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Name : James William Bristowe Phillips Son of William Alexander and Muriel Alice Phillips. Born : 1910, Lucknow. Married : 14 Dec 1935, Edith Nellie Wooldridge, Christ Church, Sandown, Isle of Wight. |
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Service Details : Pilot Officer 47878 James William Bristowe Phillips, Royal Air Force Awarded Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM). |
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Casualty Details : Died : 25th March 1942 aged 31. Buried at : Littlehampton Cemetery, Sussex : Sec D Grave 4268 CWGC Record |
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Commemorated on these Memorials :
J W B Phillips is not commemorated on the Isle of Wight. Commemorated on Old Haltonians Roll of Honour (RAF Halton Apprentices Association) |
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Documents and Newspaper cuttings :
ISLE OF WIGHT MERCURY
Friday, June 14, 1940 Page 2 Airman with Island Connection Awarded the D.F.M. Sergeant James William Bristol [sic] Phillips received the Distinguished Flying Medal in the latest list of Royal Air Force Awards for gallantry. Sergeant Phillips has accompanied his squadron on numerous offensive patrols over Northern France. One day in May he took part in two engagements with enemy aircraft and shot down four Messerschmitt 109's, and possibly another. Sergeant Phillips has shown great courage in his attack on the enemy. In one combat alone he destroyed three enemy aircraft from close range without damage to his own aircraft. Since this engagement Sergeant Phillips has been reported missing. Aged 30, he was born at Lucknow, India, and his wife lives at Sandown, I.W. |
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Further information :
P/O Phillips joined the Royal Air Force in 1927, and was a member of 54 Sqn in 1940, flying Spitfires. He is credited with shooting down at least 4 enemy aircraft, before being shot down himself in Spitfire P9388. On returning to flight duties he served in Malta with 261 Sqn, then returned to the UK. It is believed he was shot down again but the details of his death are not known. (*) His final tally is believed to have been 13 enemy aircraft. (*) The Operations Record Book for the Fighter Interception Unit states the following: "25th Mar 1942. P/O Phillips met with a fatal accident after spinning off a roll. He was a most experienced single-engine pilot and the accident remains something of a mystery." He was flying Hawker Hurricane IIB Z3350, and crashed 1 mile west of Ford Aerodrome. There is a record at The National Archives of a Sgt J W Phillips being held Prisoner of War and escaping, but no details are known - reference : Series Name: POW - Escape report / TNA series: WO208 / TNA piece number: 3303 / number:249 / Report Prefix: (F) / report no: 283 |
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Links :
London Gazette 1942 (Promotion) List of WWII Aces from UK |
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Acknowledgments :
John Bloodworth for service information John Vaughan for the extract from the Operations Record Book Janet Griffin for newspaper research |
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Page status :
Page last updated : 23 March 2014 (added report of DFM award) |
Memorials & Monuments
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