.gif)
John Moffat (pilot)
Encyclopedia
John William Charlton Moffat (17 June 1919) was a Royal Navy
Fleet Air Arm
pilot, famous for crippling the German battleship Bismarck
during its Atlantic sortie, codenamed Operation Rheinübung
on 26 May 1941, whilst flying a Fairey Swordfish
biplane
.
of Swinton
in the Scottish Borders
county, to Mary and Peter Moffat. When he was a child his parents moved to Earlston
where his father opened the first garage
.
John's father, Peter, had served in the Royal Navy
during the First World War, joining in 1914 to qualify as an Aeronautical engineer for the Royal Naval Air Service
(RNAS). Peter served in No. 2 Wing RNAS under Wing Commander
Charles Rumney Samson
, the first man to fly an aircraft off a ship.
Peter Moffat served in Belgium
and was posted to the seaplane carrier
, HMS Ark Royal
which sailed to the Mediterranean to take part in the Gallipoli Campaign. Peter left the service in 1917 and married Mary in 1918.
Mary Moffat was an amateur opera
singer. Moffat's mother encouraged him to take up playing musical instrument
s. Owing to this, John learned to play the violin
and piano
by the age of 10. During his teenage life Moffat took up equestrianism
and followed the riders during the blood sport
fox hunting
, which "did not go down well with his parents". In 1929 Moffat saw a Avro 504
aircraft fly over Kelso, triggering a life long passion for flying.
The pilot was offering rides for 10 shilling
s. Moffat described the pilot as a Biggles
Look-alike
and was impressed by him. Moffat flew that day for the first time. Moffat described his feeling of his first flight:
Moffat passed the Entrance examination
for Kelso High School
and finished his preliminary education there. Moffat excelled at Rugby
and made it to the school's first team. Moffat had wanted to go to Edinburgh University but owing to the Wall Street Crash of 1929
, times were hard and the Moffat's could not afford the University tuition fees. Moffat applied for a bursary and took test examinations and interviews but failed to make the grade. and was not offered assistance. Moffat had no choice but to leave school at 16. Moffat made his living working for a bus company which he disliked and using his musical talents playing at weddings.
By 1938, Moffat was bored with life at the bus depot and decided to apply for a position as a naval pilot in the reserve having seen an advert which promised to train him as a pilot while offering him a substantial wage. Moffat had not pursued a flying career, believing it to beyond the aspirations of ordinary people, but seized the opportunity and applied to join the Fleet Air Arm
.
Moffat heard nothing from the navy and gave up the idea. Nevertheless he gave up his job and moved to London
. All of a sudden, after failing to find work in the Rhodesian police force, by applying through their High Commission in London, he received a letter from the navy offering him a part-time job in the reserves. Moffat took the Navy's offer and was ordered to report to HMS Frobisher
in Portsmouth
.
Moffat had been on leave in Kelso on 1 September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. On 3 September 1939 Great Britain
and France
declared war on Germany. The following day, Moffat was ordered to Gosport
, west of Portsmouth Harbour, to the St Vincent barracks, which was the Royal Navy
Boy's Training Establishment.
. By the time of the fall of France in June 1940, Moffat had completed his training and was based with 759 Squadron at Eastleigh
. Before the Battle of Britain
he had two encounters with enemy aircraft. While test flying a Gloster Gladiator, testing a improvised oxygen system, Moffat reached 29,000 ft. During the descent he was attacked by Messerschmitt Bf 109
s but he escaped into clouds without damage. Soon after he was also engaged by a Heinkel He 111
while test flying an unarmed Blackburn Skua
. Moffat reported the event to a Hawker Hurricane
unit (not specified), and they scrambled to intercept.
In July 1940, Moffat's Squadron took part in the attack on Mers-el-Kébir, although Moffat himself did not travel with the Ark Royal carrier for the attack. Later that autumn, Moffat joined 818 Squadron.
HMS Hood
, and HMS Ark Royal was released, as part of Force H
, to hunt down Bismarck and sink her. On 26 May 1941 the Bismarck was nearing the safety of the French port Saint-Nazaire
. A last ditch attempt to slow the battleship down, so that the British heavy units could catch up with her, was made that night.
At 21:05 hours, Moffat and his Observer T/S-Lt.(A) J. D. "Dusty" Miller, and telegraphist/Air Gunner (TAG) LA A. J. Hayman flying in the Fairey Swordfish 5C/L9726, crippled the Bismarck with a hit on her port stern. The blow jammed Bismarck's rudder 12° to port. This enabled the Home Fleet and Force H to catch up with and destroy Bismarck.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
pilot, famous for crippling the German battleship Bismarck
German battleship Bismarck
Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
during its Atlantic sortie, codenamed Operation Rheinübung
Operation Rheinübung
Operation Rheinübung was the sortie into the Atlantic by the new German battleship Bismarck and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen on 18–27 May 1941, during World War II...
on 26 May 1941, whilst flying a Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
.
Early life and family
John Moffat was born in the villageVillage
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Swinton
Swinton, Scottish Borders
Swinton is a small village in the Scottish Borders. It is in the former county of Berwickshire, around south-east of Duns, and north-west of the Anglo-Scottish border.-History:...
in the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
county, to Mary and Peter Moffat. When he was a child his parents moved to Earlston
Earlston
Earlston , formerly Ercildoune, is a civil parish and market town in the county of Berwickshire, within the Scottish Borders. It is situated on the River Leader in Lauderdale, Scotland.-Early history:...
where his father opened the first garage
Automobile repair shop
An automobile repair shop is a place where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics and electricians.- Types :The automotive garage can be divided in so many category....
.
John's father, Peter, had served in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during the First World War, joining in 1914 to qualify as an Aeronautical engineer for the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
(RNAS). Peter served in No. 2 Wing RNAS under 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...
Charles Rumney Samson
Charles Rumney Samson
Air Commodore Charles Rumney Samson CMG, DSO & Bar, AFC was a British naval aviation pioneer. He also operated the first British armoured vehicles in combat...
, the first man to fly an aircraft off a ship.
Peter Moffat served in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and was posted to the seaplane carrier
Seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
, HMS Ark Royal
HMS Ark Royal (1914)
HMS Ark Royal was the first ship in history designed and built as a seaplane carrier. She was purchased by the Royal Navy in 1914 shortly after her keel had been laid and the ship was only in frames; this allowed the ship's design to be modified almost totally to accommodate seaplanes...
which sailed to the Mediterranean to take part in the Gallipoli Campaign. Peter left the service in 1917 and married Mary in 1918.
Mary Moffat was an amateur opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer. Moffat's mother encouraged him to take up playing musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s. Owing to this, John learned to play the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
by the age of 10. During his teenage life Moffat took up equestrianism
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
and followed the riders during the blood sport
Blood sport
Bloodsport or blood sport is any sport or entertainment that involves violence against animals.Bloodsport includes coursing or beagling, combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting, or other activities...
fox hunting
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
, which "did not go down well with his parents". In 1929 Moffat saw a Avro 504
Avro 504
The Avro 504 was a World War I biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the War totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in World War I, in any military capacity, during...
aircraft fly over Kelso, triggering a life long passion for flying.
The pilot was offering rides for 10 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s. Moffat described the pilot as a Biggles
Biggles
"Biggles" , a pilot and adventurer, is the title character and main hero of the Biggles series of youth-oriented adventure books written by W. E. Johns....
Look-alike
Look-alike
A look-alike is a person who closely resembles another person. In popular Western culture, a look-alike is a person who bears a close physical resemblance to a celebrity, politician or member of royalty. Many look-alikes earn a living by making guest appearances at public events or performing on...
and was impressed by him. Moffat flew that day for the first time. Moffat described his feeling of his first flight:
As for the experience of flying, I was astounded by it. This was like riding in the locomotiveLocomotiveA locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
but infinitely more thrilling. There was the noise, the smell of hot oil and high-octaneOctaneOctane is a hydrocarbon and an alkane with the chemical formula C8H18, and the condensed structural formula CH36CH3. Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the amount and location of branching in the carbon chain...
petrol [fuel], and the speed seemed immense as we took off into the air, high above the countryside, with the town far below us. It was the stuff of dreams, like a glimpse of another world that made it impossible, once I was back on the ground, to view my surroundings in the same way again.... Now that I think about it, that pilot has an enormous amount to answer for.
Moffat passed the Entrance examination
Entrance examination
An entrance examination is an examination that many educational institutions use to select students for admission. These exams may be administered at any level of education, from primary to higher education, although they are more common at higher levels....
for Kelso High School
Kelso High School (Scotland)
Kelso High School is a secondary school in Kelso, Scotland, under the control of the Scottish Borders Council. It is one of nine secondary schools in the Scottish Borders and the only one in Kelso. Pupils come to Kelso High School from the town of Kelso, the villages of Ednam, Eckford, Heiton,...
and finished his preliminary education there. Moffat excelled at Rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
and made it to the school's first team. Moffat had wanted to go to Edinburgh University but owing to the Wall Street Crash of 1929
Wall Street Crash of 1929
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 , also known as the Great Crash, and the Stock Market Crash of 1929, was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States, taking into consideration the full extent and duration of its fallout...
, times were hard and the Moffat's could not afford the University tuition fees. Moffat applied for a bursary and took test examinations and interviews but failed to make the grade. and was not offered assistance. Moffat had no choice but to leave school at 16. Moffat made his living working for a bus company which he disliked and using his musical talents playing at weddings.
By 1938, Moffat was bored with life at the bus depot and decided to apply for a position as a naval pilot in the reserve having seen an advert which promised to train him as a pilot while offering him a substantial wage. Moffat had not pursued a flying career, believing it to beyond the aspirations of ordinary people, but seized the opportunity and applied to join the Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
.
Moffat heard nothing from the navy and gave up the idea. Nevertheless he gave up his job and moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. All of a sudden, after failing to find work in the Rhodesian police force, by applying through their High Commission in London, he received a letter from the navy offering him a part-time job in the reserves. Moffat took the Navy's offer and was ordered to report to HMS Frobisher
HMS Frobisher (D81)
HMS Frobisher was a Hawkins-class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built at Devonport Dockyard and launched on 20 March 1920.-Interwar career:...
in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
.
Moffat had been on leave in Kelso on 1 September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. On 3 September 1939 Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
declared war on Germany. The following day, Moffat was ordered to Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
, west of Portsmouth Harbour, to the St Vincent barracks, which was the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Boy's Training Establishment.
Early career
John Moffat joined the Royal Navy in September 1939. In December he moved to a flying school in BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. By the time of the fall of France in June 1940, Moffat had completed his training and was based with 759 Squadron at Eastleigh
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough which is part of Southampton Urban Area. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
. Before 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...
he had two encounters with enemy aircraft. While test flying a Gloster Gladiator, testing a improvised oxygen system, Moffat reached 29,000 ft. During the descent he was attacked by Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
s but he escaped into clouds without damage. Soon after he was also engaged by a Heinkel He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
while test flying an unarmed Blackburn Skua
Blackburn Skua
The Blackburn B-24 Skua was a carrier-based low-wing, two-seater, single-radial engine aircraft operated by the British Fleet Air Arm which combined the functions of a dive bomber and fighter. It was designed in the mid-1930s, and saw service in the early part of the Second World War...
. Moffat reported the event to a Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
unit (not specified), and they scrambled to intercept.
In July 1940, Moffat's Squadron took part in the attack on Mers-el-Kébir, although Moffat himself did not travel with the Ark Royal carrier for the attack. Later that autumn, Moffat joined 818 Squadron.
24 May 1941
On 24 May 1941, the German battleship Bismarck sunk the Royal Navy battlecruiserBattlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
HMS Hood
HMS Hood (51)
HMS Hood was the last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. One of four s ordered in mid-1916, her design—although drastically revised after the Battle of Jutland and improved while she was under construction—still had serious limitations. For this reason she was the only ship of her class to be...
, and HMS Ark Royal was released, as part of Force H
Force H
Force H was a British naval formation during the Second World War. It was formed in 1940 to replace French naval power in the western Mediterranean that had been removed by the French armistice with Nazi Germany....
, to hunt down Bismarck and sink her. On 26 May 1941 the Bismarck was nearing the safety of the French port Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
. A last ditch attempt to slow the battleship down, so that the British heavy units could catch up with her, was made that night.
At 21:05 hours, Moffat and his Observer T/S-Lt.(A) J. D. "Dusty" Miller, and telegraphist/Air Gunner (TAG) LA A. J. Hayman flying in the Fairey Swordfish 5C/L9726, crippled the Bismarck with a hit on her port stern. The blow jammed Bismarck's rudder 12° to port. This enabled the Home Fleet and Force H to catch up with and destroy Bismarck.
After the war
Moffat left the Navy in 1946 and returned to Glasgow. He went to college in Glasgow to get a business degree and also achieved a diploma in hotel management. Moffat had stopped flying after leaving the Navy. In his 60s, after 40 years, he began flying again. He celebrated his 90th birthday in June 2009 by performing aerobatics in a light aircraft.Bibliograpghy
- Lieutenant Commander Moffat, John and Rossiter, Mike. I Sank the Bismarck: Memoirs of a Second World War Navy Pilot. Bantam Press, London. 2009. ISBN 978-0-593-06352-1
- Fleet Air Arm: John Moffat
- Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) Officers 1939-1945
- Linklater’s Scotland: The heroism of John Moffat Magnus Linklater
- Interview with John Moffat
- The Story of the Torpedoing of the Bismarck