Tyson, Hampson John Philip, son of Eric James Tyson (qv); b. 23 Sept. 1916; adm. Sept. 1929 (A); left July 1934; RAFVR 1942 (FO); killed in action 19 Dec. 1942.
Hampson John Phillip Tyson was born at Balham, South London on the 23rd of September 1916 the son of Major Eric James Tyson DSO MC OW, Royal Flying Corps, and Cora Florence Gladys (nee Davies) Tyson of 4, Balham Park Road, Balham, later of “Rosemary”, Ashford Avenue, Worthing in Sussex. He was christened at St Mary’s Church, Balham on the 10th of December 1916. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Ashburnham from September 1929 to July 1931. He joined the Metropolitan Police as Police Constable 125385 on the 30th of March 1937 where he served in B Division (Westminster) and later left the police service to join the armed forces. He was married in Dorset in 1942 to Desiree Yvonne (nee Zunino) and they lived at “Stillwaters”, Chaddesley Green, Canford Cliffs, Bournemouth in Hampshire. They had a child.
He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve where he trained as a pilot and rose to the rank of temporary Flight Sergeant before being commissioned as a Pilot Officer on the 4th of January 1942. He was promoted to Flying Officer on the 1st of October 1942.
At 7.39am on the 19th of December 1942, Hampson Tyson and Pilot Officer O’Neill were briefed for a flight to the satellite airfield at Souk-el-Arba. They took off at 8.20am. At 4.45pm Pilot Officer O’Neill arrived back at Bone by road and reported that after landing at Souk-el-Arba that morning he was taxiing his aircraft when the oleo of his undercarriage had buckled due to the soft ground and both the propeller and the mainplane of his aircraft had been damaged.
Hampson Tyson had taken off from Souk-el-Arba at 12.30pm in Hurricane Mk IIC HV697 for the return flight to Bone in poor weather conditions. By 5.30pm that afternoon he had still not arrived and it was decided that in view of the weather and of the gathering darkness that a search and rescue flight would not be undertaken that night. The wreckage of his aircraft and his body was found the next day near Morriss. The cause of the crash is not known.
His father, Major Eric James Tyson DSO MC OW, 5 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, died of wounds on the 12th of March 1918.
He is buried at Bone War Cemetery Collective Grave VIII G 1-13.