Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

Arthur Stewart King Scarf, VC (14 June 1913 – 9 December 1941) was a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

pilot and a recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Early life and career

Scarf attended

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a public school in Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The school was founded in 1829 by King George IV, as the junior department of King's College London an ...

in Wimbledon, and was a

RAF Cranwell Royal Air Force Cranwell or more simply RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England, close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. Among other functions, it is home to the Royal Air Force College (RAFC), which tra ...

trained regular. Scarf joined the

(RAF) in 1936, and was accepted for pilot training. On gaining his wings he was posted to No. 9 Squadron, operating the

Handley Page Heyford The Handley Page Heyford was a twin-engine biplane bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Handley Page. It holds the distinction of being the last biplane heavy bomber to be operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). The ...

. In 1937 he transferred to No. 62 Squadron, a light bomber unit which received the

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

in February 1938. Just prior to the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

in September 1939, the squadron was detached to bases in northern Malaya. From July 1941, No. 62 Squadron was based at

Alor Star Alor Setar ( Jawi: الور ستار, Kedahan: ''Loqstaq'') is the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia. It is the second-largest city in the state after Sungai Petani and one of the most-important cities on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. ...

near the Thailand border and at the outbreak of hostilities with Japan in December 1941 the squadron came under heavy air attack. On 9 December it was withdrawn to

RAF Butterworth Butterworth may refer to: Places * Butterworth (ancient township), a former township centred on Milnrow, in the then Parish of Rochdale, England, United Kingdom * Butterworth, Eastern Cape, now also known as Gcuwa, a town located in South Africa ...

in order to regroup.

Raid on Singora

Scarf was 28 years old, and a squadron leader in No. 62 Squadron, when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the

. On 9 December 1941 in Malaya, near the Thailand border, all available aircraft had been ordered to make a daylight raid on

Singora Songkhla ( th, สงขลา, ), also known as Singgora or Singora (Pattani Malay: ซิงกอรอ), is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in Songkhla Province of southern Thailand, near the border with Malaysia. Songkhla lies south of Ba ...

(where the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

was invading). Squadron Leader Scarf, as leader of the raid, had just taken off from the base at Butterworth when enemy aircraft swept in destroying or disabling all the rest of the machines. Scarf decided nevertheless to fly alone to Singora. Despite attacks from roving fighters he completed his bombing run and was on his way back when his aircraft became riddled with bullets and he was severely wounded, his left arm had been shattered, he had a large hole in his back and was drifting in and out of consciousness. He managed to crash-land the Blenheim at Alor Star, without causing any injury to his crew, and was rushed to hospital where he died two hours later. Scarf's Victoria Cross was not gazetted until June 1946. Because of the chaotic nature of the Malayan campaign, the facts concerning Scarf's actions were not known until after the war. At the time of his death he was about to become a father for the first time. His pregnant wife was a nurse based at the Alor Star hospital, but had just been evacuated south. The two other crewmen from Scarf's Blenheim were also given awards after the war for their courage during this action; Sergeant (later Squadron Leader) Paddy Calder was awarded a

Distinguished Flying Medal The Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and other British Armed Forces, and formerly to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "exceptional va ...

and Sergeant Cyril Rich ( killed in action in 1943) received a

posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' ...

Mention in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. Squadron Leader Scarf (Service Number 37693) is buried in Grave 14, Row G, Section 2 of Taiping War Cemetery, Malaysia. Scarf's Victoria Cross was displayed at the

Royal Air Force Museum London The Royal Air Force Museum London (also commonly known as the RAF Museum) is located on the former Hendon Aerodrome. It includes five buildings and hangars showing the history of aviation and the Royal Air Force. It is part of the Royal Air Fo ...

, England. On 27 April 2022, the recipient's family placed the medal up for auction at Spink. It reportedly sold for a world record price of £682,000.On May 1, 2023, the RAF museum announced they had raised the funds to keep the Victoria Cross and medal bar and they will go on display in the museum. https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/whats-going-on/news/raf-museum-saves-scarf-vc-for-the-nation/ Scarf's Blenheim.jpg, A

Mk I fighter believed to be from No. 27 Squadron at

RAF Sembawang Semba is a traditional type of music and dance from Angola. Semba comes from the singular Massemba, meaning "a touch of the bellies" - one of the most recognizable and entertaining movements in semba.History of Semba , Kizombalove Academy Chara ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

, June 1941. Scarf's aircraft is now believed to be L1134 FX-F of No. 62 Squadron Scarf-vc1.jpg, Scarf's headstone at Taiping War Cemetery

References

External links

Arthur Scarf dedication, Far Eastern Heroes Site

* ttps://collections.rafmuseum.org.uk/collection/object/object-464521/ Medal bar of Squadron Leader Arthur Scarf, VCat

Royal Air Force Museum The Royal Air Force Museum is a museum dedicated to the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. The museum is a non-departmental public body of the Ministry of Defence and is a registered charity. The museum is split into two separate sites: * ...

Collections Online. {{DEFAULTSORT:Scarf, Arthur Stewart King 1913 births 1941 deaths People educated at King's College School, London Royal Air Force squadron leaders British World War II bomber pilots Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II Royal Air Force recipients of the Victoria Cross People from Wimbledon, London British World War II recipients of the Victoria Cross Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Military history of Malaya during World War II Burials at Taiping War Cemetery Military personnel from London