William Captain

Background

W.N. McKechnie was born on August 27, 1907 the son of Lieutenant Colonel William Ernest McKechnie, Indian Medical Service and Marion A. McKechnie.

Education

He attended The Perse School in Cambridge.

Career

On 20 June 1929, an aeroplane piloted by Flight Cadet C. J. Giles crashed on landing at Royal Air Force College Cranwell and burst into flames. The pilot was stunned, but managed to release his safety belt and fall out of the machine in a dazed condition. Flight Cadet McKechnie, who had landed in another aeroplane about the same time some two hundred yards away, left his machine and ran at full speed towards the scene of the accident.

The petrol had spread over an area about ten yards in diameter, in full blaze, with Giles lying in it semi-conscious.

McKechnie, without hesitation, ran into the flames and pulled out Giles, who was badly burned. McKechnie, who was himself scorched and superficially burned, then proceeded to extinguish Giles"s burning clothing.

There is no doubt that without McKechnie"s assistance Giles would have been burned to death, as he was quite incapable of moving himself. His machine was entirely destroyed, and the ground for some distance around was burned up by the spread of the ignited petrol.

In January 1939 he was commanding Number.

27 Squadron Royal Air Force at Kohat, India. During World World War II McKechnie was a Group Commander based at Royal Air Force Metheringham with Number. 106 Squadron Royal Air Force from 11 November 1943 until his death.

He was involved in The Battle of Berlin in which he flew in an Avro Lancaster that completed thirteen operations against Berlin and four other operations over Germany, when the plane was lost it had flown 638.05 hours.

Their eighteenth, and final flight, on August 29, 1944, was an operation over Königsberg where 106 Squadron lost two planes, including McKechnie"s, without trace. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists McKechnie"s date of death as August 30, 1944.

Those killed in action were: G/C McKechnie Government College Sgt R.B.Clarke F/South H.W.T.Carter Royal Canadian Air Force F/O East.E.Fletcher Sgt C.C.Jeffrey Sgt Doctorate.Forster F/South East.L.Collins.

Achievements

• McKechnie earned the Empire Gallantry Medal for an act of bravery in saving Flight Cadet C. J. Giles after an aeroplane crash on June 20, 1929 whilst still a Flight Cadet aged 22. The London Gazette of 18 October 1929, gives the following details in announcing the award to Group Captain McKechnie of the Empire Gallantry Medal: Attended Royal Air Force College Cranwell – where he won The George Cross.

Membership

There is no known grave for McKechnie, or any members of his crew, but they are commemorated on Runnymede Memorial panel 200, Surrey.