The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. D F Touch

Donald Frank Touch was born on 9th October 1916 in Ely and joined the RAFVR about November 1938 as an Airman u/t Pilot. Called up on 1st September 1939, he completed his training at 9 FTS and joined 235 Squadron in early October 1940.

Above image courtesy of the Touch family.

In July 1941 Touch was in Malta with a detachment of 272 Squadron. On 27th July he took part in a strafing attack on Borizzo airfield in Sicily, claiming two enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground and another damaged. On 2nd August, in another attack on Borizzo, he damaged Italian aircraft on the ground.

Commissioned in November 1941, Touch was awarded the AFC (gazetted 3rd April 1945). On 2nd October 1945 he was posted to command 27 Squadron at Akyab but this proved to be an error and he went to a Liberator squadron.

Touch remained in the RAF postwar. He was killed on 10th April 1948 when Mosquito NF30 RK933 lost height on single-engined approach and crashed at Hucknall. Also killed was AC2 EJ Barker.

Touch is buried in Broxbourne Churchyard.

Above image courtesy of Geoff Green via Dorothy Blatcher.