John Retson Muir was born on 17th April 1923 at 16 Hayburn Street, Partick:
His father, Andrew, was a dairyman and had married Ann Retson the previous year. He had a younger brother, Thomas.
Between 1930 and 1935 the family moved to 27 South Erskine Park
John attended Bearsden Academy. As a teenager he joined the local Air Training Corps and when he was old enough (aged 18 in 1941) he joined the RAF.
He qualified as a fighter pilot in America and was commissioned (made an officer) in 1943.
By 1945 he was a Flight Lieutenant, based at Biferno on the Adriatic Coast of Italy (marked by red arrow pin towards the bottom of the map). German forces occupied all of the other coast, including Greece, Albania and what was then Yugoslavia.
He was with 249 Squadron, an RAF unit equipped with American P-51 Mustangs – they were almost exclusively flying over the Adriatic to attack the Germans as they retreated from Yugoslavia (as it was then called) in Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia.
John joined the squadron at the end of August 1944, already an experienced pilot. To give an idea of what he experienced, here are his missions in January and February 1945:
4th January – led three Mustangs escorting 10 Marauder bombers
12th and 13th January – training flights for new pilots under John’s supervision
16th January – led four Mustangs escorting eight Beaufighters to attack coastal gun positions
24th January 1945 – led two Mustangs on weather reconnaissance flight
25th January – led four Mustangs on armed reconnaissance
26th January – led nine Mustangs on armed reconnaissance
30th January – led three Mustangs on armed reconnaissance (in Zagreb area)
1st February – led four Mustangs on armed reconnaissance
3rd February – led four Mustangs on armed reconnaissance
5th February – led two Mustangs on armed reconnaissance
7th February – led seven Mustangs on armed reconnaissance
9th February – led two Mustangs on armed reconnaissance
11th February – led four Mustangs on escort duty
13th February – led four Mustangs on armed reconnaissance
15th February – led two Mustangs on armed reconnaissance
20th February – led four Mustangs on armed reconnaissance
21st February – led four Mustangs on armed reconnaissance
22nd February – led seven Mustangs on armed reconnaissance
24th February – led six Mustangs on a road sweep
27th February – led three Mustangs on armed reconnaissance
While neither of the (posed) photos below shows John, they are men of the same squadron in February 1945 at Biferno.
This one shows pilots studying a map held by Squadron leader Edmondson (right) with a Mustang in the background.
The caption to this one makes the point that (1) it was cold, hence the men standing around a heater in a Nissan hut, and (2) because they often flew missions starting around 07.00 there were no late nights, after dinner it was coca and bed.
This report from the Milngavie and Bearsden Herald of Saturday 3rd February 1945 is a little confusing. The Brenner Pass was, in the days before air travel became common, famous as a route through the mountains in the border between Italy and Austria – but it is a road alongside a railway (a little like the A74(M) at Beattock but obviously not as beautiful!) The other places mentioned like Milan and Treviso are in northern Italy, of course, but are miles away. “Saturday last” referred to in the report was the 27th, but John did not fly that day – he did fly on the 26th and reported shooting up trains in a marshalling yard at Nova Gradiska, which is in modern-day Croatia, south-west of Zagreb. But how did the M&BH get the quote from him?
But John was making quite an impression and later that month his name was put forward (successfully) for a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), although it was not announced until October 1945, seven months after his death.
His citation reads:
Throughout a large number of operational sorties this officer has shown outstanding ability as a leader and flight commander. His keenness and determination has resulted in the destruction of 25 locomotives and 27 mechanical transports. Many other targets such as bridges, railway sidings, shipping and harbour installations, gun positions and enemy occupied buildings have suffered severe damage as a result of his determined attacks. Both in the air and on the ground, Flight Lieutenant Muir has set an inspiring example to all.
This is a photo from the ‘gun camera’ on John’s plane as he flew over a train near Zagreb on 3rd February.
On 1st March 1945 John flew Mustang III HB 851 for a 20-minute air test at 06.20. Then he took off at 07.15 with two other planes on an armed reconnaissance. The squadron operations book describes the mission:
“German troops reported north of Zagreb. At 08.10 bombed RE7510 [presumably a map reference] 10 MT [motor transport, presumably trucks] facing north, moving when first seen, stopped before attack. Claim all destroyed. Scant small arms fire from roadsides.
Just south of RE7510 strafed 5 MT facing north. All 5 destroyed, 6 casualties to personnel standing near. Small arms fire from roadsides.
RE7715 strafed 6 laden HDVs [heavy duty vehicles?] going north, damaged 4.
RE7828 destroyed 1 MT going north.
RE7930 damaged 1 MT stationary, headed north.
At 09.30 position RE7530 was locomotive with steam up pulling 5 wagons heading southwest. F/Lt Muir was going in to attack when his machine flew straight into the ground from about 40 feet, exploded, burst into flames and was completely destroyed. No Flak was seen and it is assumed he was hit by small arms fire. He had not reported his having been hit.”
The other two planes were flown by Sergeants C. Wilson and E. Ramsbotham (who also died in the eight weeks before the end of the war).
Less than six weeks after the earlier cutting, the Milngavie and Bearsden Herald carried bad news (dated 10th March 1945):
John is buried in Belgrade War Cemetery:
