where they were met by a French officer and no opposition was met. At 5pm they formed up and mounted transport to move to Beja from where they mounted patrols over the next two weeks. On the 17th of November, S Company set out from Beja to the area of Sidi N’Sir from where they were to attack enemy outposts around Mateur. The following day they planned an ambush on an enemy column which had been seen at 7am that morning heading for Sidi N’Sir and was expected to return along the same route. The paratroopers were in position at 7.30am and at 10.30am the German column, which was made up of three eight wheeled armoured cars and three light reconnaissance cars, returned. Mines had been laid across the path of the returning vehicles and the paratroopers held their fire until the first vehicle struck a mine. Philip Mellor and his men rushed forward with Gammon bombs and quickly knocked out two of the armoured cars as well as two of the scout cars and killed their occupants. Those Germans who had not been killed or wounded in the first five vehicles surrendered without a fight and eight prisoners were taken.
At 8pm on the night of the 29th of November Philip Mellor led a patrol out along the Mateur Road to capture enemy prisoners for interrogation. As they advance on foot on either side of the road at 12.43am they came under fire from automatic weapons and a light machine gun from their left. They returned fire and threw grenades at the enemy who quickly fled back to their armoured car and left hurriedly. Mellor then sent half his men back to base and continued on with the other half. The patrol was three and a half miles from Mateur when they ran into an enemy road block. During an exchange of fire Philip Mellor’s helmet was perforated by a bullet but he was unharmed.
On the 1st of December 1942, the Battalion attacked enemy positions at Coxen’s Farm near Medjez-el-Bab. The following day a report was received that enemy troops were arriving in trucks on the Mateur Road and Philip Mellor’s Platoon was sent to investigate. When he and his men arrived there they met heavier opposition that had been expected and after a short fire fight, in which they suffered three casualties, they were forced to disengage. On the night of the 11th of December 1942, Philip Mellor led a patrol which attacked enemy 88mm gun positions. They killed a number of the enemy and returned with five prisoners.
For his actions since landing in North Africa he was awarded the Military Cross, which was announced by the War office on the 11th of February 1943. The recommendation for his award read as follows: - “For most conspicuous gallantry. Throughout all operations and actions between 17 Nov., and 24th Dec., Lieut. Mellor’s conduct has been an outstanding example to all ranks under his command and to the Battalion as a whole. On no less than four occasions he has displayed gallantry of the highest order and a total disregard for his own safety. On the morning of 18th Nov., an ambush was laid on the S’nsir – Mateur rd., to destroy a strong armoured patrol of the enemy. This officer led a strong group of bombers to attack the armoured vehicles. He attacked and immobilised one armoured vehicles, and destroyed and killed the occupants personally of one scout car at a range of about five yards. On the 29/30 Nov., Lieut. Mellor was in command of a fighting patrol which was ordered to raid enemy positions in Tunisia. The patrol encountered and destroyed an enemy section post. The patrol then withdrew and Lieut. Mellor went forward alone to within three miles of Mateur and brought back valuable information as to enemy dispositions on the road. On the 2nd December Lieut. Mellor was ordered to take two sections in carriers to attack enemy troops which were seen in the area of a farm. On arriving at the farm he attacked but was forced to withdraw owing to intense machine gun fire. On withdrawing under cover he found that one man was missing and without a thought for his own personal safety he returned and brought back the missing man. On the 10/11 Dec., Lieut. Mellor was in command of a fighting patrol which was ordered to attack and destroy an enemy A.A. gun position and bring back prisoners. He attacked the position and captured five prisoners and damaged the gun. The attack was made in the face of heavy machine gun fire and it was only by the personal courage and leadership of Lieut. Mellor that the post was taken and invaluable information obtained. On many different occasions Lieut. Mellor has taken part in long daylight reconnaissances in and behind the enemy positions & brought back information of extreme value concerning the enemy positions and by his courage & inspiration set an example of the highest order to all ranks.”
On the 3rd of February 1943, the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment was to attack enemy positions on two hills at Djebel Mansour. R and T Companies were to lead the attack with S Company in support. Once the position had been secured they would be relieved by the 3rd Battalion, Grenadiers Guards. As the two leading Companies began to climb the steep slopes in the dark it began to rain. They were following white tapes which had been laid to help them find their way in the dark. S Company, which was following, was also following the white tapes but, by the time they passed up the hills, the tapes had been cut and they headed off in the wrong direction.
R and T Companies managed to get very close to the enemy positions without being spotted and then rushed them at the point of the bayonet. After heavy hand to hand fighting they had secured both of the positions of Djebel Mansour and Djebel Alliliga. Meanwhile, S Company had run into a minefield where it is thought that Philip Mellor had trodden on a mine as he was seen to have lost a leg and to have been wounded by machinegun fire. The Company continued on and launched its attack. Philip Mellor was last seen crawling towards the enemy machine guns firing his pistol and it was reported that when his body was recovered it had seventeen bullet wounds. He was buried where he fell but the site was lost in the subsequent fighting.
Sergeant Eric Seal of S Company later wrote of the fighting: - “In the battle for Djebel Mansour, S Company suffered very heavy casualties, including Lieutenant Mellor who was killed attacking a machine gun post, which was typical of the man; thus died an irreplaceable soldier.”
He is commemorated on the war memorial at St John’s College, Cambridge.
He is commemorated on the Medjez-el-Bab Memorial Face 34.

Mango, Anthony Constantine John, son of J. T. Mango, ship broker; b. 11 Dec. 1921; adm. Jan. 1935 (H); left July 1938; PO RAFVR July 1943; killed in action over northern France 29 Feb. 1944.

Anthony Constantine John Mango was born at Paddington, London on the 11th of December 1921 the son of John Anthony Mango, a shipbroker, and Marie John (nee Kararodori) Mango of 71, Portsea Hall, Connaught Square, Knightsbridge in London. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from January 1935 to July 1938.
He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve where he trained as a navigator and rose to the rank of Sergeant before being commissioned as a Pilot Officer on the 21st of June 1943. He was promoted to Flying Officer on the 21st of December 1943.
Anthony Mango and his pilot, Flying Officer Robert Wilgar Offler RCAF, took off from RAF Hunsdon at 9.45am on the 29th of February 1944 in Mosquito FB Mk IV LR403 YH-U to attack a V1 rocket “Doodlebug” launch site at Calleville. As the aircraft crossed the French coast it encountered severe snowstorms and heavy icing. It was last seen flying in a snowstorm at 3,000 feet about one and a half miles to the east of Eurville but did not return from its mission.
Theirs was one of two aircraft from the Squadron which were lost during the raid.
He is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial Panel 207.

Lewis, Clive, son of John Thomas Lewis of Cape Town and Lilian Blanche, d. of Charles Street of Hadley Wood, Herts; b. 18 Apr. 1914; adm. May 1928 (H); left Dec. 1932; Pemb. Coll. Camb., matric. 1933, BA 1936; Scots Guards 1940-3 (Lieut.); m. 15 July 1939 Anne Allison, d. of J. Douglas Stewart of Woking; killed in action (N. Africa) Apr. 1943.

Clive Lewis was born in South Africa on the 18th of April 1914 the only son of John Thomas Lewis and Lilian Blanche (nee Street) Lewis of Southern Rhodesia and of 24, Campden House Chambers, Kensington in London. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from May 1928 to December 1932. He was a member of the Officer Training Corps and was promoted to Lance Corporal in September 1931. He was a member of the 2nd Rowing VIII in 1931, where he rowed at No. 3 and of the 1st Rowing VIII in 1932 where he rowed at No. 2. The Elizabethan wrote the following on his 1932 season: - “One of the most improved oars of the crew, and very quick at learning anything suggested to him. Next year he should aim at a longer draw.”
He matriculated for Pembroke College, Cambridge in 1933 and graduated with a BA in 1936. He received a Trial Eights Cap for rowing in 1935.
He was married at Worplesdon Surrey on the 15th of July 1939 to Anne Allison (nee Stewart) of Hook’s Heath, Woking, Surrey and they honeymooned in the South of France. They had a daughter, Gillian, born on the 14th of May 1941.
He attended an Officer Cadet Training Unit before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Scots Guards on the 21st of September 1940.
On the 26th of February 1943, the 1st Battalion, Scots Guards embarked on board the passenger liner RMS Samaria at Gourock in Scotland bound for North Africa. They set sail from the Clyde on the 1st of March and landed at Algiers on the 9th of March.
At 10pm on the night of the 22nd of April 1943, the 1st Battalion, Scots Guards marched forward from a wadi behind Grenadier Hill in preparation for an attack the following morning. Their objective was the capture and clearance of a series of enemy strong points to the south of the Gab-Gab gap in Tunisia. These were known as Points 150, 145, 151 and 187 and their capture was part of a wider assault to break through the German front lines which ran from Grich el Oued on the banks of the Mejerda River.
At 3.30am on the 23rd of April 1943, 550 guns opened fire in support of the attack and at dawn the Left Flank Company attacked what they thought to be Point 150. In fact they had attacked Point 156, but had strayed to their right in the darkness. In spite of heavy casualties and assisted by the Right Flank Company, they carried the enemy position after heavy fighting and were eventually relieved by C Company later in the day. The Right Flank Company then disengaged and made for the objective which they occupied without loss. This too was the wrong position and they were overlooked by Point 168, which was still held by the enemy. At around noon Clive Lewis was killed. The Regimental history records: - “A grievous loss. He had given excellent service during the night march and had served the Brigade well in passing back vital information.
He is buried at Massicault War Cemetery Plot IV, Row B, Grave 18.

Kiralfy, Dennis Maurice Gerald, son of Gerald Archibald Kiralfy MBE and Margaret Milner, d. of John Milner Harker; b. 19 Mar. 1913; adm. Sept. 1926 (H); left Dec. 1930; Pembroke Coll. Camb., matric. 1932, BA 1935; swam and played water polo against Oxford 1936; Brit. Avia­tion Insurance Co. 1936-9; Dept. of Civil Aviation Air Ministry 1939; FO RAFVR 1938; killed on active service 1 Jan. 1941.

Dennis Maurice Gerald Kiralfy was born at Kensington, London on the 19th of March 1913 the only son of Gerald Archibald Kiralfy MBE, an architect, and Margaret Milner (nee Harker) Kiralfy of 9, Addison Crescent, London, later of Oak Grove, Churt in Surrey. He was christened at the Church of St John the Baptist, Kensington on the 3rd of June 1913. He was educated at Linton House School from 1921 to July 1926 and at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from September 1926 to December 1930. He matriculated for the City and Guilds Engineering College at South Kensington in September 1931 and was accepted as a student member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on the 17th of November 1931. He resigned his membership on the 2nd of January 1933.
He matriculated for Pembroke College, Cambridge in 1932 where he achieved a BA in 1936. He represented Cambridge University at swimming at Wembley against Oxford University on the 27th of June 1936 and also was also a member of the University at Water Polo team in 1936. He was on the staff of the British Aviation Insurance Company from 1936 to 1939 when he left to join the Department of Civil Aviation Department at the Air Ministry where he was appointed as a Junior Operations Officer in the Directorate of Operational Services.
He was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the Reserve of Air Force Officers on the 22nd of September 1936 and was promoted to Flying Officer on the 22nd of March 1938. He resigned his commission in order to accept a commission on the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve with the rank of Pilot Officer on the 20th of October 1938 and was promoted to Flying Officer from the same date, with seniority from the 22nd of March 1938.
Dennis Kiralfy took off from RAF Bircham Newton in Hudson Mk I T9287 for a transit flight to a satellite airfield where the aircraft was to drop off three airmen and then continue on for an orientation flight of the general area. The aircraft was flying at low level near to the satellite airfield when its port wing hit a barn at Barn Field, North Street, Longham in Norfolk. The aircraft crashed into a ploughed field at 2.48pm where it caught fire, killing all on board.
The crew was
Flying Officer Henry Edward Middleton Featherstone (Pilot)
Leading Aircraftman Kenneth Charles George Gilder (Air Gunner)
Leading Aircraftman William Arthur Meller (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Robert Arthur Plowright (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Roy McKenzie Mansell (3rd Pilot)
Pilot Officer John Buttemer Allen (2nd Pilot)
Flying Officer Dennis Maurice Gerald Kiralfy (4th Pilot)
Aircraftman 1st Class George Alexander Meridew (Air Gunner)
His father received the following telegram dated the 2nd of January 1941: - “Deeply regret to inform you that your son Flying Officer Dennis Maurice Gerald Kiralfy is reported to have lost his life as the result of an aircraft accident on January 1st 1941. Letter follows. The Air Council express their profound sympathy.”
An inquiry into the accident concluded that: -“All the occupants were killed and the exact cause of the accident will never be fully established. The pilot was very experienced and had a reputation for steadiness and reliability, the error of judgement that he made with such tragic results is in this case almost inexplicable. The pilot’s instructions were to drop 3 airmen at the satellite aerodrome to work on an aircraft which was urgently required, then to take 2 new pilots round the district to show them various landmarks, the situation of the satellite and the orientation of the aerodrome generally.”
His funeral took place on the 7th of January 1941.
He is buried at St Alban’s Church, Hindhead.