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Sergeant Alan Gordon MACKINNON (1387905)
410 (Cougar) Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force Date of birth: 11th July 1922 Date of death: 11th April 1942 Killed on active service aged 19 Commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial Panel 88
Alan Gordon Mackinnon was born at Croydon in Surrey on the 11th of July 1922 the son of Albert Edward Mackinnon, London Stores and Shipping Superintendent, and Iris Clare (nee Allen) MacKinnon, of 105 Woodcote Grove Road, Coulsdon in Surrey. He was educated at Lancing College where he was in Gibbs House from May 1936 to December 1939. He gained his School Certificate in 1939. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve where he trained as an Air Gunner and rose to the rank of Sergeant. He and his pilot, Sergeant Roderick Giles Smith RCAF, were posted to 410 (Cougar) Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force on the 9th of April 1942. At the time, 410 Squadron was based at RAF Drem and was in the process of converting from the Defiant aircraft to Beaufighters which were to be deployed in a night fighter role. On the 11th of April 1942 Smith and Mackinnon were detailed to undertake a familiarisation flight of the local area. The weather report was for occasional rain, with a cloud base of 1,200 to 1,500 feet and with visibility of five miles. They took off from RAF Drem at 11.10am in Defiant Mk 1 N3503 and, while over Aberlady Bay in East Lothian, their aircraft was seen to dive out of low cloud in an unusual attitude with no apparant attempt being made to recover. It struck the water at 11.25am and submerged in 25 fathoms of water. The bodies were not able to be recovered. A Court of Inquiry was held into the accident at RAF Drem on the 15th of April 1942, under the Chairmanship of Squadron Leader P.W. Rathbone, which took statements from eyewitnesses. Statement of Flight Lieutenant R.G. Woodman: - "I am Flight Commander of B Flight, 410 Squadron, and at approximately 11.00 hrs on the 11th of April 1942 I instructed Sergeant Smith, who had just joined this unit, to do a Sector Recce in Defiant N3503, with Sergeant Mackinnon as Air Gunner. At Approximately 12.30hrs on the same day P/O Hamilton reported to me and said that an aircraft had crashed into the sea, in the Firth of Forth near Aberlady, and he informed me that it was Sergeant Smith in Defiant N3503. At approximately 15.10 hrs I proceeded to the Naval Station at Port Seton, on the information from Operations, and at 15.50 hours I boarded the "Wheatear", a fishery patrol vessel and proceeded to a convoy patrol vessel which is moored 3 miles north of Fidra. I contacted L/Cdr Pirrie who handed me the equipment listed elsewhere, which he had retreived from the sea. I arrived back at Drem at apporximately 19.30 hours and reported to my C.O." Statement of Lieutenant William Shapter Pritchard RNVR: - "I was officer of the watch on HMS Norna, proceeding in an easterly direction in the Swept Channel and after passing No. D Buoy, which is approximately 3 miles east of Inchkeith Gates, I heard the roar of an aircraft engine and looking up saw a single engined aircraft appear out of the cloud, which was low and diving steeply. The aircraft was in an inverted position and diving steeply and the pilot appeared to attempt to roll to the right to recover, but before this could be completed, the aircraft struck the sea. On striking the water the aircraft exploded. We altered course immediately to the scene of the crash and had a motor boat lowered on the spot within 3 minutes. There was no sign of the occupants of the aircraft and some pieces of wreckage were picked up and handed to F/Lt Woodman who came aboard later." The Chairman of the inquiry concluded: - "I consider that this accident was caused by the pilot losing control of his aircraft in cloud, due to an error of judgement and inexperiance on his part. No recommendations."

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