Derek Hodgkinson
Sir Derek Hodgkinson | |
---|---|
Birth name | William Derek Hodgkinson |
Nickname(s) | "Big S" |
Born | Mentioned in Despatches | 27 December 1917
Early life
Born near Prestbury, Cheshire, and educated in Repton, Hodgkinson took a short service commission with the RAF in 1936, first flying the Avro Anson multi-role aircraft for RAF Coastal Command[2] and then the American-built Hudson medium-level bomber with No. 220 Squadron RAF.[3]
Second World War
When war was declared, Hodgkinson was responsible for patrolling the
The city of Bremen was attacked on the night of 25 June and Hodkinson's Hudson was shot down by a night fighter on the return trip over the Dutch coast. The crew, except Hodgkinson and his navigator were killed.[1] Wounded, Hodgkinson was taken to a hospital as a prisoner of war.
He was later transferred to Stalag Luft III, where he was made responsible for security under the leader of the escape committee "Big X". Stalag Luft III was made famous by the daring mass break-out through tunnels depicted in the film The Great Escape. After several unsuccessful escape attempts, the camp was evacuated ahead of the Russian advance of January 1945 and the prisoners marched 50 miles (80 km) through severe winter weather to the naval PoW camp near Bremen.[2] They were again transferred to Hamburg where they were liberated by the British in April 1945.
Post-war service
After the war, Hodgkinson was appointed Officer Commanding
Family
In 1939 he married Heather Goodwin; they had a son, Richard born in 1946, and a daughter Elizabeth born in 1949.[4][5]
References
- ^ a b Obituary (17 March 2010). "ACM Sir Derek Hodgkinson". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ a b c Chris Mair (6 March 2010). "Air Chief Marshal Sir Derek Hodgkinson". The Scotsman.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Chief Marshal Sir Derek Hodgkinson
- ^ a b c d Obituaries: Air Chief Marshal Sir Derek Hodgkinson: Coastal Command pilot The Times, 23 February 2010
- ^ The Peerage.com – Air Chief Marshal Sir Derek Hodgkinson