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Ian Bedford Nesbitt Russell |
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Name : Ian Bedford Nesbitt Russell Born : 1912 Died : 1st June 1940 Service Number : 37869 Air Victories : 11.00 Awards : Distinguished Flying Cross Distinguished Flying Cross |
Ian joined the pre war Royal Air Force. In November 1939 he was posted to No. 609 (West Riding) Squadron with the rank of Pilot Officer, flying Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1 aircraft from RAF Drem in Scotland. Promotion to Flying Officer followed, Kinloss. 7.1.40. Yellow Section on general flying practice. Yellow 1 out of R/T touch and only one wheel lowered. Pilot Flying Officer Russell abandoned aircraft and landed safely by parachute. The aircraft - Spitfire L.1064 crashed at Crook of Alves and burnt out on impact. 25th January 1940 Flying Officer I.B.N. Russell damaged his Airscrew and Flaps on landing and running into a slight drift of snow and mud which caused the tail to lift. Aircraft repaired same day. Drem. 8.5.40 . Flying Officer I.B.N. Russell posted to No. 245 Squadron Leconfield. Information was received today from Headquarters No. 13 Group to the effect that the Heinkel 111 attacked by Red Section at 09.45 hours on 29th January, 1940 and lost in the clouds had been riddled by bullets but had been able to regain its base. The aircraft was later shot down at Wick and the pilot volunteered this information. and on 8th May 1940 he was posted to No. 245 Squadron at RAF Leconfield flying Hawker Hurricane Mk.1's 245 moving to Drem on the 12th. Subsequently posted to No. 607 Squadron at RAF Croydon, 'Hack', as he was known amongst his colleagues, flew Hurricanes in combat against the Luftwaffe. On 15th May 1940, whilst flying Hurricane P2619 AF D , Hack crash landed after being wounded whilst flying on a patrol which came into contact with German Heinkel He111 bombers. His aircraft is believed to have been abandoned at approximately 16.30 hours. He returned to 609 Squadron on 22nd May 1940, now stationed at RAF Northolt 25th May 1940. Fg Off Russell taxied out in L1068 in a big hurry and collided forcibly with a brand new Command Reserve Aircraft P9427, which was dispersed on the edg e of the taxiway. Both aircraft beyond unit capacity to repair. F/O Russell was only back with the squadron for only ten days before he was posted as 'missing, presumed killed', having disappeared over Dunkirk in Spitfire L1058 whilst on a patrol covering the evacuation of troops from the beaches of Northern France, during which he had got involved in a combat with German Messerschmitt Bf110 ‘Zerstörer’ aircraft. Ian Russell is credited as having shot down a total of 11 enemy aircraft confirmed destroyed, with a further six probably destroyed. On one particular occasion he got two confirmed victories, after which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. As one of the missing aircrew with no known grave, Ian's name is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial |
COMBAT REPORTS |
Citation for the Distinguished Flying Cross. London Gazette 14th June 1940 : 3622 Russell. Ian Bedford Nesbitt. FO. (37869). RAF. 609SQN. By shooting down two enemy aircraft one day in May, 1940, this officer has a total of ten enemy aircraft to his credit and possibly a further six have been destroyed by him. After this combat he was instrumental in saving the life of another British pilot by guiding a trawler to an aircraft which had alighted on the sea. |
Known Individual Aircraft : | ||||||||
Type | Serial | Codes | First Flew | Squadron History | Aircrew History | History Notes | Engine | Factory |
14/07/1939 | no information | Merlin III | Eastleigh | |||||
| Aircraft for : Ian Bedford Nesbitt Russell | ||
| A list of all aircraft associated with Ian Bedford Nesbitt Russell. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | ||
| Aircraft | Info | |
Spitfire 
Manufacturer : Supermarine Production Began : 1936 Retired : 1948 Number Built : 20351 | Spitfire Royal Air Force fighter aircraft, maximum speed for mark I Supermarine Spitfire, 362mph up to The Seafire 47 with a top speed of 452mph. maximum ceiling for Mk I 34,000feet up to 44,500 for the mark XIV. Maximum range for MK I 575 miles . up to 1475 miles for the Seafire 47. Armament for the various Marks of Spitfire. for MK I, and II . eight fixed .303 browning Machine guns, for MKs V-IX and XVI two 20mm Hispano cannons and four .303 browning machine guns. and on later Marks, six to eight Rockets under the wings or a maximum bomb load of 1,000 lbs. Designed by R J Mitchell, The proto type Spitfire first flew on the 5th March 1936. and entered service with the Royal Air Force in August 1938, with 19 squadron based and RAF Duxford. by the outbreak of World war two, there were twelve squadrons with a total of 187 spitfires, with another 83 in store. Between 1939 and 1945, a large variety of modifications and developments produced a variety of MK,s from I to XVI. The mark II came into service in late 1940, and in March 1941, the Mk,V came into service. To counter the Improvements in fighters of the Luftwaffe especially the FW190, the MK,XII was introduced with its Griffin engine. The Fleet Air Arm used the Mk,I and II and were named Seafires. By the end of production in 1948 a total of 20,351 spitfires had been made and 2408 Seafires. The most produced variant was the Spitfire Mark V, with a total of 6479 spitfires produced. The Royal Air Force kept Spitfires in front line use until April 1954. | |
Last edited : 21:27, June 18, 2016
Last editor : HMS
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