Flying Officer Alister Charles Jocelyn PERCY (90025)
501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron Royal Air Force

Date of birth: 28th May 1909
Date of death: 11th May 1940

Killed on active service aged 30
Buried at Terlincthun British Cemetery Plot 19 Row E Grave 3
He was born at Cheltenham on the 28th of May 1909 the son of Major General Sir Jocelyn Percy KBE, CB, CMG, DSO and Lady Inez D’Aguilar (nee Jamieson) Percy of 22, Grimston Gardens, Folkestone and of South Kensington.

He was educated at The Holt School, Wokingham and at the King’s School Canterbury from January 1923 to March 1924 where he was a day boy. He went on to Bembridge School, Isle of Wight.

He worked for the Austin Motor Company at Longbridge from 1928 to 1929 and for the Albanian Gendarmerie from 1929 to 1931, where his father worked as an advisor to King Zog. He worked for Imperial Tobacco in 1935. He was married at Weston-Super-Mare on the 24th of April 1936 to Mary Frances (nee Chamberlain) and they lived at Guthrei Lodge, College Fields, Clifton, Bristol. They had a son, Alister, born on the 3rd of July 1940. He achieved his Royal Aero Club Certificate (number 12562) on the 17th of January 1935 at the Bristol and Wessex Aeroplane Club flying a DH60 aircraft.

He was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force on the 24th of May 1937 and was promoted to Flying Officer on the 24th of November 1938. On the 29th of August 1939 he transferred to the Administrative and Special Duties Branch becoming Adjutant of 501 Squadron, based at RAF Filton near Bristol.

On the 10th of May 1940 the Germans invaded France and later that day 501 Squadron was moved to Northern France to operate their Hurricanes from a small airfield at Bethenville near Wimille, where 105 Squadron was already operating and had been bombed there that morning.

The following day, Alister Percy boarded Bristol Bombay BJ-? L5813 of 271 Squadron with other pilots and ground crew from his and other squadrons, as well as with spare parts for the squadron aircraft. As the aircraft was about to land at Bethenville its nose came up, forcing the pilot to go round and try again. On the second approach the aircraft behaved in the same way but stalled, causing the nose and wing to drop and the aircraft to crash to the ground at 5.20pm. Although there was no explosion, three of the passengers and crew were killed with ten others injured, of which one later died of his injuries.

Those killed were: -

Flying Officer Alister Charles Jocelyn Percy Adjutant 501 Squadron
Sergeant William Harry Whitfield Pilot 501 Squadron
Sergeant Harold James Barnwell Pilot 105 Squadron

The injured were taken to the Casualty Clearing Station at Apernay, and were: -

Flying Officer Bernard John Richard Brady Pilot 615 Squadron, attached 501 Squadron (died of his injuries at the Royal and Devon Hospital on the 14th of August 1940)
Sergeant Hugh Charles Adams Pilot 501 Squadron (killed in action on the 6th of September 1940)
Flight Sergeant Frank Thomas Avent Pilot 501 Squadron
Sergeant Douglas Barker Crabtree Pilot 501 Squadron
Sergeant Jack Davis Pilot 501 Squadron
Flying Officer Frederick Peter James McGevor DFM 271 Squadron (Killed in action on the 28th of February 1942)
Pilot Officer Byron Leonard Duckenfield Pilot 501 Squadron
Leading Aircraftsman Albert Lloyd Winston Holt
Aircraftsman 1st Class Alan Frederick Holdsworth
Sergeant Sidney Charles Williams 271 Squadron

His mother received the following telegram dated the 13th of May 1940: - Deeply regret to inform you that your son Flying Officer Alister Charles Jocelyn Percy is reported as having lost his life as the result of an aircraft accident on 11th May 140. The Air Council express their profound sympathy. His wife has been informed."

An investigation concluded that the aircraft crashed due to the incorrect distribution of passengers and equipment on board the aircraft. He was buried on the 14th of May 1940.

He is commemorated on the war memorial at Bembridge School but is not currently commemorated on the war memorial at the King’s School Canterbury.
Day Boy

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