During my research today I was looking through some 1943 issues of the New Zealand Herald newspaper. On the 30th of Nov 43 an article appeared about a Squadron Leader K.R. Sutton, DFC, RNZAF, of Oamaru, NZ.
In April 1943 he had been shot down by mistake by British anti-aircraft gunners. He lost both his left leg and left arm. Yet by November he was now commanding a station in North Wales. He had just written home and said he intended to return to flying very soon.
It says that he flew Havocs on night intruder raids when awarded the DFC, so he was obviously a bomber pilot. I have no idea whether he ever flew an aircraft again, but if he had done, surely he’d be a good rival for Bader myth – it must be hard to fly with only one arm and one leg, especially in combat.
Does anyone know more about him at all?
By: dhfan - 3rd April 2004 at 16:19
Would the chap that lost an eye be the one known as Cyclops (Brown?).
On the other hand I suspect there was more than just one and it’s a pretty obvious nickname.
By: Dave Homewood - 3rd April 2004 at 09:29
This is a really surprising thing, I never realised that so many amputees had returned to flying. Good on them. Thanks for the information chaps.
By: Flood - 2nd April 2004 at 17:52
Squadron Leader James MacLachlan, known to all as Mac, lost his left arm in an encounter with a Bf109 over Malta whilst with 261 Sqn on 16/2/41 but, with the aid of an artificial limb, he was quickly back on Hurricanes, taking command of 1 Sqn on 4/11/41.
Flood.
By: Phil Foster - 2nd April 2004 at 17:23
Originally posted by Dave Homewood
Come on guys, this is serious. Let’s not start another of ‘those’ threads.Does anyone think that a pilot could have flown, even if not operationally, without a left left or left arm?
Was it an achievement in itself that he had been given command of a station? It certainly can’t have been a big one as he was only a Sqn Ldr, usually stations went to Wing Commanders and Group Captains.
I don’t know much but I know that Bader was not an isolated case. There were a lot of aircrew with missing limbs and other accutrements that indeed flew operationally after loosing said apendage or apendages. One story that interested me was a British Spitfire pilot (sorry I forget his name) who lost an eye in combat during the BoB but was flying fighters on ops again less than a year later. It struck me that he might be at a disadvantage seeing as his primary sensors for air to air combat were half the capability they used to be. But apparently he survived the war an ace. I know it doesn’t help much especially seeing as I can’t provide a name but if it is true (I think it was in Jonnie Johnsons biography) it only helps to strengthen the possibility that yes he did fly again.
By: Dave Homewood - 2nd April 2004 at 13:33
Wow, thanks Ian for that information. That was much more than the press article told me. So it was Canadians and not British who downed him.
What an incredible chap he was. So he did fly again.
Great stuff, thanks again
Dave
By: RadarArchive - 2nd April 2004 at 13:32
Oops, I forgot to include his dates of promotion.
Flying Officer from 3 September 1940
Flight Lieutenant from 3 September 1941
Squadron Leader from 1 January 1944
By: RadarArchive - 2nd April 2004 at 13:28
This officer was 36182, Kenwyn Roland Sutton, commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the General Duties Branch of the RAF (rather than RNZAF) on 15 March 1939.
Full details appear in Men of the Battle of Britain and a short summary of his career is as follows (more details in the book itself):
Born in Wellington on 18 May 1919
Enrolled in the Civil Reserve of Pilots in October 1937
sailed for the UK on 1 February 1939
Joined 105 Squadron on 28 March 1939
Posted to Central Gunnery School, Warmwell in September 1939
Posted to 98 Squadron in April 1940
Posted to 142 Squadron in May 1940
Posted to 264 Squadron on 15 August 1940
Posted to 23 Squadron on 1 May 1941
Posted to 287 Squadron on 11 February 1942
Posted to 605 Squadron on 17 July 1942
Attached and later posted to 85 Squadron from January 1943
On 2 April 1942, returning from a daylight operation he was shot down by Canadian AA gunners over Hove. He crashed on a railway line south of Hove Cemetery with severe injuries, which resulted in the loss of his lower left leg and left arm.
Posted to HQ Fighter Command on staff duties on 19 June 1943
Post to Llanbedr as Station Commander in August 1943. Using a special arm attachment he flew Magisters and Oxfords.
Transferred to the RNZAF on 16 March 1944
Posted to Hutton Cranswick as S/L Admin in November 1945
Posted to 61 OTU on 1 July 1946
Sailed for NZ in April 1947 and released from RNZAF on 1 August 1947
Joined National Airways Corporation in 1950
Retired in 1980
So although he never flew operationally after his crash, he did certainly fly non-operational types.
By: Dave Homewood - 2nd April 2004 at 13:15
Come on guys, this is serious. Let’s not start another of ‘those’ threads.
Does anyone think that a pilot could have flown, even if not operationally, without a left left or left arm?
Was it an achievement in itself that he had been given command of a station? It certainly can’t have been a big one as he was only a Sqn Ldr, usually stations went to Wing Commanders and Group Captains.
By: Andrew-O - 2nd April 2004 at 13:10
Oh no
It’s ‘Deja Vu’ all over again
By: BlueRobin - 2nd April 2004 at 12:54
Did he ever stay at a hotel? 😉
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April 2, 2004 at 12:35 pm