George Melville-Jackson
Encyclopedia
Wing Commander
George Holmes Melville-Jackson DFC
(1919–2009) was a Royal Air Force
flying ace
who fought in the Battle of Britain
.
Melville-Jackson joined the RAFVR in June 1938 to undertake pilot training. In July 1940 he was posted to No. 236 Squadron RAF
and flew Bristol Blenheim
s on convoy patrols and escort sorties over the Channel and Western Approaches. with this squadron throughout the Battle of Britain.
Melville-Jackson flew Bristol Beaufighter
s with No 248 Squadron, joining in July 1942. The squadron was assigned to Coastal Command to provide long-range fighter support to the anti-submarine aircraft operating against U-boats in the Western Approaches and the Bay of Biscay
.
In August 1942, Melville-Jackson flew in support of Operation Pedestal
, the crucial convoy mission that resupplied the island of Malta
in 1942.
In April 1943 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
for his actions. Melville-Jackson was released from the RAF in 1946.
After leaving the RAF, he studied at Cambridge University before becoming co-headmaster of St Felix School in Felixstowe
. He rejoined the RAF in 1952 as a pilot, flying night fighters in Germany and England. He spent three years in the United States and then returned to Germany where he was the sector controller at the Uedem
air defence radar site. He retired from the RAF as a Wing Commander
in 1968.
Melville-Jackson is also notable for his attempt to obtain a pardon for Anne Boleyn
. He wrote to the then Home Secretary
, Charles Clarke
, asking him to pardon the wife of Henry VIII on the grounds that she was "obviously innocent" of the crimes of adultery, incest and witchcraft that led to her being beheaded in 1536. He also called for her remains to be moved to Westminster Abbey
to be interred alongside her daughter, Elizabeth I (they currently lie in a traitor's grave in the Tower of London
). The Home Office did not grant his requests.
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
George Holmes Melville-Jackson DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(1919–2009) was a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
who fought in the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
.
Melville-Jackson joined the RAFVR in June 1938 to undertake pilot training. In July 1940 he was posted to No. 236 Squadron RAF
No. 236 Squadron RAF
The squadron was formed on 20 August 1918 from No's 493, 515 & 516 Flights at Mullion, in Cornwall. Equipped with DH6s, it carried out anti-submarine patrols along the coast until the end of the war, disbanding on 15 May 1919....
and flew Bristol Blenheim
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
s on convoy patrols and escort sorties over the Channel and Western Approaches. with this squadron throughout the Battle of Britain.
Melville-Jackson flew Bristol Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
s with No 248 Squadron, joining in July 1942. The squadron was assigned to Coastal Command to provide long-range fighter support to the anti-submarine aircraft operating against U-boats in the Western Approaches and the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
.
In August 1942, Melville-Jackson flew in support of Operation Pedestal
Operation Pedestal
Operation Pedestal was a British operation to get desperately needed supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was the base from which surface ships, submarines and aircraft attacked Axis convoys carrying essential supplies to the Italian and German armies...
, the crucial convoy mission that resupplied the island of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in 1942.
In April 1943 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
for his actions. Melville-Jackson was released from the RAF in 1946.
After leaving the RAF, he studied at Cambridge University before becoming co-headmaster of St Felix School in Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
. He rejoined the RAF in 1952 as a pilot, flying night fighters in Germany and England. He spent three years in the United States and then returned to Germany where he was the sector controller at the Uedem
Uedem
Uedem is a municipality in the district of Cleves, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border to the Netherlands.-Division of the town:Uedem consists of 4 districts* Uedem* Uedemerfeld* Keppeln* Uedemerbruch-History:...
air defence radar site. He retired from the RAF as a Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
in 1968.
Melville-Jackson is also notable for his attempt to obtain a pardon for Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
. He wrote to the then Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
, Charles Clarke
Charles Clarke
Charles Rodway Clarke is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Norwich South from 1997 until 2010, and served as Home Secretary from December 2004 until May 2006.-Early life:...
, asking him to pardon the wife of Henry VIII on the grounds that she was "obviously innocent" of the crimes of adultery, incest and witchcraft that led to her being beheaded in 1536. He also called for her remains to be moved to Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
to be interred alongside her daughter, Elizabeth I (they currently lie in a traitor's grave in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
). The Home Office did not grant his requests.