Air Commodore Patrick Geraint Jameson

Born in Wellington on November 10 1912, Jameson was educated in Lower Hutt before taking up employment as an assurance clerk.

In 1933 he learned to fly at the Wellington Aero Club before leaving New Zealand in January 1936 to join the RAF. After completing his flying training in January 1937 he was posted to 46 Squadron. While stationed at Digby, Jameson became friends with Cobber Kain, a member of 73 Squadron. 
 
On 18 May 1940, 46 Squadron sailed for Norway in the carrier HMS ’Glorious’ but, when it was reported that the chosen airfield could not receive Hurricanes until the 26th, the ’Glorious’ and her escort returned to Scapa Flow. They sailed again on the 24th and two days later Jameson flew off the carrier to begin operational patrols the next day. On the 28th he shared in the destruction of two Do 26 flying boats moored in a fjord, and the next day he destroyed a Ju 88. 
 
In early June it was decided to evacuate Norway and 46 Squadron covered the troops’ withdrawal. On the 7th it achieved what had been considered impossible when it landed its Hurricanes back on the flight deck of the ’Glorious’. This was achieved by fixing sandbags under the tailplanes to shorten the landing run. The carrier sailed and next day met the German battle cruisers ’Scharnhorst’ and ’Gneisenau’ who sunk her with shell fire. 
 
Jameson and his CO found themselves on a Carley float with thirty others. After three days drifting in the cold sea only seven men were alive to be picked up, the two RAF pilots being the only surviving pilots of the unit. For his services in Norway Jameson was awarded the DFC in July. 
 
When fit again, he took command of 266 Squadron in mid-September 1940. On the night of 9-10 April 1941 Jameson destroyed an He III bomber at night over Coventry and on May 10 he shot down another, this time over London. 
 
Promoted to Wing Commander in early June 1941, he was appointed Wing Leader at Wittering. 
 
Before the end of the year Jameson had destroyed three more enemy aircraft and was awarded a Bar to the DFC in October. He led the Wing throughout 1942, including four sweeps during the Dieppe raid on 19 August, shooting down an FW 190 in the first of these. 
 
In December 1942 Jameson took over the leadership of the Norwegian Spitfire Wing and led it on almost every operation it carried out in the early months of 1943. 
 
In early February, during a sweep across the French coast, Jameson became separated from his number two and three. Alone, he climbed to 20,000 feet where he was surprised by eight FW 190’s, who formed a circle round him and made darting attacks from all directions. To make matters worse Jameson’s cannons jammed. Continually turning steeply to evade each attack he decided on desperate action. He went down almost vertically, doing tight aileron turns and finally reached a thin layer of cloud, his windscreen and hood frosted over with the Germans still following. Realising that they too would be iced-up and unable to aim at him, Jameson dived to ground level and crossed the coast north of Dunkirk. After being airborne for two hours he landed unscathed and with fifteen gallons of fuel left. 
 
Later in February Jameson destroyed two FW 190’s and three weeks later probably another. 
 
In March 1943 he was awarded the DSO and in May he was posted to a staff job on planning. He received the Norwegian War Cross in October. 
 
In late July 1944, Jameson took command of 122 Wing in Normandy and led it until September 1945, through the Netherlands and Germany and finally into Denmark. 
 
Jameson retired as an Air Commodore, and returned to live in New Zealand. 
 
He died on 1st October 1996.