26953: Murdo Macdonald
Murdo (1922-1944) was the youngest son of Murdo Macdonald and Mary Ann Maclean from 10 Breaclete. He was a Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and was killed in August 1944. Murdo did not marry.
Extract from Stornoway Gazette of autumn 1944:
Missing from air operations since 6th August 1944, P.O. Murdo Macdonald is 22 years of age, and the youngest son of Mr and Mrs Murdo Macdonald of 10 Breaclete, Bernera. He was Dux of the Nicolson Institute in the summer of 1940, winning the Gibson prize and medals for Gaelic, English and History, also the National Mod prize for his class. In the same year he won the Highlands and Islands Trust Bursary and The Roderick Macleod prize for proficiency in Gaelic.
From the Nicolson he went to Edinburgh University, where he showed the same outstanding abilities in his classes and also became an active member of the University Air Training Corps. Towards the end of 1942 he volunteered for the R.A.F. and trained to become a navigator. When his training was completed he was posted to Bomber Command, and took part in air operations against Germany, including attacks on Berlin, Brunswick, Leipzig and Munich. After a very brief spell of operations, he was commissioned and transferred to a Pathfinder Squadron, normally formed of men of mature operational experience, as their task is the highly dangerous one of lighting up and pin-pointing the target for the main forces to follow. On one of those missions he won the Distinguished Service Cross [Distinguished Flying Cross].
So keen was Murdo to engage the enemy, that, instead of taking a rest, to which he was entitled after his first tour of operations, he volunteered, after only a fortnights’s leave, to return to operations again. Soon afterwards he was posted missing. He was returning from a mission, having carried out his task successfully. Although his fate is unknown at present, it is hoped he may be a prisoner in enemy hands, news of which would be most welcome to all, especially his parents, brothers and sisters.
Two other brothers are serving. Malcolm is a Flight Lieutenant in Coastal Command and Kenneth a Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Naval Reserve.
Details
- Record Type:
- Person
- Also Known As:
- Murchadh Mhurchaidh Knox
- Date Of Birth:
- 22 Apr 1922
- Gender:
- Male
- Brothers Keeper Reference:
- CEBL 2068
- Record Maintained by:
- CEBL
Related Media
Murdo Macdonald, 10 Breaclete