Flight Sergeant Douglas Michael Louis Brabant MAUGHAN-TAYLOR (700731)
142 Squadron, Royal Air Force

Date of birth: 27th April 1917
Date of death: 14th July 1944

Killed in action aged 27
Buried at Milan War Cemetery Plot II Row E Grave 2
He was born in Essex on the 27th of April 1917 the son of Paymaster Harry Douglas Mint Maughan-Taylor RNR, riding stable owner, later of "Mint Bungalow", Buckland Road, Lower Kingswood, Tadworth in Surrey and Anne H.H. (nee O'Dwyer later Toms) of Bangkok.

He was educated at Tormore School, Upper Deal, Kent and at the King's School Canterbury where he was in School House from January 1931 to December 1932. While he was at King's his guardian was Colonel McGill of Jersey. He went on to Victoria College, Jersey from 1933 to 1936.

On leaving school he took the examinations for entrance to the Royal Air Force but failed them. He then applied to join the Indian Police force but was not accepted. Instead he joined the Crown Service and enlisted as British Constable 104 in the Palestine Police Force. He sailed from London for Port Said on the 4th of March 1938 on board the RMS "Mooltan" from where he made his way to Palestine. Two years later, he was serving as a prison officer at the jail at Haifa when he was taken ill suffering from rheumatic fever. While in hospital he met and married his nurse, Rivka. She was disowned by her Rabbi father for marrying him.

Following the outbreak of war he requested permission to leave the police to join the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve but this was denied as his occupation was considered essential. His step father, who was serving as a Medical Officer with the Royal Air Force, travelled from his base in Nigeria to use his connections to arrange the transfer, and in 1942, he was granted his request and joined the Royal Air Force in Egypt. He was posted for pilot training to Heany, near Bulawayo in Southern Rhodesia but was found unsuitable as a pilot. Instead, he trained as an air gunner and, on completion of his training, he returned to Egypt where he was later posted to 142 Squadron.

His first operation with 142 Squadron was on the night of the 22nd/23rd of May 1944 as a member of the crew of Flight Lieutenant Stewart Foster Garland RCAF DFC. By the middle of July 1944 the Squadron had moved to Regine in Italy by which time he had completed twenty seven operations.

Douglas Maughan-Taylor and his crew took off in Wellington Mk X MF120 “Q” at 7.49pm on the 13th of July 1944 for an operation to bomb the railway marshalling yards at Lambrate near Milan. While over Pizzighettone, some twelve miles to the west north west of Cremona, they collided with Wellington Mk X LN806 “S” of 70 Squadron and crashed at Pizzighettone, killing the entire crew.

The crew was: -
Flight Lieutenant Stewart Foster Garland RCAF DFC (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Patrick Cashin (Navigator)
Flying Officer Stuart Collin Ware (Air Bomber)
Warrant Officer Donald Maurice Russell Purdue RAAF (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Douglas Michael Louis Brabant Maughan-Taylor (Air Gunner)

Theirs was one of two aircraft from the Squadron which failed to return from the mission. The crew was originally buried together in a local cemetery but their bodies were later exhumed and re-interred at their present location. The other Wellington crashed at San Bassano Cremonese with two of the crew being killed and another three taken prisoner.

He is commemorated on the war memorial at Victoria College, Jersey but is not currently commemorated on the memorial at the King's School Canterbury.
School House

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