Raymond Mayhew Lewin
Encyclopedia
Pilot Officer
Raymond Mayhew Lewin GC
(14 January 1915–21 November 1941) of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
was (whilst a Sergeant
) awarded the George Cross
for the courage he showed in rescuing his co-pilot from their burning plane on the 3 November 1940 in Malta
.
, educated at St Edward's School
in Oxford
and joined the RAFVR in the spring of 1936 On 15 March 1941 he was commissioned
as a Pilot Officer (with seniority backdated to 27 January 1941). He was killed in action on the 21 November 1941, whilst flying with No. 109 Squadron RAF
, and is buried in his home town of Kettering.
of 7 March 1941 (dated 11 March):
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
Raymond Mayhew Lewin GC
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
(14 January 1915–21 November 1941) of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...
was (whilst a Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
) awarded the George Cross
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
for the courage he showed in rescuing his co-pilot from their burning plane on the 3 November 1940 in 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...
.
Biography
He was born on 14 January 1915, in KetteringKettering
Kettering is a market town in the Borough of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. It is situated about from London. Kettering is mainly situated on the west side of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene which meets at Wellingborough...
, educated at St Edward's School
St Edward's School (Oxford)
St. Edward's School is a co-educational independent boarding school located in Oxford, England. The school is located on the Woodstock Road in the north of the city close to the suburb of Summertown. In 2007 it was voted by the Country Life Magazine as number one in the top ten schools in the UK...
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and joined the RAFVR in the spring of 1936 On 15 March 1941 he was commissioned
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
as a Pilot Officer (with seniority backdated to 27 January 1941). He was killed in action on the 21 November 1941, whilst flying with No. 109 Squadron RAF
No. 109 Squadron RAF
No. 109 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during World War II. It operated Wellington VIs.-History:The squadron first formed on 1 November 1917 as 109 Squadron Royal Flying Corps at South Carlton in 1917 operating the de Havilland DH.9 until it was disbanded on 19 August...
, and is buried in his home town of Kettering.
George Cross
The citation was published in the London GazetteLondon Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
of 7 March 1941 (dated 11 March):