The Airmen's Stories - S/Ldr. E B King

Eric Bruce King was born in Dover on 7th June 1911, the son of Sydney Robert King (1868-1916) and Kate Elizabeth King (nee Buckley 1872-1950) and attended Wallington Prep School and then Dulwich College from 1925 to 1929. He was a member of the College boxing team.

His father, a Major in the RAOC, died when King was 5 years old "from illness contracted during active service in Gallipoli and Serbia". At the time of his death he was serving at the Magazine Fort in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland.

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EB King on leaving school worked for the Asiatic Petroleum Company. On 12th August 1932 he joined the RAF on a short service commission and on the 27th he went to 2 FTS Digby.

He was then posted to 26 (Army Co-operation) Squadron at Catterick on 20th August 1933, moved to 31 Squadron at Karachi on 14th February 1934 and returned to the UK in mid-1936. He went to the Home Aircraft Depot, Henlow on 12th August for an Officers' Engineering Course. After another course at CFS Upavon, King was granted a Permanent Commission and was posted to the instructing staff at 2 FTS Brize Norton on 15th June 1937.

He joined the permanent staff of 612 Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force at Aberdeen on 12th September 1938.

King was posted as supemumerary Squadron Leader to 253 Squadron at Turnhouse on 17th July 1940 and moved in the same capacity to 249 Squadron at Church Fenton on 5th August.

On the 14th the squadron moved to Boscombe Down. Two days later King was flying in a section of three, with F/Lt. JB Nicolson and P/O MA King. Over Southampton they were jumped by Me109s. Nicholson was wounded and his subsequent action led to the award of the VC.

P/O King's aircraft was set alight, he baled out but was killed when his parachute canopy collapsed, possibly holed by rifle fire from a Royal Artillery contingent as he neared the ground.

S/Ldr. King managed to make a forced-landing back at Boscombe Down in his severely damaged Hurricane, P3870, unhurt. On 21st August King took command of 151 Squadron at Stapleford. He had the airscrew of his Hurricane, V7380, shot off in combat with Me110s over North Weald on the 24th but landed safely.

On 30th August King led the squadron to intercept some enemy aircraft. Later, he is thought to have gone ahead of the squadron to investigate another enemy force heading towards Rochester. A letter from the Mayor of Rochester, written later, said that there had been some fighting over the city at a great height and an aircraft was heard to come down in a terrific power dive, engine at full throttle, and crash.

This was King’s aircraft and he must have been unconscious or dead before impact. The Hurricane, V7369, crashed in Temple Street, Strood.

King is buried in Highgate Cemetery, London. At Dulwich College after the war, the 'King Memorial Prize' was instituted in his memory, two prizes to be awarded annually for work on aeronautical subjects.

At his grave there is also a dedication to Leslie Bryan Bowdler King, who may have been a younger brother of EB King. He entered RAF College Cranwell in 1932, was commissioned on 16th December 1933 and retired on 9th November 1957 in the rank of Group Captain. He was a graduate of the RAF Staff College.