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Atkins, Eric Granville

Date of birth:
March 19th, 1921 (Mansfield/Nottinghamshire, Great Britain)
Date of death:
November 22nd, 2011
Nationality:
British

Biography

Service number 127846.

Eric Atkins started working in 1935 with Unilever in London as a messenger boy. In August 1939 he traveled to Germany as representative of an English scout organisation and got acquiainted with the Hitler Youth which was a bitter experience for him. His father send him a telegram to return to England immediately as war was on the verge of breaking out.
Pending an RAF interview he joined the Air Raid Precaution section of the Civil Defence.
In August 1940 he was asked to report for RAF Aircrew Selection for which he passed and was admitted into the RAFVR as an aircrew cadet in September 1940 at the Blackpool Receiving Centre after which he went to the Initial Traing Wing at Torquay. Thereafter he went to No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School in Newmarket, Cambridge and after that to No. 6 Service Flying Training School and the to No. 17 Operation Traing Unit at Upwood, Hands to start training on Bristol Blenheims.
Later, he converted to Mosquitos with which he was verey succesful. He flew two tours of operations with No. 464 (Australian) and 305 (Polish) Squadron.
In 1991 he founded and chaired the Mosquito Aircrew Association. He wrote a biography: "Flying High".

Promotions:
July 11th, 1942: Pilot Officer (probation)
January 11th, 1943: Flying Officer (war sub)
July 11th, 1944: Flight Lieutenant (war sub)

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Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Flight Lieutenant
Unit:
No. 305 (Wielpolska) Squadron, Royal Air Force
Awarded on:
October 20th, 1944
Citation:
"This officer has set a fine example of skill, courage and devotion to duty. He has completed a large number of sorties during which he has attacked a variety of targets including enemy airfields in France, Germany, Belgium and Holland. His determination to make every sortie a success has won the greatest praise."
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Flight Lieutenant
Unit:
No. 305 (Wielpolska) Squadron, Royal Air Force
Awarded on:
April 3rd, 1945
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)

Awarded as a bar for on the ribbon of the first DFC.

Sources

Photo