The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. D A Monk

Denis Aubrey Monk was born on 11th June 1920 in Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey and joined the RAFVR about August 1939 as an Airman u/t Observer. Called up on 1st September 1939, he completed his training and joined 236 Squadron at St. Eval in early September 1940.

He flew his first operational sortie on 19th September. Monk’s flight was posted to RAF Aldergrove on 19th November 1940. There it joined up with a flight from 235 Squadron to reform 272 Squadron on the 21st. Monk flew his first sortie with 272 on 24th November.

Above: unknown, Monk, unknown

On 1st October 1941 he married his childhood sweetheart Miss Jean Monk in New Malden, Surrey.

On 8th December 1941 Monk embarked on HMT Scythia at Greenock and sailed in convoy to South Africa via Freetown.

He served at Hillside Camp ITW, near Bulawayo in what was then Southern Rhodesia.

After moving to several other bases he finished the war at RAF Thornaby from where he was released from the RAF in 1946 as a Flight Lieutenant..

Postwar Monk attended evening classes and studied engineering, eventually getting his AMIMechE and rising to become Managing Director of Peabody Ltd.

He died in October 1996.