Flying Officer Ian Robertson HYDE (114296)
296 Squadron, Royal Air Force

Date of birth: 11th March 1919
Date of death: 2nd October 1943

Killed in action aged 24
Commemorated on the Malta Memorial Panel 6 Column 2
He was born at Hammersmith on the 11th of March 1919 the son of the Reverend Robert Robertson Hyde, Director of the Boy's Welfare Association, and Eileen Ruth (nee Parker) of 8, Green Lane, Shepperton, Middlesex.

He was educated at the Junior King's School from September 1927 to December 1928. He went on to Sutton Valance School where he was in St Margaret's House from 1932 to 1936, after which he went on to King's College London to study law from 1936 to 1939 and achieved LLB. He was a member of the Officer Training Corps there in 1939.

He was married in London in 1939 to Anne Mary (nee Hall) of Walton-on-Thames

He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery on the 15th of December 1939 but transferred to the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a Pilot Officer on probation on the 23rd of December 1941. He was promoted to Flying Officer on the 1st of October 1942. He was posted to 296 Squadron where his Flight was part of a courier service for ferrying mail, freight and passengers.

At 8.05am on the 1st of October 1943 Ian Hyde and his crew took off from Goubrine II at Sidiel Hani in Tunisia, where the 1st Airborne Division had their headquarters, in Albemarle GT 1 P1516 for a mail flight to Gioia delle Colle in Italy. They were carrying five bags of mail, four containers and four panniers of equipment for the Royal Engineers. Weather conditions were described as "thundery". Having reached its destination safely and picked up two passengers, the aircraft took off once again at 8am the next morning but went missing on its return journey. Its fate and those of its passengers and crew is unknown. The Luftwaffe made no claims in the area that day.

The crew was:-

Flying Officer Ian Robertson Hyde (Pilot)
Flying Officer Norman Lee Burton RNZAF (Navigator)
Flying Officer Ivan William Hall RNZAF (Wireless Operator)
Warrant Officer Class II Brendan Hilary MacIsaac RCAF (Air Gunner)
Captain Arthur John Waterman 1st Airlanding Squadron, Reconnaissance Corps (Passenger)
Major Roger Pertwee, 1st (Airborne) Battalion Border Regiment (Passenger)

He is commemorated on the war memorial at King's College London and on the memorial at the Middle Temple. He is also commemorated on the war memorial at Sutton Valence School but is he not currently commemorated on the war memorial at the King?s School Canterbury.
Junior King's School

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