Home World War Two Stories from the War Airman – Unwin, George Cecil, DSO, DFM & Bar

Airman – Unwin, George Cecil, DSO, DFM & Bar

January 1941

Wikipedia Extracts & Photograph:

George Cecil Unwin, DSO, DFM & Bar (18/1/1913 to 28/6/2006) was born in the town of Bolton upon Dearne, near Barnsley, Yorkshire, on 18 January 1913. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1929 as an administrative apprentice and, in 1935, was selected for pilot training. Upon completion of training he was posted to No. 19 Squadron RAF as a sergeant pilot.

Battle of Britain

During the Battle of Britain stationed in No. 12 Group he was credited with 14 enemy aircraft shot down by the end of 1940 and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal in October 1940 with a Bar award in December. On 15 September Unwin claimed three Bf 109s destroyed (Luftwaffe records indicate they were Bf 109s. On 18 September Unwin added a Bf 110 to his score as his 11th victory.

On 27 September Unwin destroyed a Bf 109- Wrk Nr 6162and on 5 November scored a kill against a JG 51 Bf 109- Wrk Nr 4846. Unwin had now destroyed eight 109s. On 5 November Unwin shot down his final personal victory, a Bf 110 over the English Channel. Unwin was in turn attacked by Bf 109s and Hauptmann Gerhard Schöpfel claimed Unwin as one of two kills he claimed in that engagement, although Unwin was not shot down.

At the end of 1940 he was rested and sent as an instructor to No. 2 Central Flying School, Cranwell

Wikipedia Link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Unwin

Battle of Britain London Movement Link:

http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Unwin.htm

Photograph of George Unwin with Squadron Mascot Flash, From Wikipedia:

Royal Air Force official photographer – http://media.iwm.org.uk/iwm/mediaLib//225/media-225213/large.jpg

This is photograph CH 1343 from the collections of the Imperial War Museums.