John Livingstone BOYD. (D.F.M.) Pilot Officer, 404548, Royal Australian Air Force. Born 20th May 1919 to Dorothy Alexa and Robert Livingstone Boyd, of Byrnestown, Queensland, Australia. He enlisted as Signalman 418280 aged 20 on the 25th August 1939 at Victoria Barracks, Victoria, Australia and posted to P Section, No 4 Company, Signals, occupation, student. On the 10th October 1940 he joined the air force aged 21 and 4 months as airman. His occupation at this time was a jackaroo. On the 2nd May 1942 granted a commission as pilot officer. Died 14th May 1942 aged 22. He was stationed at RAF Luqa. At rest in grave 15 plot, P, Capuccini Naval Cemetery, Malta.
The following credited to WW2 Talk
http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/raf-malta-1941-1942-survivors-relatives.26972/ -
P/O. Boyd was killed on Thursday 14 May 1942 when attacking Italian fighters, his aircraft was seen to spin out of the fight and it crashed near Takali. The loss was witnessed by P/O. Reade Tilly whose aircraft was been refueled at the time......
" A dog fight started overhead some 3 Ju88s came in with 109 escort Ack Ack going like mad, bursts all over the sky, then I saw a 109 sit on a Spitfires tail and I heard the brrr on cannon. The Spit rolled over and dived vertically in what appeared to be a controlled evasive manoeuvre, doing a series of aileron turns: there was no smoke trail and apparently he was OK but for some reason I felt he'd had it. Sure enough he started to pull out too late at 100 feet, then when it looked as if he would make it, the pilot either died or lost consciousness and ploughed into the deck on the far side of drome at 300 mph. So at 1305 hrs the career of Sgt. Pilot Tony Boyd came to an abrupt and spectacular end - just a terrific explosion and a long sheet of flame"
'Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942' - C. Shores / B. Cull / N. Malizia
Credit photo to
http://www.cieldegloire.com/002_raaf_boyd_j_l.php
+.
https://maltagc70.wordpress.com/201...ter-aces-lost-in-ferocious-battle-over-malta/
https://rafovermalta.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/the-coffs-coast-advocate-may-15-2011.html
http://disc.yourwebapps.com/discussion.cgi?disc=244414;article=6519;
