Pilot Officer DAVID MURRAY BARBOUR

Before the war David Murray Barbour, the eldest son of Lt Col and Mrs Kenneth Durand Barbour, had lived at Clump House, The Firs, Odiham, close to the RAF Station where 4 Squadron had been based between early 1937 and September 1939[i].   David’s father had been born in Punjab and had served as an officer in the Indian Cavalry[ii].  Following in his father’s footsteps, David was educated at Charterhouse School, Godalming (1933 – 1938).  He is commemorated on the Roll of Honour panels in the Memorial Chapel at the School[iii].

4 Sqn, equipped with Westland Lysanders, left Odiham for France to join the BEF as an army air co-operation unit on 24 September 1939.  In May, 1940, the Squadron moved to Belgium to undertake tactical reconnaissance operations near Brussels[iv].   A brief account of the following few days appears in A History of IV (Army Co-operation) Squadron, 1912 – 2009 –

“The Sqn commenced reconnaissance patrols for II Corps BEF as it advanced into Belgium and dug in on the River Dyle.  On 13^th May, the Sqn began reporting on German troop movements and also began to encounter enemy aircraft and AAA [Anti Aircraft Artillery].”   (p.19)[v]

On 14 May 1940 the Lysander II, serial no. L4745, flown by David Barbour accompanied by Cpl Raymond Waters, failed to return to base by the expected arrival time of 16.30 hrs.  Both men were reported missing in action[vi].   On the same day, 4 Sqn lost two other planes.   The period 10 – 23 May was one of heavy losses, both in terms of aircrew (nine) and planes (at least ten)[vii].  During the ‘Battle of France’ 60% of 4 Sqn’s ground crew had also been lost, along with ‘all the heavy equipment’[viii]. The depleted Squadron returned to England on 24 May, sadly without David Barbour and Raymond Walters. 

David is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.