Pilot Officer James Charles Kirkpatrick was a Belgian airman of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who was killed during the Second World War.
He was born in Brussels, the son of Robert Closeburn and Yvonne Kirkpatrick. The Kirkpatrick family had established itself in Belgium in the 18th Century.[1]
When the Second World War began, James Kirkpatrick was serving in the Belgian Air Force. He escaped following Belgium's occupation and enlisted in the RAFVR. He joined 235 Squadron and died on 9 October 1940, when German aircraft shot down his Bristol Blenheim (N3530) over the English Channel. His aircraft had been engaged in an operation against the port of Le Havre.[2]
Although the bodies of two crewmembers were recovered, Kirkpatrick's remained unaccounted for. He thus has no known grave and is commemorated by the Runnymede Memorial and a memorial grave at the Pelouse d'Honneur, Brussels.
Notes[]
- ↑ Kirkpatrick, William Parkinson, genealogy.kirkpatrickaustralian.com. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ↑ Donnelly, Larry (2004), The Other Few: The Contribution Made by Bomber and Coastal Aircrew to the Winning of the Battle of Britain, p. 190.
References[]
- Kirkpatrick, James Charles, cwgc.org. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- Kirkpatrick, bbm.org.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2013.