Donald McKay (RAF officer)
Donald McKay, DFM & Bar (1917 – 1 October 1959) was a flying ace who served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War.
During his service with the RAF, he was credited with having destroyed at least fourteen German aircraft although this total may be understated.
From Pontefract, McKay joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) in 1937.
Flying Hawker Hurricane fighters, McKay shot down several aircraft during the campaign in France and in the following Battle of Britain.
Later in the year he was sent to the North Africa, serving with several different squadrons and ending the war on instructing duties in Rhodesia.
In April 1937, while working in banking, he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) to train as a pilot.
[1] This was a unit of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force that was based at Filton from where it operated Hawker Hurricane fighters as part of Bristol's aerial defence.
It saw little action for the first several weeks of the war and in November shifted south east to Tangmere, but here too, there was minimal activity.
[4] In the meantime the squadron deployed to the Channel Islands from where it briefly operated in support of the evacuation of elements of the British Expeditionary Force from Cherbourg, before going onto Croydon.
501 Squadron moved to Middle Wallop in early July and on the 29th of the month, McKay destroyed a Junkers Ju 87 dive bomber to the south of Dover although this was not confirmed.
This was a special unit based at Hawkinge and, equipped with Supermarine Spitfire fighters, tasked with interception duties along the coast.
[7] He damaged a Bf 109 near Ashford on 24 October and shot down a Dornier Do 17 medium bomber to the south of Folkestone on 15 November.
The published citation read: This airman has shown fine skill and tenacity in air combat and has carried out valuable reconnaissance duties.
[4] The published citation read: This airman has been almost continuously employed in active operations since the war began and has destroyed at least 11 hostile aircraft.
[7] On one such sortie, on 30 March McKay damaged a Bf 109 off the coast from Dunkirk, its pilot crash-landing at Étaples.
[11] It was scrambled on 14 February during the Channel Dash and McKay shot down a pair of Bf 109s to the north of Dunkirk.
In 1946 he married Joyce Mary Moore and the couple made their home at Market Bosworth in Leicestershire.
[1] Interested in the history of military aviation, he was a contributor to the book 'Air Aces of the 1914–1918 War', released by Harleyford Publishers in the late 1950s.
However, it is believed that he may have shot down at least seven more aircraft although the details of all of these aerial victories, three of which being considered unconfirmed, are unavailable.
