RAF Malta 1941-1942 - survivors? Relatives?

Hello Everyone,

I know this is a longshot, but I'm researching a TV documentary that focuses on the story of a particular Australian pilot-officer who flew with RAF squadrons 242, 126 and 185 in Malta from late 1941 to May 1942, when he was killed in action. He flew Hurricanes, followed by a few flights in a Spitfire, which he was flying when he was shot down near Ta'Qali.

His name was JOHN LIVINGSTONE "Tony" BOYD and he was originally from Queensland. We have tracked down his service records but are very keen to have any information/anecdotes/photographs from anyone who may have known him or worked with him, or indeed any children/relatives of same who may have info to share. We are also very interested in talking to any Maltese survivors who were there at that time.

All information/possible sources gratefully received.

Thank you, Amanda

 

hello Amanda

I sure one of the Australian forum members will add more info.I have left him a message.

Not sure his details are yet digitised.

RecordSearch - National Archives of Australia

BOYD John Livingstone - (Pilot Officer); Service Number - 404548; File type - Casualty - Repatriation; Aircraft - Spitfire Mark 5BP 349; Place - Malta; Date - 14 May 1941
Pilot Officer JOHN LIVINGSTONE BOYD
D F M

good luck with your research

regards
Clive

404548, Royal Australian Air Force
who died age 22
on 14 May 1942
Son of Robert Livingstone Boyd and Dorothy Alexa Boyd, of Byrnestown, Queensland, Australia.
Remembered with honour
MALTA (CAPUCCINI) NAVAL CEMETERY

 

P/O. Boyd was killed on Thursday 14 May 1942 when attacking Italian fighters, his aircraft was seen to spin out of the fight and it crashed near Takali. The loss was witnessed by P/O. Reade Tilly whose aircraft was been refueled at the time......

" A dog fight started overhead some 3 Ju88s came in with 109 escort Ack Ack going like mad, bursts all over the sky, then I saw a 109 sit on a Spitfires tail and I heard the brrr on cannon. The Spit rolled over and dived vertically in what appeared to be a controlled evasive manoeuvre, doing a series of aileron turns: there was no smoke trail and apparently he was OK but for some reason I felt he'd had it. Sure enough he started to pull out too late at 100 feet, then when it looked as if he would make it, the pilot either died or lost consciousness and ploughed into the deck on the far side of drome at 300 mph. So at 1305 hrs the career of Sgt. Pilot Tony Boyd came to an abrupt and spectacular end - just a terrific explosion and a long sheet of flame"

'Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942' - C. Shores / B. Cull / N. Malizia

 

Hello Everyone,

I know this is a longshot, but I'm researching a TV documentary that focuses on the story of a particular Australian pilot-officer who flew with RAF squadrons 242, 126 and 185 in Malta from late 1941 to May 1942, when he was killed in action. He flew Hurricanes, followed by a few flights in a Spitfire, which he was flying when he was shot down near Ta'Qali.

His name was JOHN LIVINGSTONE "Tony" BOYD and he was originally from Queensland. We have tracked down his service records but are very keen to have any information/anecdotes/photographs from anyone who may have known him or worked with him, or indeed any children/relatives of same who may have info to share. We are also very interested in talking to any Maltese survivors who were there at that time.

All information/possible sources gratefully received.

Thank you, Amanda

Hello Amanda,

Have not had much time to research these lads however I do have a photo of his grave.



Also some details you may not already have!

http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/AWM108/002/002018.pdf

Sorry I could not help with a photo.

Cheers

Geoff

 

Thank you all very much for the information and the photo of his grave. If you have any ideas about where I could post to try to find surviving RAF/RAAF vets who might have known him, that would be much appreciated!

Thanks once again.

Amanda

 

Have you seen the DVD "Guns for Malta" which includes interviews with former RAF pilots? (Used in researching my book UXB Malta about the bomb disposal squad.)

 

Actually I haven't seen it but it looks as if it has some very interesting stuff... will try to track a copy down! Thanks very much for the tip.

 

The British/Norwegian Roald Dahl, later a famous children's author, flew Hurris out of Malta.
I will leaf through the accounts of his experiences there and see if I can find any references to Boyd.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Sorry- sorry - sorry !
He wasn't based at Malta at all.
Please disregard all after good morning...

 

Amanda

Your longshot has paid off. Quite by chance, at the end of last week, I found your post re Tony Boyd, on my first visit to WW2TALK. My father Keith Lawrence, a New Zealander, was on Malta with 185 Squadron from 22 February until 27 June 1942 and flew with Tony Boyd. In fact, Dad was promoted to Flight Lieutenant on 17 March, and thereafter was flight commander of B Flight (7 pilots) in which Sergeant Boyd flew. He was subsequently made the squadron commander on 28 May (acting Squadron Leader), but this was of course two weeks after Tony Boyd was killed in action.

I saw Dad over the weekend, and showed him the posts in the Forum, starting with your own. He is happy to give you any information he can. If you send me an email, I can give you his email address. In his photo album that includes his Malta wartime photos, he has one that includes Tony Boyd, so we can scan this and let you have a copy.

As already mentioned in an earlier reply to your initial post, I assume that you have obtained a copy of “Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942”, by Christopher Shores and Brian Cull, with Nicola Mulizia, published by Grub Street, London in 1991, ISBN 0-948817-16-X. Dad has this on his aviation bookshelf, along with the companion book, “Malta: the Hurricane Years 1940 – 41”, by the same authors. I noted from the latter that Tony Boyd arrived in Malta/185 Squadron at Hal Far in November 1941. The other main source book is 185, The Malta Squadron (I think I’ve recalled that right); this book largely comprises the informal squadron diary of 185 Squadron, much of it told in a light-hearted/flippant way or, alternatively - with a good deal of black humour! This, together with ‘The Spitfire Year’, tells very graphically the odds the defenders were fighting against, and you will of course find mention of Tony Boyd in both.

‘185 The Malta Squadron’ also includes the ‘scores’ of the pilots on a monthly basis, although it’s worth saying that Dad is adamant that the feeling amongst the pilots was very much one of ‘doing the job, together’, rather than any notion of competitiveness in terms of scores, which these days we perhaps imagine might to have been the case. For example, in the ‘Victories for April’, Tony Boyd is credited with
SGT Boyd 2 JU 88 Destroyed 1 JU 87 Probable 2 JU 88 Probable 4 JU 88 Damaged 1 ME 109 Damaged

Regards,

Geoff Lawrence.

 

Amanda

Your longshot has paid off. Quite by chance, at the end of last week, I found your post re Tony Boyd, on my first visit to WW2TALK. My father Keith Lawrence, a New Zealander, was on Malta with 185 Squadron from 22 February until 27 June 1942 and flew with Tony Boyd. In fact, Dad was promoted to Flight Lieutenant on 17 March, and thereafter was flight commander of B Flight (7 pilots) in which Sergeant Boyd flew. He was subsequently made the squadron commander on 28 May (acting Squadron Leader), but this was of course two weeks after Tony Boyd was killed in action.

I saw Dad over the weekend, and showed him the posts in the Forum, starting with your own. He is happy to give you any information he can. If you send me an email, I can give you his email address. In his photo album that includes his Malta wartime photos, he has one that includes Tony Boyd, so we can scan this and let you have a copy.

As already mentioned in an earlier reply to your initial post, I assume that you have obtained a copy of “Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942”, by Christopher Shores and Brian Cull, with Nicola Mulizia, published by Grub Street, London in 1991, ISBN 0-948817-16-X. Dad has this on his aviation bookshelf, along with the companion book, “Malta: the Hurricane Years 1940 – 41”, by the same authors. I noted from the latter that Tony Boyd arrived in Malta/185 Squadron at Hal Far in November 1941. The other main source book is 185, The Malta Squadron (I think I’ve recalled that right); this book largely comprises the informal squadron diary of 185 Squadron, much of it told in a light-hearted/flippant way or, alternatively - with a good deal of black humour! This, together with ‘The Spitfire Year’, tells very graphically the odds the defenders were fighting against, and you will of course find mention of Tony Boyd in both.

‘185 The Malta Squadron’ also includes the ‘scores’ of the pilots on a monthly basis, although it’s worth saying that Dad is adamant that the feeling amongst the pilots was very much one of ‘doing the job, together’, rather than any notion of competitiveness in terms of scores, which these days we perhaps imagine might to have been the case. For example, in the ‘Victories for April’, Tony Boyd is credited with
SGT Boyd 2 JU 88 Destroyed 1 JU 87 Probable 2 JU 88 Probable 4 JU 88 Damaged 1 ME 109 Damaged

Regards,

Geoff Lawrence.

Wow!!! again just goes to prove what a great forum this is!!!

 

Hi Amanda,

This is the official cause of death however most info has been included before.

404548 Pilot Officer BOYD, John Livingstone DFM
Source:
AWM 237 (65) NAA : A705, 163/93/508 Commonwealth War Graves records
Aircraft Type: Spitfire
Serial number: BP 349
Radio call sign:
Unit: ATTD 185 SQN RAF
Summary:
Spitfire BP349 flown by PO Boyd crashed in Siggieni dispersal,Luqa Malta, at 1045
hours on 14th May 1942, The aircraft was shot down in aerial combat over Malta with
enemy aircraft, and the pilot was killed.
Crew :
RAAF 404548 PO Boyd, J L DFM (Pilot)
PO Boyd is buried in the Malta (Capuccini) Naval Cemetery, Malta.
Citation :
The Citation for the award of the DFM to the then Sgt Boyd of 185 Sqn is as follows :
“Sgt Boyd is a courageous and skilful leader. He has shown the greatest keenness to
attack the enemy at all times regardless of the odds against him. Sgt Boyd has destroyed
three and probably destroyed a further four enemy aircraft. London Gazette 1/5/1942.).”

 

My apologies also for not placing the full communal plot which includes (3) other names.



Cheers

Geoff