Dennis was born in Hammersmith in 1915.  He received his commission on 4^th August 1936, marking the beginning of his service in the Royal Air Force. During the early stages of the War, Denis was assigned to 10 Squadron, where he played a significant role in the squadron’s operations.

Promotion and Operational Incidents

On 3^rd September 1940, Tomlinson was promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant. That same night, while piloting Whitley P-4967, he experienced a serious incident, crash-landing the aircraft at Nether Stilton in Yorkshire upon returning from an operation. Just weeks later, Tomlinson was involved in another incident above Thirsk, this time flying Whitley T-4143. The situation led to a partial abandonment of the aircraft, resulting tragically in the loss of two crew members.

Recognition and Further Service

His dedicated service with 10 Squadron was recognised on 17^th January 1941, when he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). Following the completion of his tour with the squadron, he briefly took command of 104 Squadron. Subsequently, Tomlinson was posted to an instructional role with 10 Operational Training Unit (OTU) at RAF Abingdon, where he was responsible for training night bomber aircrew. His progression continued with a promotion to Squadron Leader on 1^st September 1941.

Final Operation and Sacrifice

On 2^nd June 1942, 10 OTU was among several training units tasked with contributing aircraft for a major night operation to Essen, Germany, known as the second “1,000 bomber” raid. During this operation, Tomlinson piloted Whitley Z-6581. Tragically, his aircraft was shot down by a Luftwaffe night fighter to the east of Arnhem, resulting in his death at the age of 26. 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 Geoffrey Arthur Tomlinson & Mrs Maud Vivian Tomlinson, Rustenberg, Transvaal, South Africa.

A copy of this story is downloadable here.

Revised: November 2025