Maurice Mounsdon

Flight Lieutenant Maurice Hewlett Mounsdon (11 February 1918 – 6 December 2019) was a British pilot who flew with the Royal Air Force during World War II.

Service in the RAF Maurice "Mark" Mounsdon started training on 24 August 1939 and joined 56 Squadron on 3 June 1940 during the Battle of Britain. When the war ended, he was posted to 8303 Disarmament Wing, searching Germany for advanced weaponry such as jets and rockets. After demobilisation in 1946, he returned to the engineering profession which he had started at the General Electric Company, specialising in inventions and patents such as – "winches for use with high masts". Hurricane LF363 of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight with Mounsdon's markings in 2005.

Life after the war During his recuperation, Mounsdon married Mary, whom he had known since childhood, and in the 1970s they retired to Menorca. Mary died in 1993. In September 2018, for Mounsdon's 100th birthday, the Red Arrows made a flypast over the island in his honour. The head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Michael Wigston, said that "[Mounsdon's] bravery and sacrifice should never be forgotten."