Page 199 - They Also Served

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Brian MacNamara 1935.
Brian Radley MacNamara was born on
2nd June 1915 and attended Repton
School. He entered the Royal Military
College Sandhurst, as a gentleman
cadet and was commissioned in January
1935 into the Royal Tank Regiment.
After serving on the North-West
Frontier of India and being awarded
the Indian General Service Medal, he
applied for a secondment to the RAF.
After completing his flying training in September 1939, he joined 614 Squadron at Odiham, flying Westland Lysanders in the army cooperation role.
In August 1940, following an appeal for volunteers to replace pilots lost in the Battle of Britain, MacNamara attended 7 OTU at RAF Hawarden and, at the end of the month, joined 603 Squadron at Hornchurch, flying Spitfires. Almost immediately in action, he shared in the destruction of a Heinkel He 111 bomber on 7th September and damaged another on the 11th. He shot down a Messerschmitt BF 109 on the 14th and damaged another on the 27th. He also damaged a Dornier Do 17 bomber on the 15th on what later became known as ‘Battle of Britain Day’.
As the Luftwaffe concentrated on the night blitz on London, the opportunity to engage the enemy by day decreased but, nevertheless, he shared in the destruction of another Dornier bomber on 29th November. The closing days of the battle also saw the short-lived and ill-fated Italian raids on England as Mussolini sought to curry favour with Hitler. On 23rd November, MacNamara shot down a Fiat CR42 biplane fighter as the Italians were hopelessly outclassed by their RAF rivals. MacNamara was also one of a select group of Battle of Britain pilots who were sketched by celebrated artist Cuthbert Orde.
In early 1941, MacNamara returned to 614 Squadron as a flight commander. Now based in Scotland and flying Bristol Blenheims, the squadron flew intruder missions over occupied Europe. In August 1942, he was posted to 296 Squadron at RAF Hurn, flying converted Whitley bombers in trials towing the new Airspeed Horsa troop- carrying glider before taking command of the squadron in March 1943. Heavily
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