Keith Lawrence

Keith Ashley Lawrence (25 November 1919 – 2 June 2016) was a New Zealand-born British Royal Air Force Officer, who was one of the last surviving members of "The Few".

Early life Lawrence was born on 25 November 1919 in Waitara, New Zealand. He was educated at Southland Boys' High School between 1933 and 1936 and after leaving school worked for two years at the National Bank of New Zealand in Invercargill. In June 1938 he applied for a four-year short service commission and was provisionally accepted in November. On 1 February 1939 he sailed for the UK aboard the RMS Tainui with a large draft of other candidates.

Royal Air Force

Training Lawrence reported for training as a pupil pilot at 10 E & RFTS (Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School), in the west site of RAF Yatesbury, run for the RAF by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. After successful ab initio training on de Havilland Tiger Moths, he was posted to No. 1 Depot, RAF Uxbridge to be commissioned into the RAF, and on 31 May was posted to No. 5 FTS, RAF Sealand for Service training Initially the Squadron kept up flying hours in Avro Tutors and Miles Magisters. Further training started on 17 December on Bristol Blenheim Mk 1Fs (this type known as the short-nosed Blenheim). At the end of March the Squadron began to convert to Supermarine Spitfire Mk1s and became operational with them on 8 May. This was in line with the policy of Keith Park to hold back up to six experienced pilots when a squadron was being rested, and post them to squadrons still in action. On 23 November he damaged a Bf 110. On 27 November, whilst flying alone on an early morning weather recce over Ramsgate he unsuccessfully attacked 3 Bf 109s from III./JG 26, but was 'bounced' and shot down by the fourth. However, from German records, it is unknown if this claim was confirmed. ) One wing was blown off Lawrence's Spitfire, and he found himself falling in his stocking feet with his right arm useless. He managed to deploy his parachute and went into the sea. He was spotted and picked up by a lifeboat. Taken to Ramsgate, he was admitted to hospital with a fractured right leg, a lacerated left leg and dislocated right shoulder. Whilst Lawrence was on the island, it was regarded as normal for the squadron to be scrambled two or three times a day in response to raids by anything from 20 to 100+ aircraft. However, this was dependent upon two factors, the serviceability of aircraft – arising from both battle damage and from damage to aircraft on the ground from bombing and strafing – and the serviceability of the runway due to bomb damage. Prior to the arrival of its Spitfires, on several days in April and early May the squadron could only muster 3 or 4 serviceable Hurricanes for scrambles. On 9 May, the day on which the Squadron received its first consignment of Spitfire Mk Vb's, Lawrence destroyed one of the Junkers Ju 87 Stukas which was dive-bombing Grand Harbour, Luqa and defence gun positions. On 19 May Lawrence damaged a Bf 109. Depending on visibility for dive-bombing and the availability of liberated airfields in Belgium for refuelling, each aircraft carried either a 500 or a 1000 lb. bomb-load. For dive-bombing sorties when the liberated airfields were not available, drop tanks were required for the extra fuel for the out-and-return sorties, reducing the bomb-load to 500lbs. (See link to No. 124 Squadron RAF for more detail on operational sorties). The main danger on these sorties was not enemy fighter defence, but heavy flak along the coast and around the launch sites.

The squadron also flew sorties known as interdictions, attacking railway and supply lines to the V-2 sites, again on an out-and-return basis from Coltishall using drop tanks which were jettisoned on approach to the Dutch coast.