Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett
by Walter Stoneman
bromide print, March 1944
NPG x165022
Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation
Air
Vice Marshal D C T Bennett
Donald Clifford Tyndall
b: 14 Sep 1910
d: 15 Sep 1986
CB
- 8 Jun 1944, CBE -
2 Jun
1943, DSO -
16 Jun 1942,
KCVSA - 2 Jan 1950, OAN
- 11 Apr 1944, MP.
Plt Off: 11 Aug 1931, Fg Off: 28 Jan 1932, Flt Lt: N/A, Sqn Ldr:: N/A,
(RAFVR)
Plt Off (emergency): 25 Sep 1941, (T) Wg Cdr: 2 Dec 1941?, (T)
Gp Capt: 15 Aug 1942?, Act A/Cdre:
18 Dec 1942?, Gp Capt (WS): 18 Jul
1943, Act AVM: 6 Dec 1943,
A/Cdre (WS): 6 Dec 1944, AVM:
Retained.
Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett
by Walter Stoneman
bromide print, March 1944
NPG x165022
xx
Jul 1930:
U/T Pilot, RAAF.
xx xxx 1931: Supernumerary, RAF Depot
10
Sep 1931: Pilot, No 29 Sqn. (Siskin -
North Weald)
4 Jul 1932:
Attended Flying Boat Pilot's Course.
20
Dec 1932: Pilot, No 210 Sqn. (Southampton - ?)
14
Aug 1933: Instructor, School of Naval Co-Operation & Air Navigation - RAF
Calshot.
11 Aug 1935: Relinquished his Short Service Commission on transfer to RAAF
11 Aug 1935: Transferred to Royal Australian Air Force.
1936
- 1940:
Civilian Pilot, Imperial Airways.
xx
Aug 1940:
Flying Superintendent, Atlantic Ferry Organization.
1
Oct 1941:
Wing Commander - Training, No 1
Elementary Air Observer School, Eastbourne
2 Dec 1941: Officer Commanding, No 77 Sqn. (Whitley – Leeming)
2 - 8 Dec 1941: Attended Whitley Conversion Course, No 10 OTU
28 Mar - 5 Apr 1942: Officer Commanding (Temp), RAF Leeming
14 Apr 1942: Officer Commanding, No 10 Sqn. (Halifax – Leeming)
27 Apr 1942: Evading capture (He was replaced as OC, No 10 Sqn by Wg Cdr J B Tait on 4 May 1942)
4 Jun 1942: Officer Commanding, No 10 Sqn.
1 Jul 1942: Staff Officer, HQ No 4 Group.
15
Aug 1942: Officer Commanding, Pathfinder Force.
13
Jan 1943:
AOC, No 8 (PFF) Group.
Raised
on a cattle farm in Queensland his family hoped would follow a career in
medicine but he had different ideas. As
a result, he enlisted in the RAAF, undergoing pilot training at Point Cook and
like most of his compatriots of the time, found himself attached to the RAF in
Britain. After a year flying
fighters he applied to undergo training as a flying boat pilot.
Initially
he was disappointed with his next appointment which was as an instructor at
Calshot where he remained until his service with RAF came to an end.
However, during this time he not only managed to pass on his skills and
knowledge to others but was able extend his own experience and qualifications.
These included the gaining of his 'B' Pilot's Licence, First Class
Navigator's Licence, Ground Engineer's A, C and X Licences, Wireless Operator's
Licence as well as an Instructor's Licence.
It was at this point that he decided his future lay in civilian flying
and so armed with his vast array of qualifications he resigned his commission in
the RAF. However, instead of
immediately looking for a job he
married Elsa, daughter of a Zurich jeweler, and they spent the next year traveling
around Switzerland and Australia, returning to Britain in January
1936 where he joined Imperial Airways as a First Officer.
From
then until mid 1940 he flew landplanes and seaplanes around the world on
Imperial's various routes. These
included flying the top half of the Mercury-Maia trans-Atlantic mail plane
combination as well as taking part in air-to-air refueling experiments in 1939.
The early months of WW2 found him undertaking VIP flights around Europe
including a clandestine flight into occupied France to collect
Polish military and government officials.
Finishing his BOAC (Imperial Airways renamed in 1939) service in July
1940, he was asked by the Ministry of Aircraft Production to join the team being
set up to ferry aircraft for Britain across the Atlantic from the United States.
Appointed it's Flying Superintendent, he led the first flight of seven
Hudsons across the Atlantic in November 1940.
With the increase in supplies from America, it was eventually decided to
replace the 'civilian' ferry organization with and RAF unit and so with the
appointment of ACM Sir Frederick Bowhill in August 1941, Bennett returned to
London.
He
was initially told that he would be appointed a Group Capt in Training Command,
but when this was downgraded to Squadron Leader, he declined the offer, He was
eventually granted the rank of Wing Commander and sent to
assist in the establish a Navigation
School at Eastbourne.
Once the school was set up he requested an active assignment and was
appointed CO of No 77 Squadron. He
flew on operations as often as possible but always with a different crew by
replacing that crew's pilot, that way he was able to assess the efficiency of
all his crews. April
1942 brought a move to the command of No 10, newly equipped with the four-engined
Halifax. Later the same month
(27th), he took part in a combined raid by No's 10, 35 and 76 squadron against
the Tirpitz. Hit by flak his aircraft caught fire and he set course for
Sweden. Unable to make Sweden he
ordered his crew to bale out whilst he remained at the controls before making
his own escape. Landing in deep
snow he located his wireless operator and with the help of friendly Norwegians
he managed to cross the border into Sweden and eventually return to Britain
resuming command of his squadron one month after baling out and to receive an
immediate DSO. However, when No 10
Sqn was posted to the Middle East, he did not accompany them as he was summoned
to HQ Bomber Command to see the AOC in C, Arthur Harris, his old CO from the
flying boat days.
Harris
advised him that he had been instructed to form a special marking force in an
attempt to improve the accuracy of his heavy bombs, something Bennett himself
had suggested to the Director of Bomber Operations about a year before.
Harris also informed Bennett that he was to be promoted to Group Captain
to command this unit, which would be known as the Pathfinder Force.
Setting up his HQ at RAF Wyton, Bennett was allocated one squadron from
each group as his initial establishment, resulting in his unit being equipped
with four different types - Wellingtons, Stirlings, Halifaxes and Lancasters. With the success of the new unit, following some early
teething problems, Bennett's command was upgraded to Group status on 8 January
1943 and given the title - No 8 (PFF) Group with Bennett promoted to Air
Commodore as it's AOC. During the
remainder of the war No 8 Group continued to lead and mark targets for the Main
Force, although he often found himself at odds with his fellow group commander
at No 5 Group, AVM Ralph Cochrane, over marking techniques and the need to
concentrate marking squadrons in a single specialist group.
At
the time of his appointment, he was the youngest Air Vice Marshal in the RAF but
on leaving the RAF at the end of WW2, he was the only Group Commander, who
having served a full term in the post was not knighted. He resigned his commission in 1945 in order to stand for
Parliament, being elected Liberal MP for Middlesbrough West.
However, his political career was short lived, losing his seat at the
General Election shortly afterwards. He
made further attempts to enter
Parliament, unsuccessfully, eventually leaving the Liberal Party in 1962 owing
to their support of the EEC, which he was against.
After the war he also returned to the world of civilian aviation forming
British Latin American Airways, later becoming British South American Airways
Corporation as their Chief Executive from 1 August 1946 to 31 March 1948. However, he lost his job when he denounced the Minister for
Civil Aviation, following the ministry's grounding of his Avro Tudor fleet in
1948. He then went on to form
Airflight using Tudors to fly oil into Berlin during Operation 'Plainfare' and
in May 1949, Fairflight, which he sold in 1951.
He continued to champion the cause of flying boats long after they fell
out of favour generally and was a leading advocate in the development of the
Saunders-Roe Princess boats, only three of which were
built but never
entered service.
“Acting Wing Commander Donald Clifford Tyndall BENNETT (32065), No.10 Squadron.
1114164 Sergeant Harry WALMSLEY, No.10 Squadron.
One night in April, 1942, Wing Commander Bennett and Sergeant Walmsley were .the captain and second pilot respectively of an aircraft which attacked the German naval base in the Trondheim fiord. In spite of a fierce defensive barrage, the attack was carried out at an extremely low level. The aircraft was hit by shell-fire and, later, burst into flames. Wing Commander Bennett and Sergeant Walmsley were forced to escape by parachute but both landed safely in occupied territory. Both Wing Commander Bennett and Sergeant Walmsley displayed excellent resource and, after escaping from German soldiers and police, they eventually reached Swedish territory after a most arduous and trying journey across snow-clad mountains. Throughout, both Wing Commander Bennett and Sergeant Walmsley displayed courage, initiative and devotion to duty of the highest order.”
(London Gazette – 16 Jun 1942)
This page was last updated on 16/04/23