Roll of Honour 2023

P AGE 270

W ORLD W AR II

S T . E DWARD ’ S S CHOOL , O XFORD R OLL OF H ONOUR

Name ADRIAN WARBURTON (Wing Commander)

Lef SES 1935

Arrive SES 1932

Set / House B

Roll Number 2718 Died 12:04:1944

Where EGLING AN DER PAAR, GERMANY Serving with 7TH PHOTO REC GROUP, U.S.A.F.

Age 26

Buried Durnbach Commonwealth War Cemetery, Germany Remembered Memorial at Durnbach Cemetery and The St. Edward’s School WW2 Memorial

Born in Middlesborough 1918, son of a celebrated Great War Naval Submariner. Later known as ‘Warby’. He represented the School in the Shooting VIII and the Swimming team. While at St. Edward’s he was known as a rebel, a loner interested only in aviation and swimming. He was in the Lower Maths VIth Form on leaving. He joined the Territorial Army in 1937 as a Private in the The Royal Tank Corps but changed to, and was commissioned in, The Royal Air Force as an Acting Pilot Officer if 1939. In 1941 he was a Flight Officer with 431 Squadron (Reconnaissance) attached to 69 Squadron flying Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes. During his time with this squadron he was awarded the DFC and Bar and took part in 125 operations, many at night. In 1942 he transferred to 663 Squadron out of Malta taking low level reconnaissance pictures of Taranto Harbour and other key enemy locations in Italy and North Africa, During this time he was awarded the DSO and Bar and promoted to Acting Squadron Leader, His good looks and amazing courage soon brought him much publicity both for his exploits and private life in Malta, where he was also something of an icon to the local population. In 1944 he was transferred to the 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group RAF, part of the new 325th Recce Wing working closely with the USAF, based near Oxford. In April 1944, he was the pilot of a Lockheed F-5B US Aircraft targeted with taking photos over Germany but crashed at Egling Der Paar, Bavaria, probably due to enemy fire. Wreckage discovered 2002.