The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. R J McNair

Squadron Leader (Sergeant during the Battle) Robin McNair, who has died aged 77, fought in the Battle of Britain as a sergeant pilot and qualified for membership of the Caterpillar Club by bailing out twice in combat.

But his finest hour as a wartime fighter pilot came in 1944, when he was posted on the eve of the D-Day invasion of Normandy to command No 247, a Typhoon squadron. As he took over he was confronted by a tense situation which taxed even his qualities of leadership. His predecessor, Squadron Leader Eric Haabjoern, of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, had brought the squadron to a high standard, but it had lost a quarter of its pilot strength. With the invasion of Normandy looming, the squadron was training to fire rockets and drop bombs, a role which did not appeal to pilots who preferred the straightforward fighter role. After supporting the June 6 and follow-up landings from its base in the New Forest, McNair led the squadron on June 20 to B6, a front-line airfield in Normandy. The squadron was forced back to the New Forest by intensive fire but returned two days later.
Having landed safely McNair, a devout Roman Catholic, gave thanks in the nearby church. After destroying an enemy aircraft he would habitually pray for its crew.

McNair was a cool and highly-skilled tactician; the only occasion his fellows recalled him in anger was when local French people refused to bring food to the squadron. McNair swiftly ended this lack of co-operation by drawing and aiming his revolver. During the Battle of the Falaise Gap, when McNair was acting commander of No 142 Wing in Normandy, his convictions were sorely tested as he led his rocket-firing Typhoons time and time again in attacks on the retreating enemy troops and armour. He confessed later that he had been reluctant to continue the slaughter. After the war McNair switched to civil aviation where he embarked on a career which led to senior posts with British European Airways, British Overseas Airways Corporation and British Airways.

Robin John McNair was born on May 21 1918 and educated at Gaveney House School, Hampstead and at Douai, where he was captain of cricket and rugby. In 1939 he volunteered for the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He was selected for pilottraining and posted to an Initial Training wing at Marine Court on the seafront at St Leonards-on-Sea in Sussex. Drill and ground classes were alleviated by tea parties arranged by church volunteers and at one such gathering he met Estelle Townsend whom he later married.

In late July 1940 he was posted to his first squadron, No3, re-equipping at Wick, with Hurricanes and pilots following losses during the fall of France. As Battle of Britain casualties mounted, McNair was posted south to No 249, a Hurricane squadron operating from North Weald in the defence of south-east England and London. In December 1940 he joined the newly formed No 96 and flew night operations in the defence of Liverpool over which, on March 12 1941, he destroyed a He111 bomber.

He became a night fighter instructor and was commissioned, but by the summer of 1942 he had returned to operations and tookpart with No 87, another Hurricane squadron, in heavy air fighting over Dieppe and the Channel during the disastrous Allied raid. Moving to No 245, where he became a flight commander, McNair was later involved with low-level attacks on V1 flying bomb launch sites.

After his Normandy service, McNair was posted first to a training appointment at No 12 Group and then, in early 1945, to No 55 Operational Training Unit for Typhoon pilots as chief fly-ing instructor.

Before being demobilised at his request to enter civil aviation, he briefly commanded No 74, one of the RAF's first Meteor jet fighter squadrons.

McNair joined the Ministry of Civil Aviation, then went to British European Airways on its foundation in 1946. From 1951 to 1956 he was deputy to Lord Amherst, director of BEA's Associated Companies and helped to establish smooth commercial relations between the airline's foreign subsidiaries. After holding a series of senior appointments, which entailed responsibility for the establishment of new routes and overseas marketing, McNair retired in 1979 from British Airways, into which BEA and BOAC had merged.

Away from work, McNair gave freely of his time to many causes, but especially to the Roman Catholic Church and his old school Douai.

He was awarded the DFC in 1942 and Bar in 1944.

Robin McNair is survived by his wife; they had three sons and four daughters.

With acknowledgments to the Daily Telegraph