大象传媒

In July 1941 at the age of 18 my uncle Eddie from Newry Co Down suddenly tranferred from medical school at College of Surgeons Dublin to Queens University Belfast with the object of volunteering for training as a pilot.

He completed his training in America (Pensacola and Brunswick.)Trainingg as a pilot and living in America was an incredible experience for a 21year old from the small rural community of Mullaglass in Newry. He specially enjoyed a time in New Orleans. He was posted to Squadron 1842 which were mainly single pilot planes and dive bombers. The squadron was posted to HMS Formidable an aircraft carrier of the Fleet Air Arm.

There was great celebration when he discovered that his older brother was serving as a ship's surgeon on the same aircraft carrier. Perhaps his mother felt a sense of relief that in the tension of three sons serving in the war one would be in the company of an older brother.

The gulled winged Corsair was known by pilots for a partial obstruction in the view caused by the nose of the plane. it was a challenge to take off and land on an aircraft carrier. Eddie had to learn a unique tilting of the aircraft to keep the landing area in sight. This was on top of the fact that the landing site was perpetually changing it's coordinants.

On 07 August 1944 the Formidable was sent on convoy to Norway to be involved in an operation to destroy the German ship the Tirpitz which was hiding in the Alten Fjiord.

On 22 August Eddie was involved in his first mission to hunt and straaf the Tirpitz. The day was a failure because the weather was against the pilots. They returned.

Two days later Eddie set off on his second mission never to return. His plane blew up in the Kaa Fjiord. He was 21 years of age.

His older brother Cyril had to continue a surgical operation in the knowledge that his younger brother had not returned.

The loss devastated both Cyril and Harry who had not expected their younger bother to cut short his time in university. His mother never gave up the idea that he had survived and was in an institution in Norway. Her letters to the Norwegian government are a testimony to endless grief.

There is a photo of a group of pilots on the Formidible. Most of the smiling youthful faces project the air of senior pupils out on a school trip. However in the background towering above them is a Corsair fighter plane. It is the symbol of young people suddenly having to learn incredible skills in impossible conditions.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.