Dinghy Young

Squadron Leader Henry Melvin "Dinghy" Young, DFC & Bar (20 May 1915 – 17 May 1943) was a bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.

The first occasion was on 7 October, when he was flying on a convoy escort mission over the Atlantic from a base in Northern Ireland.

Young was forced to ditch his aircraft because of engine failure and the crew spent 22 hours in an inflatable dinghy before being rescued.

617 Squadron, specially formed for the purpose of carrying out Operation Chastise, the raid to attack German dams in the Ruhr Valley.

Young, together with Henry Maudslay, carried out much of the organising work needed to form a new squadron but remained popular with his fellow officers.

The first three aircraft to attack, Gibson (G-George), Hopgood (M-Mother) and Martin (P-Popsie), all missed the target.

On the return journey, A-Apple was brought down by anti-aircraft fire, probably by gunners at Castricum-aan-Zee, who reported shooting down an aircraft at 2.58 am.