George William Macdonald was killed while flying a mission to bomb Berlin on the night of 23rd/24th August 1943. He was a pilot with the rank of Flying Officer, a member of 620 Squadron based at Chedburgh. The plane was a Stirling III bomber and take off was at 20.30. The plane was shot down by a German night-fighter and crashed east of Berlin.
The Milngavie and Bearsden Herald of 30th October 1943 carried the following announcement:
Despite knowing George’s age and parents I have not been able to trace his birth or anything about his earlier life. In the 1940 Valuation Roll, his father’s job is head janitor at The University (at this time, Glasgow University).
George’s co-pilot that night, Arnold Peers Philipsen, survived and became a prisoner of war. His wife had survived the sinking of the Athenia in 1939 while pregnant and having to leave her own mother in the cabin, pinned down by heavy furniture.