James Kenneth Montague Drysdale

James Kenneth Montague Drysdale was a British career Royal Air Force officer, born around 1909 or 1910 into a military family — his father, Colonel William Drysdale, served with The Royal Scots regiment. He held a pre-war permanent commission, carrying the low service number 25055, and had risen to the rank of Squadron Leader by the summer of 1940. For his leadership and courage during the early months of the war, he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, gazetted on 23 July 1940. By 1941 he had been promoted to Wing Commander and given command of No. 305 (Polish) Squadron, a Wellington bomber unit within Bomber Command, in which capacity he served as the British commanding officer of a squadron made up largely of Polish airmen who had escaped to Britain after the fall of Poland and France. On the night of 15–16 September 1941, Drysdale flew as pilot of Wellington W5526 (code SM-J) on a raid against Le Havre; the aircraft was lost over the target with all six crew members killed. He was 31 years old. He is buried at Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, France, in Division 67, Row C, Grave 5; he left a widow, Josephine Mary Drysdale, of Leuchars in Fife.