The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. R C Moss

Raymond Christopher Moss was born on 7th August 1917 in London and joined 600 Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force before the war as an Aircrafthand.

Called up on 24th August 1939, he remustered as an Airman u/t Air Gunner. After completing his training at 5 BGS Jurby he joined 29 Squadron at Digby on 1st July 1940 and flew his first operational sortie on 18th September.

After the Battle of Britain Moss retrained as a Radio Observer and in 1942 he was serving with 89 Squadron in the Middle East, operating in Beaufighters.

In January 1943 Moss was in a detachment of the squadron posted to Calcutta to form the nucleus of 176 Squadron. On 19th January Moss and his pilot, F/O CA Crombie, destroyed two Mitsubishi Sallys. One engine of their Beaufighter was hit by return fire and set alight and Crombie ordered Moss to bale out. Crombie stayed to damage a third Sally and then baled out himself.

Moss was awarded the DFC (gazetted 19th February 1943) as a Warrant Officer. The citation stated that he and Crombie had flown together in the UK, Middle East and India and had destroyed eight enemy aircraft and damaged another.

Commissioned in March 1944, Moss was released from the RAF in 1946 as a Flight Lieutenant. He became a freelance journalist.

He died in February 2000.