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 ...

Hugh Gordon Malcolm, VC (2 May 1917 – 4 December 1942) was a Scottish airman 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

Malcolm was born in

Broughty Ferry Broughty Ferry (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Bruach Tatha''; Scots: ''Brochtie'') is a suburb of Dundee, Scotland. It is situated four miles east of the city centre on the north bank of the Firth of Tay. The area was a separate burgh from 1864 until 191 ...

, Dundee, and educated at

Craigflower Preparatory School Craigflower Preparatory School was an independent preparatory school for boys at Torryburn near Dunfermline, Scotland. History Craigflower Preparatory School was established at Craigflower House, Torryburn, near Dunfermline, Fife in 1923. ( ...

near Dunfermline and

Glenalmond College Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about west of the city of Perth. ...

in Perthshire. He entered 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 ...

on 9 January 1936. In January 1938, Malcolm joined No. 26 (Army Co-operation) Squadron at Catterick. In May 1939, he suffered a serious head injury in a

Westland Lysander The Westland Lysander is a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War. After becoming obsolete in the army co-operation role, the aircraft's ...

crash.

Second World War

When the war started, Malcolm was serving with No. 17 Training Group. On 4 March 1941, he was promoted to flight lieutenant and was Air Liaison Officer on Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery's general staff. By the end of 1941 Malcolm had risen to the rank of

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 ...

and joined No. 18 Squadron as a flight commander, flying 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 ...

and based in Suffolk. During late 1942 in North Africa, Wing Commander Malcolm assumed commanded of No. 18 Squadron, flying the

Mk. V light bomber. Throughout his service in that sector, his skill and daring were of the highest order. He led two attacks on

Bizerta Bizerte or Bizerta ( ar, بنزرت, translit=Binzart , it, Biserta, french: link=no, Bizérte) the classical Hippo, is a city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located 65 km (40mil) north of the cap ...

airfield in Tunisia, pressing his attacks to effective conclusion. On 17 November 1942, the squadron were detailed to carry out an attack on Bizerta, taking advantage of low cloud cover. Twenty miles from the target, the sky cleared, but despite the danger of continuing without a fighter escort, Malcolm decided to go ahead. Despite fierce opposition, the mission was a success with all bombs dropped within the airfield perimeter, and a Junkers Ju 52 and Messerschmitt Bf 109 were shot down, with other enemy aircraft damaged on the ground by machine-gun fire. Malcolm was a 25-year-old wing commander when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the

. On 4 December, he led a thirteen-strong attack on an enemy fighter airfield near Chougui, Tunisia. On reaching the target, however, and starting the attack, the squadron was intercepted by an overwhelming force of enemy fighters from I and II. Gruppen JG 53, and 11 Staffel,

JG 2 Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) "Richthofen" was a German fighter wing during World War II. JG 2 operated the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 single-seat, single-engine interceptor aircraft. Named after the famed World War I flying ...

. One by one, all his bombers were shot down, until he himself was shot down in flames. Malcolm's aircraft crashed in flames some 15 miles west of the target. An infantry officer and two other men who arrived at the scene of the crash minutes later retrieved the body of navigator Pilot Officer James Robb. Malcolm, with Robb and gunner Pilot Officer James Grant, were buried in the Beja War Cemetery in a collective grave. Malcolm was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross on 27 April 1943. His was the first Royal Air Force Victoria Cross to be won in North Africa.

Legacy

The RAF's Malcolm Clubs were named in his honour. These were welfare clubs for RAF personnel, which operated in several countries between 1943 and the early 1970s, although the club at RAF Wittering continued until the 1990s. They are mentioned in

Queen's Regulations The ''King's Regulations'' (first published in 1731 and known as the ''Queen's Regulations'' when the monarch is female) is a collection of orders and regulations in force in the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, and Commonwealth Realm ...

. Malcolm's Victoria Cross is on display in the Lord Ashcroft collection at the Imperial War Museum, London.

References

External links

Acting Wing Commander H.G. Malcolm
in ''The Art of War'' exhibition at the

UK National Archives , type = Non-ministerial department , seal = , nativename = , logo = Logo_of_The_National_Archives_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg , logo_width = 150px , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , juris ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malcolm, Hugh Gordon 1917 births 1942 deaths Royal Air Force wing commanders British World War II pilots British World War II bomber pilots Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II Aviators killed by being shot down Royal Air Force recipients of the Victoria Cross British World War II recipients of the Victoria Cross Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell People from Broughty Ferry Scottish airmen People educated at Craigflower Preparatory School People educated at Glenalmond College