Pryde, David Douglas Died

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Personal Information

Rank S/L
Forename(s) David Douglas
Surname Pryde
Gender M
Age 24
Decorations DFC
Date of Death 09-06-1942
Next of Kin Son of The Revd. John Marshall Pryde, B.D. and Jean Marshall Pryde, of Kilreny Manse, Anstruther. His Brothers Sqdn. Ldr. G.A.M. Pryde, D.F.C. and Flying Offr. W.S. Pryde, Also Died On Service.
PRYDE DD

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V
Serial Number DB195
Markings KN-M

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country United Kingdom
Burial/Memorial Place Runnymede Memorial
Grave Reference Panel 65.

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 229
PRYDE DD

Location

Row -
Panel 229
Column -
Line -

Directions From the Chadwick Centre, take the central path towards The Spire.

Phase 2
Panel Number 229

Enlistment Information

Service Number 39564
Service Royal Air Force
Group 4
Squadron 77
Squadron Motto Esse potius quam videri (To be, rather than to seem)
Trade Pilot
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location Pryde Lake, Manitoba; 12km east of Red Sucker Lake
Country Canada
Memorial Type Lake
Memorial Text
Location Holy Trinity Church, Elvington, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Stained Glass Window & Roll of Honour
Memorial Text Memorial windows and Roll of Honour for 77 Sqn. R.A.F.
Location Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Marble Column with Metal Sculpture and Plaques
Memorial Text Memorial to 77 Sqn. R.A.F. City of Lancaster's own
Location Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Memorial Gardens, Propeller, Inscribed Marble Tablets
Memorial Text In everlasting homage to the courage of those who have found their winged victory through the skies of Yorkshire
Location Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Propeller Unit & Inscribed Marble Tablets
Memorial Text They made the supreme sacrifice so that you & I may go in peace with freedom. 4 Group 1939 - 1945.
Location Heslington Hall, York, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text Heslington Hall 1941 - 1945, 4 Gp Headquarters Bomber Command. In remembrance of those Air & Ground personnel who made the supreme sacrifice that we all may walk in peace with freedom

Miscellaneous Information

On loan to Coastal Command at the time of his death
Born 17 April 1918 in Crieff, Perthshire. Former pupil, as were his two Brothers (Squadron Leader George A.M. Pryde, DFC and Flying Officer William S. Pryde), of Stewart's Melville College. All three perished during WW2.
Their father, Reverend John Marshall Pryde was on active service as a chaplain during WWI.
His DFC recommendation read "The example he set that day of courage and determination, that came at the end of six months of war flying during which he had completed 16 operational flights, both as a second pilot and as captain, showed courage and dash. And the spirit in which he tackles his flights is an infectious stimulant to all who work with him" and the final citation in the London Gazette dated 11 June 1940 read "This officer was detailed for a collaboration operation involving an attack on the communication centre at Hannapes, France. Despite difficult conditions, he succeeded in identifying the target from a very low altitude. Although his aircraft was hit heavily, Flying Officer Pryde climbed to 3,000 feet and executed a successful bombing attack. His aircraft subsequently caught fire, but he continued flying and when height could no longer be maintained, the entire crew landed by parachute. Flying Officer Pryde has completed sixteen operational flights during six months of war flying and has displayed considerable courage and determination of a high order".

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/656/10

Fellow Servicemen

Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.

Name Outcome
Carmichael W (F/S) Died
Cook J W (Sgt) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 09-06-1942
End Date 09-06-1942
Takeoff Station Chivenor
Day/Night Raid Day
Operation Anti-submarine patrol in area W.21
Reason for Aircraft Loss Intercepted by enemy fighters about 30 miles off Brest and shot down.
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Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.