The Airmen's Stories - P/O B B Considine

Brian Bertram Considine was born on 15th January 1920 in Dublin. His family came from Limerick in the Irish Republic but at the time of his birth his father, a doctor, was governor of the criminal lunatic asylum in Dundrum, Dublin.

He attended Ampleforth College and joined the RAFVR in December 1938 as an Airman u/t Pilot. He did his early flying at 20 E&RFTS Gravesend. He was working for Lever Brothers when he was called up on 1st September 1939 and was posted to No. 1 ITW at Selwyn College, Cambridge in October.

Above: Considine seated on ground, third from right. Presumably at Cambridge Initial Training Wing as nobody yet wears pilot's wings.

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Below: Now a pilot, Considine stands third from right. Presumably at Grantham as the flying school had Hawker Demons in the late Thirties and perhaps kept this one for photographs.

Considine went to 3 FTS Grantham in November, completed his training there on 10th May 1940 and moved to 6 OTU Sutton Bridge to convert to Hurricanes. He was then posted to 238 Squadron at Tangmere in June.

On 21st July Considine claimed the destruction of a Me110.

On 27th August he and S/Ldr. MV Blake intercepted Do17P 5D+JL of 3.(F)/31 over Plymouth and disabled the starboard engine. The aircraft belly-landed at Hurdwick Farm, Tavistock in Devon.

Lt. Walter Haffa, Fw. Gustav Klauschenke and Gefr. Johannes Schlegel were captured unhurt.

Above: sightseers arrive to examine the Dornier.

Below: Considine (left) and Blake in front of the disabled engine.

Considine was shot down by Me109's over Bournemouth on 5th November. He baled out, wounded, over Sturminster and his Hurricane, V6792, crashed at Crab Farm, Shapwick.

In May 1941 238 Squadron was posted to the Middle East. It flew off the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious on 14th June to Malta, refuelled and then flew on to Landing Ground 7 in Egypt. Considine went by troopship from the UK to Takoradi and on arrival ferried a Hurricane up to the squadron.

In January 1942 Considine was posted to 73 OTU Aden. He later returned to Egypt and then went to a Met Flight in Palestine, flying twice daily in Gladiators to record weather information.

He joined 74 Squadron at Mehrabad on 30th January 1943 as 'B' Flight Commander. He joined 111 Squadron in Malta in June 1943 and moved to Sicily after the invasion. He later joined 173 (Communications) Squadron at Cairo, remaining with it until December 1944, when he returned to the UK.

Considine was posted to 48 Squadron and flew a Dakota towing a glider in the Rhine crossing. The squadron flew out to India on 15th February 1945 and carried out supply drops in Burma.

After his return to the UK in December 1945, Considine was released from the RAF. He flew with Aer Lingus for four years, then went into advertising.

He died on 31st March 1996.

Additional research and images courtesy of Mrs. Nuala Considine.