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Hammer Blow by
David Pritchard.
Six signature edition - Notes on
George Unwin
George Cecil Unwin – 46298 F/SGT Pilot British 19 Squadron
Unwin, of
He applied for pilot training, was selected and on
Over
On August 6 Unwin claimed a Bf 110 destroyed and probably another,
on September 3 a Bf 110 destroyed, on the 7th two Bf 109s, on the 11th a
probable He 111, on the 15th three Bf 109s, on the 18th a Bf 110 and on the
27th another Bf 109. He was awarded the DFM (1.10.40).
On November 5 Unwin claimed a Bf 109 destroyed, on the 15th he
shared a Bf 110 and on the 28th shared a Bf 109. He was awarded a Bar to the
DFM (6.12.40) and on December 29 went to 2 CFS, Cranwell for an instructor’s
course.
Posted to 16 EFTS,
With his tour completed, he went to CGS, Catfoss on
Unwin was then posted overseas and on September 9 he took command
of 84 Squadron at Habbaniya.
The squadron moved to Tengah on
Memorial Extract from the Telegraph
Wing Commander 'Grumpy' Unwin (Filed:
Wing Commander George "Grumpy" Unwin, who has died aged
93, was one of the most successful fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain
and was twice awarded the DFM; he was one of only 60 men to receive the double
award during the Second World War.
In August 1938 Unwin was a sergeant pilot serving on No 19 Squadron
when it became the first to receive the Spitfire. He was one of the original
RAF pilots to fly the new fighter and, in the early days, he flew regularly as
Douglas Bader's wingman.
No 19 was heavily engaged during the
Unwin flew throughout the Battle of Britain, mainly from Duxford.
On August 16 his section of four aircraft attacked a large formation of
fighters escorting bombers, and he shot down one fighter over
Early September saw the introduction of the controversial Bader
"Big Wing" employing three squadrons, including No 19. The wing flew
its first offensive patrol on September 7. After attacking a fighter, Unwin
became detached from the rest of his formation. Finding himself alone, he saw
Hurricanes engaging a big formation of bombers and went to assist them. A large
force of Messerschmitt Bf 109s immediately attacked him over Ramsgate, and he
turned to engage them. He hit at least five and two were confirmed as
destroyed.
On September 15, the height of the battle, Unwin and his section
attacked a force of 30 Bf 109 fighters escorting a large formation of enemy
bombers. He dived on one and shot down one of the escorts over
Over the next few weeks Unwin accounted for three more German
fighters and he shared in the destruction of two others. He achieved his final
success on November 28, when he was patrolling over a convoy. Early in December
it was announced that Unwin had been awarded a Bar to his DFM.
The son of a
After serving at Uxbridge for four years Unwin was selected for
pilot training in 1935 and the following year he joined No 19, flying the
bi-plane Gauntlet fighter. He served with the squadron for four years, and was
one of the very few to fly in action throughout the Battle of Britain and
survive unscathed. In December 1940 he was rested.
Initially, Unwin would not apply for a commission, since a senior
flight sergeant earned a few more shillings than a junior officer. Once the
rules were changed he relented, and was interviewed a number of times; but his
background and passion for football did not impress the selection boards. A
colleague tipped him off that an interest in horses would make a good
impression. For his next interview he decided to tell the panel of his
knowledge and love of horses. The board accordingly recommended him for a
commission - he had omitted to tell them that his experience was limited to the
occasional meeting with the pit ponies at his father's coal mine. He was made a
pilot officer in July 1941.
Unwin became a flying instructor, first at Cranwell and then at
Montrose, where he remained until October 1943. He then converted to the Mosquito
before joining No 613 Squadron in April 1944; he was based at Lasham and
employed on night intruder operations. As D-Day dawned, No 613 roamed behind
enemy lines attacking fuel supplies, airfields and road and rail links.
By October Unwin had flown more than 50 intruder operations, and he
was sent to the
Unwin was given command of No 84 Squadron in August 1949, flying
the Brigand aircraft from RAF Habbaniya in
The Brigand was not a popular aircraft, and the squadron suffered a
number of losses. Unwin spotted that some were due to premature explosions in
the
Not many commanding officers played football, but Unwin was a
regular member of the squadron team until he broke a leg. He was invalided home
and given a ground appointment as a wing commander. Shortly afterwards it was
announced that he had been awarded the DSO, one of very few awarded to the RAF
for operations during the Malayan campaign.
In 1955 Unwin returned to
In retirement Unwin was the Controller of Spastics Appeals for the
southern counties, but he never considered that to be work. A passionate golfer
with a handicap of six, he lived within walking distance of the Ferndown Club,
in
In earlier days he played seven days a week, once commenting:
"I cut it down to five times in winter." He continued playing until
he was 90, but visited the club two or three times a week until his death.
Small in stature, Unwin displayed all the characteristics for which
Yorkshiremen are renowned: he was pugnacious, blunt, unafraid to speak out, and
he had no time for wasters or for the unprofessional. One of his pilots said of
him: "He was like a terrier, and an outstanding CO who always led from the
front. He never failed to back you up if you were right."
George Unwin, who died on June 28, married Edna
("Jimmie") Cornwell in 1939; she died last year.
Comments on this page should be emailed to Alan @ FDLC.co.uk
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