John Webster (RAF officer)
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John Webster | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 1916 Grassendale, Liverpool, United Kingdom |
| Died | 5 September 1940 (aged 23–24) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1935–1940 |
| Rank | Flight Lieutenant |
| Unit | No. 17 Squadron No. 41 Squadron |
| Battles / wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
John Webster, DFC (1916 – 5 September 1940) was a British flying ace who served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was credited with having shot down at least eleven aircraft.
From Liverpool, Webster joined the RAF in 1935 on a short service commission. Once his training was completed he was posted to No. 17 Squadron. At the time of the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 he was serving with No. 41 Squadron. Flying the Supermarine Spitfire fighter, he achieved several aerial victories while the squadron operated over the evacuation beaches at Dunkirk during Operation Dynamo and in the subsequent Battle of Britain, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in August 1940. He was killed as a result of a collision with another British fighter during an engagement on 5 September 1940.
John Terence Webster was born in 1916 at Grassendale in Liverpool, the United Kingdom, the son of John Herbert Webster and Charlotte Annie Webster, both from Northern Ireland. He went to school at Parkfield Prep before going onto Liverpool College. He was on the college's shooting team and represented the United Kingdom at a competition in Canada in 1933. In August 1935, he joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) on a short service commission. Completing his initial induction two months later as an acting pilot officer, he then commenced his flight training at No. 11 Flying Training School at Wittering.[1][2]
His first posting once his flying training was completed in May 1936 was to No. 17 Squadron.[1] This was based at Kenley and equipped with Bristol Bulldog fighters.[3] In August his rank of pilot officer was made substantive.[4] The following March he was posted to No. 80 Squadron, newly formed at Kenley, spending a year with this unit flying Gloster Gauntlet fighters. In March 1938 he briefly served with No. 29 Squadron at Debden but within a few weeks was posted to No. 41 Squadron.[1][5] At the time Webster joined the squadron, it was operating Hawker Fury fighters from Catterick but a few months later it began to convert to the Supermarine Spitfire fighter.[6] Not long after his arrival at the squadron, Webster was promoted to flying officer and in May 1939, received a further promotion to acting flight lieutenant and was appointed commander of one of the squadron's flights.[7]