The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. J Metham

James Metham was born in mid-1914, the son of James Richard Metham and Clara Evelyn Metham (nee Booth).

He was educated at Palatine Central Boys School. He joined the RAF on 1st September 1931 as an Aircraft Apprentice and passed out in August 1934 as a Metal Rigger.

He represented the RAF at football and water polo, later applied for pilot training and was selected.

With his training completed, Metham arrived at 6 OTU Sutton Bridge on 28th May 1940, converted to Hurricanes and then joined 253 Squadron at Kirton-in-Lindsey on 9th June.

Above image courtesy of Colin Lee.

In the early morning of 2nd September 1940 he was shot down by Me109s in combat over Thanet and baled out, badly burned. His Hurricane, P2946, is believed to be the one which crashed at Longport, Crundale.

Metham was in hospital for six months. He was commissioned in October 1941, his subsequent service is currently undocumented though he appears on the manifest of the ss Stuyvesant, which docked at Liverpool on 17th March 1942 from Takoradi on the Gold Coast (now Ghana).

He was killed on 21st September 1942 serving as a Flight Lieutenant flying instructor at 59 OTU.

His Hurricane, P3255 is reported to have spun in and crashed at Cark, Lancashire.

Metham was 28.

He was cremated at Carleton Crematorium, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire.