George Denholm facts for kids

Quick facts for kids George Lovell Denholm
Denholm in 1940, by Thomas Cantrell Dugdale
Nickname(s)	Uncle
Born	(1908-12-20)20 December 1908 Bo'ness, West Lothian
Died	15 June 1997(1997-06-15) (aged 88) Bo'ness, West Lothian
Allegiance	United Kingdom / British Empire
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1933–1947
Rank	Group Captain
Service number	90190
Commands held	RAF North Weald (c.1944–45) No. 605 Squadron (1942–43) No. 1460 Flight (1941–42) No. 603 Squadron (1940–41)
Battles/wars	Second World War Battle of Britain
Awards	Distinguished Flying Cross Mentioned in Despatches King Haakon VII Freedom Cross (Norway)

George Lovell "Uncle" Denholm (born December 20, 1908 – died June 15, 1997) was a brave Scottish fighter pilot. He was known as a "flying ace" because he shot down many enemy planes during World War II. He flew famous Spitfire planes during the Battle of Britain, a very important air battle. He was one of 'The Few', a special group of pilots who defended Britain.

Early Life and Flying Start

George Denholm was born in a town called Bo'ness in Scotland. His father worked with coal and timber. George went to good schools and later studied law at Cambridge University.

While at Cambridge, he joined a cadet group. In 1933, George became very interested in planes. He joined No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. He learned to fly biplanes (planes with two sets of wings) at airfields in Scotland. In August 1939, just before World War II began, George became a flight commander for his squadron.

RAF Career: Flying for Britain

First Fights and a Nickname

When World War II started, George had learned to fly the new and powerful Mk.I Spitfire plane. On October 16, 1939, while flying his Spitfire, he helped shoot down a German Heinkel He 111 bomber. This bomber was trying to attack the Forth Railway Bridge in Scotland. This was the first German bomber shot down over Great Britain in the war! Later, in March 1940, he damaged another German plane, a Dornier Do 17, near Aberdeen.

Because George was 32 years old, much older than most other pilots in his squadron, they gave him the friendly nickname "Uncle George."

The Battle of Britain Heroics

In the summer of 1940, the Battle of Britain was happening. This was a huge air battle where German planes tried to bomb Britain, and the RAF fought back to protect the country. George's squadron moved to RAF Hornchurch in southern England, right in the middle of the action.

He flew many missions to stop German bombers.

• On June 26, he likely shot down a He 111.
• On July 3, he shared in shooting down a Junkers Ju 88.
• On August 28, he destroyed a Messerschmitt Bf 109 and probably another.
• On August 30, while fighting Bf 110 planes, his Spitfire was shot down. But he was brave and managed to parachute out safely!

Just two days later, on September 1, 1940, George was back in the sky. He damaged another Bf 109. On September 15, he damaged two Do 17s and a Bf 109. However, during this flight, he was shot down again! His Spitfire crashed, but he landed safely.

He continued to fight, damaging more Bf 109s on September 18 and 27. On October 20, 1940, he damaged another Bf 109.

On October 22, 1940, George Denholm was given the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his amazing bravery. This award is given for "an act or acts of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy in the air." The official report said that his leadership helped his squadron destroy 54 enemy planes in about six weeks, and George himself destroyed four of them.

He kept fighting, shooting down a Bf 109 on November 11 and a Bf 110 on November 29.

In April 1941, George left his command of No. 603 Squadron. He was then posted to RAF Turnhouse in Edinburgh as a Fighter Controller. This meant he helped guide other fighter planes. On May 10, 1941, George was on duty when Rudolf Hess's German plane was stopped over Scotland. Hess was a very important German leader, and he was arrested.

Leading Other Squadrons

In December 1941, George became the commander of No. 1460 Flight RAF. This group used special searchlights on their Douglas Havoc night fighter planes to find enemy aircraft in the dark. George said this experiment worked very well.

In March 1942, he took command of No. 605 Squadron RAF. This squadron flew de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers. Before D-Day in June 1944, their job was to attack enemy positions in France. Flying so low was very dangerous, and the squadron lost many planes and pilots.

Later, George became the Station Commander at RAF North Weald. This base was home to Norwegian and Danish squadrons. He became good friends with the Norwegian Commanding Officer, Helge Mehre. After the war ended, George went with him to accept the German surrender in Norway.

George's last confirmed "kill" was on March 11, 1943, when he shot down an unknown enemy plane over the Netherlands. In January 1945, he was recognized again with a Mention in Despatches. He stayed with the RAF until 1947, leaving as a Group Captain.

Remembering Richard Hillary

George Denholm was the senior commander for a pilot named Richard Hillary in No. 603 Squadron. Hillary wrote about how much he respected "Uncle George" in his book The Last Enemy. Hillary was badly burned after his plane crashed but bravely returned to flying. Sadly, he died in January 1943 when his plane crashed during a training exercise. After Hillary's body was cremated, it was George Denholm who scattered his ashes over the English Channel.

Air Combat Record

George Denholm was a true "flying ace." During the war, he was credited with shooting down 6 enemy planes (4 by himself and 2 shared with others). He also likely shot down 3 more, shared in one probable, and damaged 5 enemy planes.

Life After the War

After the war, George Denholm went back to work in his family's business, J & J Denholm. In the 1950s, he was briefly a member of the local town council in Bo'ness. He married Betty Tooms in 1939, and they had two sons and two daughters.