Flight Lieutenant Maurice Hewlett Mounsdon (11 February 1918 – 6 December 2019) was a British pilot who flew with the Royal Air Force during World War II.
Maurice Mounsdon | |
|---|---|
 Mounsdon during his military service | |
| Birth name | Maurice Hewlett Mounsdon |
| Nickname(s) | Mark |
| Born | 11 February 1918 Lichfield, Staffordshire, England |
| Died | 6 December 2019 (aged 101) Menorca, Balearic Islands, Spain |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1939–1946 |
| Rank | Flight lieutenant |
| Unit | No. 56 Squadron RAF |
| Battles / wars | Battle of Britain |
Service in the RAF
editMaurice "Mark" Mounsdon started training on 24 August 1939 and joined 56 Squadron on 3 June 1940 during the Battle of Britain.[1] Flying a Hurricane, he participated in shooting down a Dornier Do 17 bomber on 3 July and was later credited with the probable destruction of a Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka".[2] In mid-August he destroyed two Messerschmitt fighters and a likely third. He shot down or damaged about seven German aircraft before being downed by German fighters over Colchester on 31 August 1940. He survived but was badly burned and spent nine months in hospitals including Black Notley and the Queen Victoria Hospital – famous for its specialist work on burns and the Guinea Pig Club.[3][4]
While recovering, he served at the HQ at RAF North Weald. After the reconstructive surgery was complete, he was still rated below A1B "fit full flying" and so was posted as an instructor at RAF Bottisham and then as a flight commander at RAF Booker.[5] When the war ended, he was posted to 8303 Disarmament Wing, searching Germany for advanced weaponry such as jets and rockets.[2] After demobilisation in 1946, he returned to the engineering profession which he had started at the General Electric Company, specialising in inventions and patents such as US 4029297 – "winches for use with high masts".[6]
Life after the war
editDuring his recuperation, Mounsdon married Mary, whom he had known since childhood, and in the 1970s they retired to Menorca. Mary died in 1993. In September 2018, for Mounsdon's 100th birthday, the Red Arrows made a flypast over the island in his honour.[8][9][1] Mounsdon died on December 6th 2019 at the age of 101, at a nursing home on Menorca.[10] The head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Michael Wigston, said that "[Mounsdon's] bravery and sacrifice should never be forgotten."[8][11][12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b David Ross (2008), Richard Hillary: The Authorised Biography of a Second World War Fighter Pilot and Author of "The Last Enemy", Grub Street Publishing, pp. 228–9, ISBN 9781909166370
- ^ a b "Flight Lieutenant Maurice Mounsdon, one of last of the Battle of Britain pilots, who baled out of his burning Hurricane and became a 'Guinea Pig' – obituary". The Telegraph. 10 December 2019. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ Battle of Britain pilot Maurice Mounsdon dies aged 101, BBC, 9 December 2019
- ^ "P/O M H Mounsdon", Battle of Britain Monument, Battle of Britain Historical Society, 2007
- ^ Wynn, Kenneth G. (2015). Men of The Battle of Britain: A Biographical Dictionary of The Few. Pen and Sword. p. 376. ISBN 978-1-4738-4770-5.
- ^ Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office: Patents. U.S. Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office. 1977. p. 662.
- ^ "Battle of Britain pilot Maurice Mounsdon". RAF Memorial Flight Club. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Battle of Britain pilot dies aged 101". BBC News. www.bbc.co.uk. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Graham Keeley (20 September 2018), "War hero, 100, given a fitting birthday treat", The Times
- ^ "Battle of Britain hero Maurice Mounsden dies". Theleader.info. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ^ "Battle of Britain hero Maurice Mounsdon dies, aged 101". ITV News. ITV plc. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "Maurice Mounsdon: One of final living Battle Of Britain pilots dies aged 101". Sky News. Sky UK. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.