Donald Marshall Crossley

Donald Marshall Crossley was born at Hollingbourne in Kent around 1913, the son of Francis Marshall and Muriel Crossley, and entered the RAFVR before being commissioned in April 1941. His wartime flying took him through Mediterranean bomber squadrons including Nos. 148, 70 and 104 Squadrons. The London Gazette records his Distinguished Flying Cross in June 1942 and a Bar to the DFC in May 1943, by which time he was serving with No. 70 Squadron; both decorations mark him out as an operational bomber leader before his final posting.

By November 1943 Crossley was an acting wing commander with No. 104 Squadron, a Wellington unit operating from the Mediterranean theatre. On 24 November 1943 he was flying Wellington X LN338, coded D, on a raid against Turin when the aircraft failed to return. Crossley was killed aged 30 and is buried in Staglieno Cemetery, Genoa. He is also named on the Harrietsham roll of honour in Kent, where his DFC and Bar are recorded alongside his 104 Squadron service.