Francis Gartly Moir was born on 30th January 1913 at 106 York Drive in Hillhead. This street name was changed to Novar Drive from around 1930.
His father, Francis, was a commercial traveller and he had married Mary Eason Wright Walker in 1908.
The family lived in the flat on Novar Drive until at least 1935. In the 1921 Census
We can see Francis had a younger sister, Kathleen. Also, Francis (father)’s employer was R Garraway and Co, tea merchants.
By 1940 his father was recorded on the Valuation Roll at Benachie, 1 Sinclair Avenue, Bearsden, very probably the first occupant of this newly built property.
Francis (son) had probably been in the RAFVR before 1939 as by December 1940 he was with an operational squadron as a sergeant. Number 84 Squadron was operating in the Mediterranean but when Italy invaded Greece in October 1940, Britain moved this squadron to support their allies.
84 Squadron was based at Menidi (Tatoi) and flew Blenheim light bombers.
On 22nd December 1940, they were sent to bomb an oilfield in Albania at Kucera (which I assume to be the same as in the Wikipedia entry for Kuceva link).
This photo is from the Imperial War Museum website. The caption reads, “The sun rises over the airfield at Menidi/Tatoi, Greece, as groundcrew remove the covers from Bristol Blenheim Mark I, L8374 ‘X’, of No. 84 Squadron RAF, for a morning raid over Albania. L8374 was one of two Blenheims shot down when nine aircraft of the Squadron bombed the Kucera oil fields on 22 December 1940.”
The planes took off at 09.30 local time. As the target was reached, the nine Blenheims were attacked from directly behind by five Italian Macchi 200 fighters; because of the design of the Blenheim they could not be fired upon. Two Blenheims were seen in flames; one was the plane in the photo, the other was Blenheim L8371. The crew of three were:
F/O (74338) Peter Fenton MILES (pilot) RAFVR
Sgt (755242) Francis Gartly MOIR (observer) RAFVR
Sgt (616564) Bertram Alfred Charles BROOKER (Wireless Operator and Air Gunner) RAF
All were killed. Of the seven Blenheims that did make it back, five were damaged and members of the crew were wounded. All were at least in part a victim of an aircraft design that sacrificed rear defensive fire for speed – but a speed that was not enough in 1940.
Francis is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial which covers all those with no known grave in the Mediterranean (photo credit desertrats.org.uk).
