GALLANT AIRMEN
AWARDS ANNOUNCED
NEW ZEALANDERS INCLUDED
(British Official Wireless) RUGBY, July 8. Among the latest list of R.A.F. officers receiving the D.F.C. as the reward for. services are two New Zealanders, Flight-lieutenant Trent, of Nelson, and Pilot-officer Keen, of Green Island. Otago. Leading Aircraftman Whitehead, from York. Ontario, is among the 20 n.c.o.'s of the R.A.F. who received the D.F.M. for gallantry and devotion to duty during operations. Inquiries have failed to reveal anything definite of an aviator named Keen, whose home is at Green Island, and it is possible that the message may refer to Pilot-officer Raymond Thomas Kean, a son of Mr M. Kean, of Rattray street, Dunedin, who is at present serving with the Royal Air Force in the Old Country. Pilot-officer Kean who was born at Green Island, was, before his departure for England about two years ago, a wellknown Rugby footballer and cricketer in Dunedin, having been a member of the Kaikorai Club's first fifteen and of the Carisbrook senior eleven. There is a probability also, that the other New Zealander mentioned in the message is Flight-lieutenant Leonard Trent, who received his training, when a member of the Otago Aero Club, under Flight-lieutenant A. W. Burbidge, who was then the club's pilot-instructor. He was, while flying at North Taieri, considered an exceptionally able pilot, and he went to England in 1938 to join the Royal Air Force. -Otago Daily Times, 10/7/1940.
An online history of Raymond's Squadron, No. 206, has more details on the action in which he won his DFC: "On one occasion Pilot Officer Raymond T Kean (DFC; born Green Island, 5 Apr 1918; joined RAF Aug 1938; killed in flying accident, 5 Aug 1940), flying a Hudson of No. 206 Squadron on a dawn patrol off the Dutch coast, was attacked by three Messerschmitts. His rear gunner scored hits on the enemy leader but was almost immediately killed by fire from one of the other machines. The Hudson only escaped destruction through Kean's prompt action in diving to sea level and making violent turns and manoeuvres. Although wounded, he did this with such skill that the enemy finally ran out of ammunition and withdrew."
OTAGO PILOT KILLED
RESULT OF AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT
DISTINGUISHED SPORTING RECORD
Advice was received by cablegram today by Mr Michael Kean, of Rattray street, from the Air Ministry that his son, Pilot-officer Raymond Thomas Kean, D.F.C., has been reported as having lost his life as the result of an aircraft accident on August 5. The Air Council has expressed its profound sympathy. It is only a few weeks since Pilot-officer Kean was awarded the D.F.C. for services with the R.A.F.
The young airman was educated at St. Kevin’s College, Oamaru, and at school he built up a fine sporting record which he enhanced when he came to Dunedin subsequently. At St. Kevin’s Pilot-officer Kean was a member of the Rugby fifteen and the cricket eleven, and he was runner-up also in the school boxing championship. In Dunedin sporting circles he was held in the highest esteem for his prowess on the field and for his qualities as a sportsman.
He was a first-rate wing three-quarter in the Kaikorai Football Club’s senior fifteen for four years, prior to which he was in the Otago junior representative team in 1934. He gained a place in the Otago B team in 1937. He also met with success as a cricketer, playing for the Carisbrook senior eleven, for whom he put up some very good tallies, being an attractive, hardhitting batsman. Pilot-officer Kean left Dunedin in 1938 to join the Royal Air Force, and some time ago his father received advice that he had been slightly wounded in action. A brother, Pilot-officer V. Kean, is with the Royal Now Zealand Air Force.
Requiem mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph’s Cathedral at 9 a.m. on Friday. -Evening Star, 7/8/1940.
WAR CASUALTIES
AIRMAN’S DEATH REPORTED
PILOT-OFFICER R. T. KEAN
FIRST OTAGO D.F.C. (abridged)
The circumstances in which Pilot-officer Raymond Kean won the D.F.C. are not yet known, but there is reason to assume that he was the pilot of the machine concerned in the following announcement clipped from an English paper early in May: — “An R.A.F. reconnaissance plane yesterday won a fight against, three enemy fighters near the island of Borkum, the Air Ministry announced. In a fierce fight the gunner of the British plane was killed, but not before he had shot down one of the enemy. The other two fighters eventually broke off the engagement. Our pilot and navigator were both wounded, but succeeded in bringing their plane safely back to the base.” -Evening Star, 8/8/1940.
I is from "findagrave" that I have found the following details of the accident in which Raymond and his crew died: "he died returning from an air-sea search operation when his aircraft (Hudson Mk I; P5133; VX-D ) crashed near Ringers Farm, Syderstone, caught fire and exploded. Pilot Officer Robin Rustom, Sergeant Frederick Herbert Hull and Sergeant Dennis Manion also died in the crash."
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