Archie McKellar

Archibald Ashmore McKellar
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1938 - 1940
Rank	Flight Lieutenant
Battles/wars	Battle of Britain
Awards	DFC* DSO

Pilot Officer Flight Lieutenant Archibald Ashmore McKellar DFC* DSO (born circa 1922 in Bearsden, Dunbartonshire, Scotland - died November 2, 1940 in Adisham, Kent, England), was a top fighter ace of the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain in World War Two.

Biography

The son of John and Margaret McKellar, of Bearsden, Dunbartonshire, McKellar was educated at Shawlands Academy in the southside of Glasgow. On leaving school he joined his fathers construction business as a plasterer.

RAF

McKellar joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1938, and after training as a pilot joined the Hawker Hurricane equipped No. 602 Squadron RAF based at RAF Drem, near Edinburgh. As a reserve unit, the members of No. 602 - both pilots and ground staff - were only part-time airmen, doing their service in the evenings, weekends and on a two week annual summer camp. But as war approached, the squadron was put on a full time footing, and RAF Drem became an air defence fighter unit for Edinburgh and the shipping area around the Firth of Forth.

On 16 October 1939, the Luftwaffe made its first attack on Great Britain, on shipping in the Firth of Forth. Spitfires from No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron joined 602 Squadron Hurricanes in a defensive counter-air sortie. During one attack, the cockpit canopy of Hauptmann Pohles Junkers Ju 88 released itself. Pohle tried to fly northwards to take an observation position, but was hit by shells from the Spitfire of Flt Lt George Pinkerton and Mckellars Hurricane. The now stricken aircraft came down three miles east of Crail, nearly colliding with a Coastal trading vessel (NB: pilots are taught to land close to a shipping vessel, should they be forced to crash at sea - greater chance of a successful recovery). Pohle was recovered, bleeding from facial wounds suffered in the crash, the other three crew members were dead on impact.

McKellar is officially credited with the downing the first enemy aircraft to fall on British soil in WW2. On 29 November, 1939 McKellar attacked a Heinkel He-111. After he had caused it considerable damage, he was then interrupted by the arrival of three Spitfires from 603 Squadron. Although argument rages to this day as to which squadron let alone pilot was the victor, the 'kill' was credited to McKellar. The day's efforts were a kill each for 602 and 603 Squadrons and the first victories for the Supermarine Spitfire in combat. Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding, Commander-in-Chief Fighter Command sent the following message to both squadrons the next day: "Well done. First blood to the Auxiliaries."

605 Squadron

In early 1940, No. 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron moved to RAF Drem, as they converted to Hurricanes. McKellar was promoted to Flight Lieutenant within No. 605, and became a flight leader.

On 15 August, 1940 No. 605 were called up by Air Vice-Marshal Saul to assist in the defence of Tyneside, which was undergoing a heavy enemy air attack at the time from Norwegian based He 111's. McKellar was able to down three He 111's during the encounter, but together with tow colleagues sustained minor damage to his Hurricane during the engagement.

On 7 September, 1940, No. 605 moved on rotation to Croydon Aerodrome. Then lead by Squadron Leader Walter Churchill, McKellar scored four more victories on 9th September, before taking over from S/L Churchill from the 11 September. His score rose by another four on 15th September, and for his victories so far McKellar was awarded the D.F.C. and Bar and D.S.O. On the 7th of October his score rose by another five victories, all Messerschmitt Bf 109's.

Death

By November 1, 1940 McKellar had claimed 21 victories. Taking a section of N. 605 that included Flt Lt Bob Foster, (later Squadron Leader) up to meet a flight of Bf 109's equipped with bombs, the section took a high altitude to meet the enemy aircraft:

We were up and we saw a crowd of these and we were way above them and so Archie said "Come on, here we go down", so we went down but we were much too fast, the dive I know why, we went down like 'that' and the 109s saw us and we overshot them on the way down. A quick burst, they turned and were gone; we overshot. Well, once you do that, I mean, you've had it, you go home, but I did anyway. But Archie being what he was, he thought "No, no, I'm going to chase these so and so's" and that's, unfortunately, was the end of Archie. He went on, on his own, didn't look around, chasing this chap and the last thing was, they saw him going straight into a field in Kent. It's a lesson that I suppose you should've learnt; you just don't take too many chances - Wing Commander Robert W. Foster DFC AE lecturing in Finland, June 2004

Believed shot down by Wolfgang Lippet, Mckellar's Hurricane MkI (V6879) crashed at the side of Woodlands Manor near Adisham, Kent at 18:20hrs.

Memorial

As McKellar died outside the Air Ministry "nominal" dates for the Battle of Britain (10 July to 31 October, 1940), he was technically not eligible for the Battle of Britain clasp, and is not listed at the Runneymede Battle of Britain roll of honour. McKellar is buried at the new Eastwood Cemetery, Thornliebank, Glasgow.

Combat Record

NOTE: this table is not complete in numbers or detail, but if you can add to it or simply confirm types, please do so - Thank You!

Date	Service	Flying	Kills	Probables	Notes
October 16, 1939	Royal Air Force	Hurricane	1/2 * Junkers Ju 88		flying from RAF Drem with No. 602 Squadron
November 29, 1930	Royal Air Force	Spitfire	1 * Heinkel He 111		first enemy plane shot down on British soil since 1918
August 15, 1940	Royal Air Force	Hurricane	3 x Heinkel He 111		having transferred to No. 605 Squadron
September 9, 1940	Royal Air Force	Hurricane	4 x unknown		flying from Croydon Aerodrome
September 11, 1940	Royal Air Force	Hurricane			replaces S/L Churchill as Squadron Leader
September 15, 1940	Royal Air Force	Hurricane	4 x unknown		awarded DFC* DSO
October 7, 1940	Royal Air Force	Hurricane	5 x Messerschmitt Bf 109
November 2, 1940	Royal Air Force	Hurricane			KiA over Adisham, Kent, attacking Bf 109's
TOTALS			14 + 3 * 1/2 kills	0 probable

References

• Ness, William N. - The Allied Aces Of World War II - Pub 1966, Arco Publishing Co., Inc., New York
• Battle of Britain Remembered - Issue No.5, September 2006

External links

• Archie McKellar at the-battle-of-britain.co.uk
• Archie McKellar at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission