Dennis Tomlinson received his commission on 4^th August 1936. In the early stages of the war he flew with 10 Squadron. On the night of 3^rd/^4th September 1940 he was piloting Whitley P4967 which crashed landed in Yorkshire on its return from operations.

Tomlinson was involved in another incident only weeks later above Thirsk while flying Whitley T4143 which was partly abandoned, and this saw two of his crew being killed. He was awarded the DFC for service with 10 Squadron on 17^th January 1941.

He briefly commanded 104 Squadron but was later posted for an instructional role with 10 OTU based at RAF Abingdon training night bomber aircrew.

On Tuesday 2^nd June 1942 10 OTU were one of several training units instructed to put up aircraft for night operations to Essen, Germany; the night of the second “1,000 bomber” raid.

He was pilot of Whitley Z6581 and was killed aged 26 when his aircraft was shot down by a Luftwaffe night fighter to the east of Arnhem. Dennis lies at rest in Gendringen Roman Catholic Cemetery, Netherlands.

Husband of Hannah Clare Tomlinson of Dry Sandford, Abingdon, Berkshire, father of infant son Hugh [b.1942]: only son of Mr & Mrs Geoffrey Arthur Tomlinson, Rustenberg, Transvaal, South Africa.

A copy of this story is downloadable here.

See also the Commonwealth War Graves Commission permanent digital memorial, ‘Evermore: Stories of the fallen’ relating to:-
Sqn Leader Dennis Brendon Geoffrey TOMLINSON