Douglas had been an officer in the Territorial Army prior to the war and following mobilisation saw service in the Middle East but was back in France by the time of the Dunkirk evacuation. He had always wanted to fly and so in 1942 obtained a transfer to the RAF and was sent to Rhodesia to undertake flying training.

On completion of his training, Douglas was posted to 241 Squadron based in Italy in 1944, flying the Supermarine Spitfire IX in the tactical and maritime reconnaissance, bomber escort and ground attack role. His aircraft was shot down over the Adriatic on Monday 24^th July 1944 and is one of two OWs to be commemorated on the Malta Memorial, at Floriana. Douglas was 25 years old.

Son of James Bennett & Edith G Bennett of Hoylake, Cheshire.

A copy of this story is available to download here.

See also the Commonwealth War Graves Commission permanent digital memorial, ‘Evermore: Stories of the fallen’ relating to:-
F/Officer Douglas Gordon BENNETT