Between Balado and Crook of Deven lies the farm of South Kilduff. It was described as a ‘3rd class landing ground’ by the NW Area of the Royal Flying Corps, 46th Wing of No. 77 Home Defence Squadron – one of the home defence squadrons formed in 1916 in response […]
Just over the border in Stirlingshire, is Causewayhead. It was before changes were made to the counties by the Local Government (Scotland) Act in 1973, just a few miles over the border from Perthshire. In a field, near a roundabout called Causeway Head, two celebrated brothers made early Scottish aviation […]
Former Metropolitan Police officer, Sergeant Alistair Stuart McLaren RAFVR (1891777) was the youngest son of the late John and Margaret McLaren, 14 Robertson’s Buildings, Dunkeld Road, Perth. McLaren was an air gunner on board Avro Lancaster ND762 on 22 May 1944 piloted by another Perth resident, Ernie ‘Sherl-E’ Holmes DFC. […]
Robert Russell Martin was an incredibly brave seaman who served in World War Two with the Royal Navy. Robert Russell Martin, C/LX 22660 was a Royal Navy steward who served aboard two ships, HMS Mohawk and HMS Welshman. He experienced on very many occasions being bombed by aircraft and attacked by […]
Petty Officer Airman Royal Navy was born on 27 September 1924, the son of James R Crow and Annie Crow of 31 Dupplin Road, Perth. Before joining the Fleet Air Arm, James Crow was on the staff of John Dewar & Sons Limited, Whisky Distiller. He was also a member of the Perth Air Training Cadets. James […]
Aircraftman 1st Class John Tyndel Farquhar RAFVR (1107691) of RAF 200 Squadron was a passenger onboard the SS Anselm on route from Gourock on the Clyde to Freetown, Sierra Leone, when it was torpedoed by the German submarine U-96, 300 miles off the Azores on 5 July 1941. The SS Anselm was built in Dumbarton in 1935 and owned by the Booth Steamship Company, Liverpool. It was a coal-fired passenger ship […]
In November of 1941, James Shaw left his position as manager of Perth Aerodrome to serve with the RAF. In 1944, James was serving with RAF 17 OTU (Operational Training Unit) in 1944. The unit moved to RAF Silverstone in 1943 to train night bomber crews with the Vickers Wellington aircraft. OTU’s were mainly training units, but they did on occasion take part in […]
Colin ‘Robbie’ Robertson RAF (33412) was a distinguished fighter pilot who as a member of RAF 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron engaged the first World War Two German aircraft to attack Great Britain – 16 October 1939. This and subsequent actions led him to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). ROBERTSON, Colin, P/O (33412, Royal […]
Sergeant Gilbert Cameron Gibson was with RAF 95 Squadron flying in Short Sunderland Mk.III DW105. Shortly after take-off at 11.05 hours on 5 January 1944, the aircraft was seen returning to base with smoke emitting from it and losing height. The starboard inner engine had developed a fault and caught fire filling the cabin with smoke and […]
Sergeant William Scrimgeour Walton RAF (654069) entered service with the RAF when he was 17 years old. He was the son of the late Mr William and Mrs Walton, 11 Shore Road, Perth. In June of 1943, he married Petty Officer Jean Mackintosh WRNS from Darlington. Walton’s father died on 12 August 1943. Walton was born in Perth and attended the […]
