Pilot Officer John Smyth

Pilot Officer John Scott Smyth, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He was killed in action in an Air Operation over Germany, aged 38, with 158 Squadron R.A.F. on 17th September 1942 and is buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Germany.  He had been born in Eccles and was the son of the late John and Elizabeth Smyth and the husband of Alice Smyth whom he had married in Edinburgh.His father had been a farmer in Birgham for many years. He was well known in the Borders as a motor racing cyclist and had farmed at Birgham Haugh before joining the R.A.F.  He was commissioned from Leading Aircraftman in March 1942 and became a navigator. His aircraft had taken off on a raid from R.A.F. East Moor in Yorkshire to the Krupps works at Essen in the Ruhr but crashed near Krefeld.  158 Squadron flew the Handley Page Halifax B Mk11 from R.A.F. East Moor, Yorkshire and lost 900 aircrew during the War. ( At age 38 he was considered old for an operational airman ).