Marmaduke Thomas St. John Pattle   Top RAF Ace,   S/L DFC  &  Bar Born in Butterworth, Cape Province, S. Africa 3 July 1914. Son of Cecil John St. John Pattle and Edith Pattle, of Boksburg, Transvaal, South Africa. Attended Keetmanshoop Secondary School, SW Africa. Victoria Boys High School, Grahamstown. Matriculated (graduated) in 1931. Worked in his uncle's garage in Komgha in 1932. Tried to enter the SAAF but was rejected in 1933. Worked in an Assayers office at the Sheba mine until 1936. Left for England to join RAF in April 1936. To No 12 Elementary & Reserve Flying Training School, Prestwick, in Ayrshire County, June 1936. No. 10 Flying Training School, Ternhill, Shropshire. Graduated with distinction & Posted to No. 80 Squadron (F) in early 1937. They left for Egypt at the end of April 1938. Took command of "B" Flight, summer of 1939. Promoted to F/L - 3 September 1940. Killed In Action on 20 April 1941 - Hitler's birthday - Shot down by Bf110's of 5/ZG26. Last seen slumped forward & going down in flames.

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Air Ministry, 11th February, 1941. ROYAL AIR FORCE. The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the following awards:

Distinguished Flying Cross

Flight Lieutenant Marmaduke Thomas St. John PATTLE (39029), No. 80 Squadron.

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British Flyer Bags 23 Nazis

London, March 15, 1941 - (CP) - F/L Marmaduke Thomas St. John Pattle was credited officially today with the destruction of 23 German war planes - three within the last month. He was awarded a bar for the Distinguished Flying Cross.

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Air Ministry, 18th March 1941. The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the following awards in recognition of gallantry displayed in flying operations against the enemy:

Bar to Distinguished Flying Cross

Flight Lieutenant Marmaduke Thomas St. John PATTLE, D.F.C. (39029), No. 80 Sq.

In March 1941, during an engagement over Himara, Flight Lieutenant Pattle shot down three enemy fighters. This courageous and skilful fighter pilot has now destroyed at least 23 enemy aircraft.

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South African Ace Missing

London, May 22, 1941 (AAP) - Squadron Leader M. St. John Pattle, DFC (with bar), a 27 year old South African, is reported missing. His total of 23 enemy planes shot down is still the highest officially credited to any (Allied) pilot in the war (post war research has his score at somewhere in the 40 - 50 range -jf).
The Air Ministry casualty list of 517 names include 91 killed, 31 missing, believed killed and 115 missing, 44 presumed killed.

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AFRICAN AIRMAN BLASTS 32 NAZIS OUT OF SERVICE
Wing-Commander Malan Is Ace Sharp Shooter of Royal Air Force
OTHER HIGH SCORES

London, Sept, 18, 1941 —(CP)— A cool-headed young South African, Wing Cmdr. A. G. Malan holds individual scoring honours in the Royal Air Force with an official tally of 32 German aeroplanes blasted out of the sky.
In announcing that the fighter command's leading pilot had shot down 32 machines, the air ministry news service did not name him. But previous references to Malan's achievements make it safe to assume he is the individual ace of Britain's flying sharpshooters.

Has High Awards
Malan, who joined the R.A.F. six years ago, has been awarded the D.S.O. and bar and the D.F.C. and bar for some of his outstanding exploits in the air. He also holds a ship's second officer's certificate.
Four other pilots have individual scores of more than 20, said the news service, issuing an impressive summary of the losses inflicted by the fighter command on the Luftwaffe in two years of sky warfare. They also were unnamed, but are believed to be Squadron-Ldr. J. Mungo Park, D.F.C, Squadron-Ldr. M. T. St. J. Pattle, Squadron-Ldr. Roland Tuck, D.S.O. and D.F.C. with two bars, and Flight-Lieut. E. S. Lock, D.S.O., D.F.C. and bar.
Mungo Park and Pattle, both officially listed as missing, have shot down 27 machines each. Tuck's total was 27 last July and Lock, also missing, has 25 to his credit. Wing-Cmdr. Douglas Bader, D.S.O. and bar, D.F.C, former leader of the R.A.F. all-Canadian fighter squadron, is believed to have shot down at least 20. The curly-haired Briton who flew with two artificial legs was himself shot down over northern France in August and taken prisoner.
The leading squadron of fighter command has accounted for 175 German aircraft since the war began. Fifteen squadrons have each topped the century mark, and three of them have shot down more than 150 machines.

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Victories Include :

Shores & Williams have his score as

(Approx.) 50 & 2 shared destroyed, 7 & 1 shared probable & 4 & 2 shared damaged
with 3 more destroyed on the ground (OTG) equaling =

50.66 / 7.5 / 5   + 3 OTG

See Aces High 2nd Edition & Aces High Vol. 2 for details concerning claims

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On these pages I use info from the London Gazette Archives, newspaper articles via the
Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation (CMCC) as well as other sources both published and private

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