LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer John Duncan MacKAY
Service No: 405864
Born: Childers QLD, 2 August 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 21 June 1941
Unit: No. 129 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Hornchurch, Essex
Died: Air Operations: (No. 129 Squadron Spitfire aircraft MH442), France, 6 September 1943, Aged 23 Years
Buried: St Pierre Cemetery, Amiens, Somme, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Duncan and Elsie Kathleen Mackay, of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 6 September 1943 Spitfire MH442 took off from Hornchurch as Blue 4 on a Ramrod operational mission. The pilot of Spitfire Blue 2 on the same mission later reported as follows: “I was flying Blue 2. Several FW190s dived across our path from the right to left and I called up on the radio saying ‘Blue 2 going down’. I was followed by Blue 4. The Wing Commander called up and told us to look after the bombers and as the enemy aircraft turned away from their attack and dived inland, I decided not to follow, being then at 10,000 feet. I turned sharply left and climbed up in a spiral turn followed by Blue 4. At about 15,000 feet Blue 4 came up into line abreast and we continued to climb up sun. Soon after at about 18,000 feet, I saw six FW190s diving on us from above about 7 o’clock. We broke left and continued to climb. The enemy aircraft broke upwards under us and made another attack from the right. We broke right and I saw one of the FW190s appear to overshoot Blue 4 and rammed into his tail. The FW190 broke into pieces and Blue 4 went down in an inverted spin with the whole tail unit missing. I succeeded in out climbing the enemy aircraft and joined some other Spitfires.”
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/26 /235