Donald Garland

Donald Edward Garland VC 28 June 1918 – 12 May 1940

Flying Officer Donald Edward Garland VC was one of the Royal Air Force’s earliest heroes of the Second World War, earning the first RAF Victoria Cross of the conflict for an attack that epitomized courage against impossible odds.

Born at Ballinacor, County Wicklow, Ireland, on 28 June 1918, Garland was the son of Dr. Patrick Joseph Garland, CMG, and Winifred Irene Garland. Educated at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in London, he briefly worked as an insurance clerk before joining the Royal Air Force on a short-service commission in 1937. After completing his flying training, he was posted to No. 12 Squadron RAF, flying the Fairey Battle light bomber.

When Germany invaded Belgium on 10 May 1940, Garland’s squadron became part of the desperate Allied effort to halt the German armoured advance. On 12 May, he volunteered to lead a formation of five Fairey Battles in a daylight attack against the heavily defended bridge at Veldwezelt over the Albert Canal. The bridge was a vital crossing for German forces advancing into Belgium, and orders stated that it was to be destroyed “at all costs.”

Flying at extremely low level to ensure an accurate bombing run, Garland pressed home the attack through a devastating barrage of anti-aircraft fire and enemy fighters. Despite overwhelming opposition, he maintained his course, enabling the formation to release its bombs on the target. His aircraft was shot down during the attack, killing Garland, his observer Sergeant Thomas Gray VC, and wireless operator/air gunner Leading Aircraftman Lawrence Reynolds. Only one aircraft from the attacking force returned to base. Although the bridge was not permanently destroyed, the attack delayed the German advance and became one of the RAF’s most celebrated actions of the campaign.

For his “most conspicuous bravery,” Garland was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, announced in the London Gazette on 11 June 1940. His citation credited the success of the mission largely to his leadership and to the skill of Sergeant Gray, who received a joint posthumous Victoria Cross. Garland’s decoration was presented to his mother by King George VI at Buckingham Palace in June 1941.

Donald Garland was just 21 years old when he died. He is buried in Heverlee War Cemetery alongside the other members of his crew. His Victoria Cross is preserved in the collection of the Royal Air Force Museum, where it stands as a lasting tribute to the courage and sacrifice of the RAF during the opening days of the Second World War.