The Airmen's Stories - F/Lt. D MacF Jack

Donald MacFarlane Jack was born on 5th May 1914 at Brookfield, Renfrewshire and educated at John Neilson Institute, Paisley. He joined 602 Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force in 1936.

He was called up on 4th September 1939. He damaged a Ju88 on 9th July 1940, claimed a Me110 destroyed on 25th August and a Me109 on the 26th. Jack was posted to the staff at HQ 13 Group on 27th December 1940.

In May 1941 he went to RAF Turnhouse to form and command 123 Squadron. It flew convoy and shipping patrols in the Firth of Forth area and trained pilots from OTU before they were posted to squadrons in the south.

602 Squadron in early 1940

Rear row L to R: F/O CB Willey MC (MO), P/O SN Rose, Sgt. A McDowall, F/O JS Hart, Brazebrook (IO ?), Sgt. J Proctor, S/Ldr. AD Farquhar, Sgt. RFP Phillips, P/O A Lyall, Sgt. GA Whipps, P/O DH Gage, F/O PPC Barthropp, Taylor (? non-BoB), P/O HG Niven.

Front row L to R: F/Lt. CJ Mount, F/Lt. RF Boyd, S/Ldr. AVR Johnstone, S/Ldr. JD Urie, F/Lt. D Jack

On 11th April 1942 the squadron went to the Middle East. Having no aircraft it was attached initially to ADU in June and then to 274 Squadron in the Western Desert from early July. Part of 123 went to Iraq and the rest merged with 80 Squadron. Jack took command of 80 Squadron at El Bassa, Palestine on 17th September 1942.

The squadron moved to the Western Desert on 12th October. Jack was posted away in February 1943 to the Air Staff of Air HQ Air Defence Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo.

He was appointed Squadron Leader Flying 243 Wing to take part in a proposed landing on Rhodes. In October 1943 he was appointed SASO at HQ 209 Group at Haifa.

Jack took command of HQ 12 Sector at Port Said on 19th August 1944. He returned to the UK in March 1945 and became Station Commander at RAF High Ercall in May.

He was released from the RAF in September 1945 as a Wing Commander.

Jack rejoined 602 Squadron in September 1946, as Adjutant, and served with it until March 1948.

Jack died on 22nd September 2005 and was cremated at Clydebank Crematorium on the 29th.