William Neil McKechnie
Encyclopedia
Group Captain
William Neil McKechnie (1907-1944) was a pilot in the Royal Air Force
who was awarded The George Cross
in 1929 and was killed in action over Germany in 1944.
He attended The Perse School
in Cambridge.
He later married Mary Roma McKechnie of Musselburgh, Midlothian.
for an act of bravery in saving Flight Cadet C. J. Giles after an aeroplane crash on 20 June 1929 whilst still a Flight Cadet aged 22.
The London Gazette of 18 October, 1929, gives the following details in announcing the award to Group Captain McKechnie of the Empire Gallantry Medal:
"On 20 June, 1929, an aeroplane piloted by Flight Cadet C. J. Giles crashed on landing at RAF College Cranwell and burst into flames. The pilot was stunned, but managed to release his safety belt and fall out of the machine in a dazed condition. Flight Cadet McKechnie, who had landed in another aeroplane about the same time some two hundred yards away, left his machine and ran at full speed towards the scene of the accident. The petrol had spread over an area about ten yards in diameter, in full blaze, with Giles lying in it semi-conscious. McKechnie, without hesitation, ran into the flames and pulled out Giles, who was badly burned. McKechnie, who was himself scorched and superficially burned, then proceeded to extinguish Giles's burning clothing. There is no doubt that without McKechnie's assistance Giles would have been burned to death, as he was quite incapable of moving himself. His machine was entirely destroyed, and the ground for some distance around was burned up by the spread of the ignited petrol."
In January 1939 he was commanding No. 27 Squadron RAF
at Kohat
, India.
During World War II
McKechnie was a Group Commander based at RAF Metheringham
with 106 Squadron from 11 November 1943 until his death. He was involved in The Battle of Berlin in which he flew in an Avro Lancaster
that completed thirteen operations against Berlin
and four other operations over Germany, when the plane was lost it had flown 638.05 hours.
Their eighteenth, and final flight, on the 29th August 1944, was an operation over Königsberg
where 106 Sqdn lost two planes, including McKechnie's, without trace.
Those killed in action
were:
There is no known grave for McKechnie, or any members of his crew, but they are commemorated on Runnymede Memorial
panel 200, Surrey.
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
William Neil McKechnie (1907-1944) was a pilot in the 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...
who was 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...
in 1929 and was killed in action over Germany in 1944.
Early life
W.N. McKechnie was born on 27 August 1907 the son of Lt. Col. William Ernest McKechnie, I.M.S. and Marion A. McKechnie.He attended The Perse School
The Perse School
The Perse Upper School is an independent secondary co-educational day school in Cambridge, England. The school was founded in 1615 by Dr Stephen Perse, a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and has existed on several different sites in the city before its present home on Hills...
in Cambridge.
He later married Mary Roma McKechnie of Musselburgh, Midlothian.
Winning The Empire Gallantry Medal (later The George Cross)
McKechnie earned the Empire Gallantry MedalEmpire Gallantry Medal
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry, usually known as the Empire Gallantry Medal , was a British medal awarded for acts of the highest civilian gallantry . King George V introduced it on 29 December 1922...
for an act of bravery in saving Flight Cadet C. J. Giles after an aeroplane crash on 20 June 1929 whilst still a Flight Cadet aged 22.
The London Gazette of 18 October, 1929, gives the following details in announcing the award to Group Captain McKechnie of the Empire Gallantry Medal:
"On 20 June, 1929, an aeroplane piloted by Flight Cadet C. J. Giles crashed on landing at RAF College Cranwell and burst into flames. The pilot was stunned, but managed to release his safety belt and fall out of the machine in a dazed condition. Flight Cadet McKechnie, who had landed in another aeroplane about the same time some two hundred yards away, left his machine and ran at full speed towards the scene of the accident. The petrol had spread over an area about ten yards in diameter, in full blaze, with Giles lying in it semi-conscious. McKechnie, without hesitation, ran into the flames and pulled out Giles, who was badly burned. McKechnie, who was himself scorched and superficially burned, then proceeded to extinguish Giles's burning clothing. There is no doubt that without McKechnie's assistance Giles would have been burned to death, as he was quite incapable of moving himself. His machine was entirely destroyed, and the ground for some distance around was burned up by the spread of the ignited petrol."
RAF career
Attended RAF College Cranwell - where he won The George CrossIn January 1939 he was commanding No. 27 Squadron RAF
No. 27 Squadron RAF
No. 27 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook HC2 from RAF Odiham.-The Great War:27 Squadron formed at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome on 5 November 1915, soon being equipped with Martinsyde Elephant fighter aircraft, hence the use of an elephant for the squadron badge...
at Kohat
Kohat
Kohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
, India.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
McKechnie was a Group Commander based at RAF Metheringham
RAF Metheringham
RAF Metheringham was a Royal Air Force station situated between the villages of Metheringham and Martin and south east of the county town Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England....
with 106 Squadron from 11 November 1943 until his death. He was involved in The Battle of Berlin in which he flew in an Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
that completed thirteen operations against Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and four other operations over Germany, when the plane was lost it had flown 638.05 hours.
Their eighteenth, and final flight, on the 29th August 1944, was an operation over Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
where 106 Sqdn lost two planes, including McKechnie's, without trace.
Those killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
were:
- G/C W.N.McKechnie GC
- Sgt R.B.Clarke
- F/S H.W.T.Carter RCAF
- F/O E.E.Fletcher
- Sgt C.C.Jeffrey
- Sgt D.Forster
- F/S E.L.Collins
There is no known grave for McKechnie, or any members of his crew, but they are commemorated on Runnymede Memorial
Air forces memorial
The Air Forces Memorial, or Runnymede Memorial, near Egham, Surrey, England is a memorial dedicated to some 20,456 men and women from the British Empire who were lost in operations from World War II. All of those recorded have no known grave anywhere in the world, and many were lost without trace...
panel 200, Surrey.