Flying Officer Donald Edward Garland,
VC (28 June 1918 – 12 May 1940) was a bomber pilot in the
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) and ...
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
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
forces.
Early life
Born in
Ballinacor,
County Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...
, Garland was a pupil at
Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School
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, religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic
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, Holland Park, London from 1929 to 1935, and left with a good all-round School Certificate.
After spending some time at an insurance office, he joined the
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) and ...
(RAF) on a short-term commission. Mgr. Canon J. Vance, who became headmaster of Cardinal Vaughan School in 1928: "In those days I questioned young men closely before recommending their applications for short-term commissions because of a lurking fear that they might be forced to start life again at an awkward age, for Donald I had no misgivings whatever. He could start his life again at any time and was bound to succeed because of his independence and of his resourcefulness. I salute Garland's great heroism"
Victoria Cross
Garland was 21 years old, and a
flying officer in
No. 12 Squadron during the Second World War, when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 12 May 1940, over the
Albert Canal
The Albert Canal (, ) is a canal located in northeastern Belgium, which was named for King Albert I of Belgium. The Albert Canal connects Antwerp with Liège, and also the Meuse river with the Scheldt river. It also connects with the Dessel†...
, Belgium, two bridges, Veldwezelt and Vroenhoven, were being used by the invading army, with protection from fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft and machine-guns. The RAF was ordered to demolish one of these vital bridges, and five
Fairey Battle
The Fairey Battle is a British single-engine light bomber that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and Hi ...
bombers were despatched, with Flying Officer Garland leading the attack. They encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire, and the bridge was hit but not put out of commission. Garland and his navigator, Sergeant
Thomas Gray
Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) was an English poet, letter-writer, classics, classical scholar, and professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge, Pembroke College, Cambridge. He is widely known for his ''Elegy Written in a Country ...
, attacked the bridge at
Veldwezelt. They died either crashing in the village of
Lanaken
Lanaken (; li, Laoneke) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2007, the municipality of Lanaken had a total population of 24,724. Its area is 59.00 km² which gives a population density of 415 inhabitant ...
or in the hospital in
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
, Netherlands. Only one bomber managed to return to base. Sergeant Gray was also awarded the VC for this action in a joint citation with Garland.
![Heverlee War Cemetery-11](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Heverlee_War_Cemetery-11.JPG)
Garland is buried at the
Heverlee War Cemetery
Heverlee War Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the World War II, Second World War located in Heverlee, Belgium.
The Heverlee War Cemetery was established in 1946 and contains 977 Commonwealth of ...
in
Leuven
Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...
, Belgium.
Both Garland and Gray were awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously. Leading Aircraftman Reynolds, the third member of the crew, did not receive a medal because he was not in a "decision making" position. Garland's Victoria Cross is 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 Forc ...
, England.
He had three brothers, all of whom served with the RAF and also died on service:
* Pilot Officer Desmond William Garland – killed in Belgium on 5 June 1942 aged 27
* Flight Lieutenant John Cuthbert Garland – died on 28 February 1943 aged 32
* Flight Lieutenant Patrick James Garland – killed in Holland on 1 January 1945 aged 36
Victoria Cross citation
The announcement and accompanying citation for the decoration was published in supplement to the London Gazette on 11 June 1940, reading
Memorials
A
Vickers VC-10
The Vickers VC10 is a mid-sized, narrow-body long-range British jet airliner designed and built by Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd and first flown at Brooklands, Surrey, in 1962. The airliner was designed to operate on long-distance rout ...
Serial 'XR807' of
101 Squadron was named 'Donald Garland VC & Thomas Gray VC'.
During 2005, to mark its 90th anniversary, No.12 Squadron RAF flew a
Tornado GR4
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and West Germany. There are three primary Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS (interd ...
with Flying Officer Garland's and Sgt Gray's name painted under the cockpit as a mark of respect.
There is a monument on the bridge to the operation.
[Peter West, "Boredom, Bravery and Courage," Flypast Magazine, March 2003, pp. 65–68.]
References
External links
Flying Officer D.E. Garland & Sergeant T. Greyin ''The Art of War'' exhibition at the
UK National Archives
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Garland, Donald Edward
1918 births
1940 deaths
Military personnel from County Wicklow
Irish aviators
People from County Wicklow
Royal Air Force officers
Royal Air Force recipients of the Victoria Cross
Royal Air Force pilots of World War II
British World War II bomber pilots
Irish World War II recipients of the Victoria Cross
People educated at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School
Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II
Aviators killed by being shot down
Burials at Heverlee Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery