Background
Ernest "Melville" Guest was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, in May 1920, one of the twin sons of Ernest Lucas Guest, a prominent Rhodesian politician.
Ernest "Melville" Guest was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, in May 1920, one of the twin sons of Ernest Lucas Guest, a prominent Rhodesian politician.
He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1942 having flown more than 1,000 operational hours. Posted to South Africa as a flight navigation instructor, he was unhappy and got himself transferred back to England on operational duties. He soon went missing in October 1943 after taking on six Ju 88s while on an anti-submarine sortie.
Before the outbreak of the Second World War, he was nominated by the Governor of Southern Rhodesia to be a Royal Air Force cadet at Royal Air Force College, Cranwell.
He was granted a permanent commission as Pilot Officer in the General Duties Branch on 9 October 1939. lieutenant read: "Return to England immediately and report to Air Ministry".
He was posted to Number. 206 Squadron Royal Air Force and flew a number of sorties over enemy territory.
He was promoted to Flying Officer on 9 October 1940 and then Flight Lieutenant on 9 October 1941. In the meantime, he was posted to the Gambia in June 1941 with Number.
200 Squadron Royal Air Force, which was formed from a section of Number. 206 Squadron. Later, he transferred to 61 Air School at George, Cape Province, South Africa, as a navigation instructor.
He was unhappy at George and soon sought to return to operational duty.
Guest returned to England and joined Number. 53 Squadron Royal Air Force in 1943, flying B-24 Liberator bombers from Royal Air Force Thorney Island on anti-submarine patrols over the Bay of Biscay. Soon after arriving in England, on 4 October 1943, his and another aircraft were sent out on patrol.
They were attacked by six Ju 88s.
The other aircraft sought the protection of the clouds but Guest decided to fight it out. He did not return. He was pronounced missing in January 1944.
Guest married Katherine Mary Hustler of Pannal, Yorkshire in Knaresborough in 1941.
As well as two Mentions in Despatches, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1942: "This officer has now completed over 1,000 hours operational flying. His qualities of endurance are phenomenal, his ability as a pilot is exceptional, and his devotion to duty is of the highest order. All his work has been done quietly and efficiently. He has set an excellent example to the younger pilots of the Squadron.".
When Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, along with Crown Princess Juliana and other members of the Dutch Royal fled to England in May 1940 aboard the British destroyer HMS Hereward, Guest was in the air escort that accompanied her to safety.
