Leslie James Ackland

Leslie James Ackland was a Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve pilot whose path from NCO service to commissioned officer is visible in the Gazette: his commission was announced in February 1942 and his Distinguished Flying Cross followed in April while he was serving with No. 156 Squadron. He later flew with No. 109 Squadron, one of the specialist Mosquito units whose work included precision marking and bombing using advanced navigation and target-finding methods.

On the night of 25 March 1943 Ackland took off from RAF Wyton in Mosquito B.IV DK318 for a bombing mission against Duisburg. Aviation Safety Network records that the aircraft was returning when it was last heard calling for help at about 22:30, believed near North Foreland in the English Channel. Ackland and his navigator, Flying Officer G. M. Sly, were lost. Ackland was 23 and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, a reminder that even the fast Mosquito carried heavy risks on night operations.