Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...

Hugh Gordon Malcolm, VC (2 May 1917 – 4 December 1942) was a Scottish airman and a recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces.

Early life

Malcolm was born in

Broughty Ferry Broughty Ferry (; ; ) is a suburb of Dundee, in Scotland. It is situated four miles east of the City Centre, Dundee, city centre on the north bank of the Firth of Tay. The area was a separate burgh from 1864 until 1913, when it was incorporated ...

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

, and educated at

Craigflower Preparatory School Craigflower Preparatory School was a private preparatory school for boys at Torryburn near Dunfermline, Scotland. History Craigflower Preparatory School was established at Craigflower House, Torryburn, near Dunfermline, Fife in 1923. (Craig ...

near

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...

and

Glenalmond College Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about west of the city of Perth. T ...

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

. He entered the

Royal Air Force College Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and is resp ...

on 9 January 1936. In January 1938, Malcolm joined No. 26 (Army Co-operation) Squadron at Catterick. In May 1939, he suffered a serious head injury in a

Westland Lysander The Westland Lysander is a British Army cooperation aircraft, army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War. After becoming obsolete in the army co-operat ...

crash.

Second World War

When the war started, Malcolm was serving with No. 17 Training Group. On 4 March 1941, he was promoted to flight lieutenant and was

Air Liaison Officer An air liaison officer is generally an air force official acting as an intermediary between the air force they represent and another organization, although this role can vary based on country. United Kingdom In World War II, air liaison officers ...

on Lieutenant General

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and the ...

's general staff. By the end of 1941 Malcolm had risen to the rank of

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

and joined No. 18 Squadron as a flight commander, flying the

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until the end of the war. ...

and based in Suffolk. During late 1942 in North Africa, Wing Commander Malcolm assumed command of No. 18 Squadron, flying the

Mk. V light bomber. Throughout his service in that sector, his skill and daring were of the highest order. He led two attacks on

Bizerta Bizerte (, ) is the capital and largest city of Bizerte Governorate in northern Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located north of the capital Tunis. It is also known as the last town to remain under French control after the re ...

airfield in Tunisia, pressing his attacks to effective conclusion. On 17 November 1942, the squadron were detailed to carry out an attack on Bizerta, taking advantage of low cloud cover. Twenty miles from the target, the sky cleared, but despite the danger of continuing without a fighter escort, Malcolm decided to go ahead. Despite fierce opposition, the mission was a success with all bombs dropped within the airfield perimeter, and a Junkers Ju 52 and Messerschmitt Bf 109 were shot down, with other enemy aircraft damaged on the ground by machine-gun fire. Malcolm was a 25-year-old wing commander when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the

. On 4 December, he led a thirteen-strong attack on an enemy fighter airfield near Chougui, Tunisia. On reaching the target, however, and starting the attack, the squadron was intercepted by an overwhelming force of enemy fighters from I and II. Gruppen

JG 53 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 53 (JG 53) was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. It operated in Western Europe and in the Mediterranean. ''Jagdgeschwader'' 53 - or as it was better known, the "Pik As" ''(Ace of Spades)'' Geschwader - was one of the ...

, and 11 Staffel, JG 2. One by one, all his bombers were shot down, until he himself was shot down in flames. Malcolm's aircraft crashed in flames some 15 miles west of the target. An infantry officer and two other men who arrived at the scene of the crash minutes later retrieved the body of navigator Pilot Officer James Robb. Malcolm, with Robb and gunner Pilot Officer James Grant, were buried in the Beja War Cemetery in a collective grave. Malcolm was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross on 27 April 1943. His was the first Royal Air Force Victoria Cross to be won in North Africa.

Legacy

The RAF's Malcolm Clubs were named in his honour. These were welfare clubs for RAF personnel, which operated in several countries between 1943 and the early 1970s, although the club at RAF Wittering continued until the 1990s. They are mentioned in

Queen's Regulations The ''King's Regulations'' (first published in 1731 and known as the ''Queen's Regulations'' when the monarch is female) is a collection of orders and regulations in force in the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, and Commonwealth Realm ...

. Malcolm's Victoria Cross is on display in the Lord Ashcroft collection at the

Imperial War Museum The Imperial War Museum (IWM), currently branded "Imperial War Museums", is a British national museum. It is headquartered in London, with five branches in England. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, it was intended to record the civ ...

, London.

References

External links

Acting Wing Commander H.G. Malcolm
in ''The Art of War'' exhibition at the

UK National Archives The National Archives (TNA; ) is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Its parent department is the Department for Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is the ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malcolm, Hugh Gordon 1917 births 1942 deaths Military personnel from Dundee People from Broughty Ferry People educated at Craigflower Preparatory School People educated at Glenalmond College Scottish airmen Royal Air Force wing commanders British World War II pilots British World War II bomber pilots Scottish military personnel killed in action Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II Aviators killed by being shot down Royal Air Force recipients of the Victoria Cross British World War II recipients of the Victoria Cross Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell