Wing Commander Sir Kenneth Maxwell Stoddart (26 May 191426 December 2008) was a distinguished

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 ...

Pilot. Kenneth Stoddart was born in Cressington Park,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, on 26 May 1914. He was educated at

Sedbergh School Sedbergh School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in the town of Sedbergh in Cumbria, in North West England. It comprises a junior school for children aged 4 to 13 and the main school for 13 to 18 year olds. It w ...

and

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

. After obtaining his degree he joined the family businesses, Cearns and Brown Ltd and the United Mersey Supply Company, both of which were chandlers and ships' suppliers in the Port of Liverpool. Stoddart was commissioned as a pilot officer in the Auxiliary Air Force with No. 611 Squadron at Speke on 18 December 1936. He learned to fly in Avro Tutors then graduated to Hawker Harts and later Hinds before converting to the Spitfire Mk I in May 1939. He was at summer camp at RAF Duxford Cambridgeshire when war was declared. By January 1940 he was a flight lieutenant and commanded 'B' Flight at Digby. He took part in operations over the Dunkirk evacuation in June 1940. Stoddart was flying Spitfire I N3058 when he was hit by a cannon shell in the fuselage just behind his seat, which tore a large hole in the side of the fuselage and blew the canopy off. The armour plating was hit and control cables were almost severed. However, F/L Stoddart managed to force land at

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 ...

. He flew with the squadron during the

. No. 611 was held in reserve for much of the Battle of Britain but saw finally action on 11 September when Stoddart attacked a Bf 109 at long range, firing 1,784 rounds without observed result. He made no claims with 611 Squadron. He was seen as: He was promoted to the rank of squadron leader on 1 January 1944. After leaving the RAF, Stoddart became a public servant. He became a deputy lieutenant of Lancashire in 1958, and was appointed High Sheriff of Merseyside from 1974 to 1975. From 1979 to 1989, he was

Lord Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ...

of Merseyside. He retained links with the RAF by becoming Wing President of the Merseyside Air Cadet Organisation. In 1940, he married Jean Young (appointed OBE, 2015) and they had two daughters, Jennifer and Charlotte. A memorial service for Sir Kenneth was held at

Liverpool Cathedral Liverpool Cathedral is the Cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool, built on St James's Mount in Liverpool, and the seat of the Bishop of Liverpool. It may be referred to as the Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool (as recorded in the ...

at noon on 12 February 2009.

References

Links

Letter from George Edwards, Former Officer Commanding 7F (1st City of Liverpool) Air Cadets & former chair of the Liverpool Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Advisory Committee in Liverpool Daily PostGazette EntriesDetails of Photographs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stoddart, Kenneth 1914 births 2008 deaths People educated at Sedbergh School Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force pilots of World War II The Few Deputy Lieutenants of Lancashire High Sheriffs of Merseyside Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Knights of the Order of St John Lord-Lieutenants of Merseyside Military personnel from Liverpool