Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

John Scatliff Dewar, DSO, DFC (1907 – 1940) was a World War II

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 ...

fighter pilot, who was killed in action during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

Early life

Dewar was born in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, the second son of Douglas Dewar who was working for the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million ...

at the time but originally came from

Camberley Camberley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately south-west of Central London. The town is in the far west of the county, close to the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire. Once part of Windsor Forest, Cambe ...

in Surrey. John was named for his great uncle, John Milton Elborough Scatliff. He was educated at

The King's School, Canterbury The King's School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for 13 to 18 year old pupils) in Canterbury, Kent, England. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group. It is Britain's ...

where he was a School Monitor and played in the Cricket XI and the Rugby XV. Dewar was a member of the school

Officer Training Corps The Officers' Training Corps (OTC), more fully called the University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), are military leadership training units operated by the British Army. Their focus is to develop the leadership abilities of their members whilst ...

, attaining the rank of Sergeant. He was also Editor of the school magazine, ''The Cantuarian''.

Royal Air Force

Dewar attended the

Royal Air Force College Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force military academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and ...

from 1926 and 1927 and on graduation was commissioned as a

Pilot Officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...

. His first posting was to No. 13 Army Co-operation Squadron at Andover. Dewar was promoted to Flying Officer on 17 June 1929. He became a

Qualified Flying Instructor A Qualified Flying Instructor is someone who is qualified to conduct flight training for pilots. They may also have other roles in aviation, such as aircraft certification and flight reviews, depending on the jurisdiction. Every country has its own ...

at the School of Naval Cooperation. In 1933 he was posted to No. 822 Fleet Spotter/Reconnaissance (an attached RAF flight that later became part of the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

) and joined HMS Furious. He served as part of the Home Fleet and in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

. On one occasion he was washed overboard in the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...

but was rescued. He was promoted to the rank of

Flight Lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

on 1 February 1934 while at sea in the Caribbean. In 1934 he was transferred to No. 801 Fleet Fighter Squadron. From 1936 to 1938 Dewar served in the Armament Testing Section at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at RAF

Martlesham Heath Martlesham Heath village is situated 6 miles (10 km) east of Ipswich, in Suffolk, England. This was an ancient area of heathland and latterly the site of Martlesham Heath Airfield. A "new village" was established there in the mid-1970s and th ...

, and participated in the early development of both the Hurricane and Spitfire prototypes. He was promoted to

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 also ...

on 1 February 1938 and posted to Thorney Island as Senior Operations Officer. On 10 November 1939, he was posted to RAF's No. 11 Group pilot pool for reassignment to a fighter squadron. He was by that time one of the most senior active duty pilots in the RAF.

Family life

On 10 July 1937, he married Kathleen "Kay" Bowyer, daughter of Southampton politician P.V. Bowyer.

World War II

Dewar was given command of

No. 87 Squadron RAF No. 87 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during the First World War and Second World War. World War I 87 Squadron Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was first formed on 1 September 1917 at Upavon from elements of the Central Flyi ...

on 29 November 1939 and led the Squadron during operations during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

, distinguishing himself by his superb piloting and leadership skills. On 7 May 1940, returning from a sortie in bad weather and low on fuel, Dewar had to force land his Hurricane at an unserviceable airfield at Villefranche. As he touched down his wheels dug into the mud and the aircraft overturned, severely injuring his right shoulder. In spite of his injury, he refused to ground himself and continued to fly. He claimed a Dornier Do 17 shared and two Junker Ju 87s of I./

StG 2 ''Sturzkampfgeschwader'' 2 (StG 2) ''Immelmann'' was a Luftwaffe dive bomber-wing of World War II. It was named after the World War I aviator Max Immelmann. It served until its dissolution in October 1943. The wing operated the Junkers Ju 87 ...

on 11 May, and another Ju 87 the next day. For this and his leadership of 87 Squadron he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

(DSO). On 20 May 1940, in the face of the advancing German Army, Dewar ordered his squadron to return to England . He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross which appeared in the London Gazette of 31 May 1940. The citation reads:

''Air Ministry, 31 May 1940.''
ROYAL AIR FORCE.
The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the undermentioned awards, in recognition of gallantry displayed in flying operations against the enemy:—
''Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.''
..br> Squadron Leader John Scatliff DEWAR (26029)
This officer has shot down five enemy aircraft and led many patrols with courage and skill.

In the same edition of the Gazette he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order with the following citation:

''Air Ministry, 31 May 1940.''
ROYAL AIR FORCE.
The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the undermentioned appointments and awards in recognition of gallantry displayed in flying operations against the enemy:—
''Appointed Companions of the Distinguished Service Order.''
Squadron Leader John Scatliff DEWAR, D.F.C. (26029)
Before intensive operations started this officer injured his right shoulder in a severe flying accident. Despite this, he flew regularly and led his squadron with skill and dash, more than 60 enemy aircraft being destroyed by them. He remained in command of the squadron throughout the operations, in spite of the injured shoulder, trained his new pilots well and continued throughout to be a very efficient commander, inculcating an excellent spirit in his squadron.

He continued to fly operationally from RAF Exeter with No. 87 Squadron during the

, claiming two Bf 110 fighters on 11 July, a share in a Ju 88 on 13 August, and a Ju88 destroyed on 25 August. On 1 September 1940, he was promoted to the rank of

and became the Officer Commanding

RAF Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

. On 11 SeptemberSome RAF records record this as 12 September. However S/L R.S. Mills who investigated the incident reported to the Undersecretary for Air on October 23rd, among other things confirming that W/C Dewar took off from Exeter shortly after 15:00 on September 11. 1940 Dewar took off on a routine flight from RAF Exeter for

RAF Tangmere RAF Tangmere was a Royal Air Force station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, and one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The famous Second World War aces Wing Commander Douglas Bader, a ...

in Hurricane V7306 of 213 Squadron to attend a conference the following day and pay a surprise visit to his wife, but he failed to arrive. Dewar was the highest RAF ranking officer to be lost during the battle. 87 Squadron ORB stated on 12 September: "Wing Commander Dewar set out from Exeter for a visit to Tangmere and was not heard of again. He had been informed of enemy activity on the route over which he was to pass, and no doubt must have run into more trouble than he could cope with by himself. A very set loss to 87 Squadron." On that day he was listed with 213 Squadron, not 87 Squadron. 213 Squadron made combat claim both on 11 September and 12 September at 11.10. He took off during late afternoon. W/C Dewar's flight plan was direct to Winchester, avoiding Southampton's balloon barrage, and thence to Tangmere. He would have just passed Southampton shortly after 16:00. That is the precise time that a raid on Southampton's Cunliffe-Owen Works by Me109s of Erprobungsgruppe 210 was intercepted near Selsey Bill by Hurricanes of 213 Squadron scrambled from Tangmere. As he was flying a 213 Squadron aircraft with the R/T (radio) tuned to 213's combat frequency, he certainly would have heard the combat chatter, and given his love of action most likely decided to join the combat. That dogfight probably lasted from approximately 16:15 to 16:30, the time interval that Dewar was likely shot down. His body was washed ashore on 30 September 1940 at

Kingston Gorse Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames ...

in Sussex. There is some mystery surrounding his death as some reports suggest that he had taken to his parachute and that his body "was riddled with bullets" when it was found, implying that he had been shot and killed during his parachute descent. In reality there was no evidence at all. He could be hit in the cockpit, of course. From S/Ldr Randolph Stuart Mills letter we know: "a body clothed in a shirt was washed up on the beach at Kingston Gorse, Sussex, and subsequently identified as Wing Commander J. S. Dewar by means of laundry marks... a tunic was also found nearby the body, market ʽJSDʼ and had the ribbons of DSO and DFC. It was established that this officer was killed by machine-gun fire, there being bullet wounds in the back of the head, and the left leg was practically shot off." It looks like he was surprised and killed from behind at very close range both by machine-gun bullets in the head and cannon shell in leg. This suit to a sudden and deadly attack without knowing anything about the possible danger. John Scatliff Dewar is buried at St John the Baptist church in North Baddesley, Hampshire. He and his wife Kay had no children. Kay died on 16 September 2001 at Blatchington Court, Seaford.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dewar, John Scatliff 1907 births 1940 deaths Royal Air Force wing commanders Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II The Few Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Aviators killed by being shot down Military personnel from Lahore Military personnel of British India