The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. T B Kirk

Thomas Brian Kirk was born on 1st February 1919 at Sunny Hill Farm near Thornton le Street, a village not far from Thirsk in North Yorkshire. Known to family and friends as Brian, he was the son of Thomas Henry and Esther Kirk.

Brian’s ancestral tree is firmly rooted in the fertile soil of farming and both sides of his family can readily trace their farming heritage right back to the earliest census.

In 1925 the family moved out of their rented farm at Sunny Hill and purchased their own farm at Harlsey Castle near the village of East Harlsey, not far from Northallerton in North Yorkshire. Very little remained of the 15th century castle, however, their farmhouse was built right next to the ruins using some of the original stone from the castle.

Brian attended the local village school in East Harlsey before moving on to senior school at Northallerton Grammar School. After leaving school at around the age of 16, Brian immediately started to work on the farm, helping, and learning the trade, from his father. He also took a three year night school course of study in Agriculture at the University of Leeds in Northallerton.

Above: Brian (right) working on the farm with his younger brother Mac.

Brian had one older brother, Harry (who also served as a fighter pilot in the RAF) and two younger brothers, Mac and Jake, and a younger sister, Marigold.

Brian’s two great loves in life were farming and flying. To be able to do both, Brian joined the local Auxiliary Air Force (AAF) squadron, 608 Squadron based at nearby Thornaby-on-Tees. Only officers were allowed to fly in the rather elite, pre-war AAF and Brian didn’t have the social status or the money to be able to enlist as an officer.

However, during the winter of 1938/39, with war threatening, applications were being invited for non-officer candidates to apply to be considered for flying training. This was when Brian saw his opportunity.

It wasn’t until Saturday the 10th June 1939 that Brian was attested as an ‘Under-Training Airman Pilot’ with 608 Squadron. He was given the official number 808416 and was initially given the lowest rank possible, that of Aircraftman Second Class (AC2). Promotion came swiftly and when he reported to Thornaby the next day, he was promoted to Leading Aircraftman (LAC).

His next promotion wasn’t so quick and this was the rank he was to hold throughout his year of flying training.

His official description on entry was given as:

Height - 5’ 5½”; Chest - 34”; Hair – Brown; Eyes – Blue; Complexion – Fresh; no marks or scars.

His religion was noted as C of E, Occupation in Civil Life as Farming and Term of Enlistment was 4 years. An accurate description, as Brian was a strong, stocky fellow well accustomed to manual labour.

608 Squadron flew Avro Ansons at that time but in that last summer before the war, Brian received some in-house, ab-initio flying training on the Squadron’s Avro Tutor biplanes. During the Squadron’s summer camp at Warmwell, on the 16th August 1939, Brian flew solo for the first time.

Above: Brian (centre) next to an Avro Tutor with two friends and fellow Airmen u/t (George Sweeney (left) and Len Davies (right)) at 608 Squadron's summer camp at Warmwell, August 1939.

The next stage of Brian’s flying training took him to 6 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) at Sywell from 21st October 1939 until 5th March 1940 where they flew Tiger Moths. This was the first ‘War Ab-Initio Course’ at Sywell and he was joined there by, among others, the ten other Under-Training Airman Pilots of 608 Squadron, who had become good friends.

Although they didn’t all get through the course, four of them, including Brian, went on to fly in the Battle of Britain. The other three were Len Davies, William A Peacock and John Lonsdale.

Due to the severe weather conditions over the winter of 1939/40, a backlog created a shortage of places at the Flying Training Schools (FTS), hence their stay at Sywell was extended by several weeks.

Above: Brian ready to fly a Tiger Moth at Sywell, Winter 1939/40.

From 6th March to 29th June 1940 Brian was at 8 Flying Training School (FTS) at Montrose, on the east coast of Scotland, as part of No.17 Course; they were the first course at Montrose to learn on the new Miles Master.

Brian passed his ‘wings’ exam in early May 1940 and joined that small band of airmen who, whilst still being lowly LACs, were also qualified pilots and thus entitled to wear the coveted ‘wings’ upon their tunics.

Above: Brian (left) with friend and fellow Airman u/t John Lonsdale, sewing their new 'wings' onto their tunics, May 1940 at Montrose.

The next step was to 7 Operational Training Unit (OTU) at Hawarden where Brian, and all the other LACs, were immediately made up to Sergeants. This was only the second course since the establishment of 7 OTU at Hawarden and Brian had a mere two weeks to learn how to handle a Spitfire before a posting to a Squadron. He was there was from 30th June until 12th July.

On 15th July 1940 Brian reported for duty at 74 Squadron at Hornchurch. Here the Squadron made sure that he underwent a further three weeks or so of intensive training within the squadron before flying his first operational patrol on 9th August 1940.

Above: Brian in front of a 74 Squadron Spitfire at Hornchurch July/August 1940.

Two days later on 11th August Brian flew in Red Section of ‘A’ Flight down to the forward base at Manston where the squadron was in action four times over a 7 hour period. On the third of these sorties Brian claimed an Me110 destroyed and one damaged.

Above: Brian describes his encounter with a Me110 in a letter home.

On 14th August 1940 the Squadron was ordered north to rest and re-group, first to Wittering (14th - 21st August 1940), then to Kirton-in-Lindsey (21st August - 9th September 1940) and then to Coltishall on 9th September 1940.

Whilst on patrol with Red section of 74 Squadron on the 14th September, Brian claimed a share in damaging a Heinkel He111 just off Lowestoft.

On the 15th October 1940 the Squadron again moved to the ‘front line’ and to RAF Biggin Hill.

Five days later, at just after 2pm on the 20th October 1940, with ‘Leave Form 295’ in his pocket (to take effect ‘After Duty’ that day), Brian took off with the squadron in his ‘own’ Spitfire, P7370.

At 29,000ft they encountered some thirty or so Me109s. In the ensuing combat, whilst attacking an Me109, Brian himself was attacked from the rear. A single armour piercing bullet, 7.9mm in diameter, penetrated his armour plated seat and entered his back. It severed his spinal chord. Despite the mortal wound, he managed to bail out and came to ground near Coxheath, Kent.

He was rushed to Preston Hall Hospital near Maidstone and was operated on and the bullet removed; he remained paralysed from the waist down.

The next nine months were to be a slow agonising death for poor Brian as his close family watched on helplessly.

He was moved to the RAF hospital at Halton on 4th November 1940 and remained in reasonably good spirits until early in the New Year when he learnt, to his great disappointment, that he was to be discharged from the RAF as unfit for service.

On 9th February 1941 he was moved to the Ministry of Pensions Hospital at Leeds, where he was a bit nearer to home and was able to have regular visits from his family and old friends.

Over the next few months his internal organs gradually gave up, he got weaker and weaker and slowly faded away before eventually succumbing to his wounds on 22nd July 1941, aged 22.

He was buried in St Oswald's churchyard, East Harlsey, Yorkshire.

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(Additional information provided by Brian Outhwaite , the author of ‘In Fadeless Memory of Brian Kirk’ – a biography of Sgt Brian Kirk.).