John Harry Mackellar Chisholm (affectionately and universally
known as 'Chis') was born in 1918 in New South Wales and came to England
in 1936. His mother had divorced and moved to India where she remarried -
to Colonel N H Prenderghast of Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides. Chis
was sponsored by the RAF to attend the No 10 Civil Flying School at White
Waltham in 1937 and was commissioned a year later with the rank of Flying
Officer.
It is believed he joined 75 squadron, attended a parachute course
and flew Whitley bombers in the years leading up to the outbreak of war.
Certainly 1941 saw him serving with No 1 Photo Reconnaissance and
with the RAF film production unit.
Late in 1942 he transferred to 600 squadron where he flew
Blenheims, which included a tour in North Africa. He joined 157 squadron
in July 1943 and in 1944 found himself with that Mosquito squadron
stationed at RAF Swannington.
Chis was married to Patricia Hulton-Harrop in 1940. Patricia's
brother, P/O John Hulton-Harrop, was the first British figher pilot to be
killed in the war. Flying a Hurricane with 56 squadron, he was tragically
shot down by another RAF fighter in a case of mistaken identity.
On September 15th 1944, at 20 minutes before midnight, Mosquito TA
396 RS-W, with Chis and navigator Fl/Lt E L Wilde took off from Swannington
for a high-level patrol in the Kiel area. They did not return and were
posted as 'missing'. A rubber dinghy was spotted in the sea on their route.
The next morning three 'mossies' from his squadron took off from Swannington
and made a prolonged 'sweep' of the area, but with no success. What happened
on that flight nobody will ever know. Plane and crew were lost without trace.
The names of both crewmen appear on the Runneymede Memorial for lost airmen.
Chis left Patricia his wife (who died in 1964), his daughter Anna
aged 3, and his six month old baby son John.
The photograph shows an aluminium model of his Mosquito, RS-W,
presented to Patricia by the members of his squadron. It illustrates the
admiration and respect with which he had been held.
The inscription plate reads:
In appreciation of our Flight Commander S/Ldr J H M
Chisholm [Chis] from "THE BOYS" "B" Flight, 157 squadron Royal Air Force
Chis's brother in law, John HH mentioned above, had been a close
friend and flat mate of the actor Kenneth More, who played the part of
Douglas Bader, who in turn had been stationed at nearby RAF Coltishall.
His daughter Anna went on to marry Ian McCorquodale, the son of
Barbara Cartland. Barbara was a friend of John 'Cats Eyes' Cunningham, who
as CO of 85 squadron was transferred just prior to 85's transfer to
Swannington which it shared with Chis's 157 squadron until the end of the
war.
Son John went to Sandhurst and was commissioned in the KSLI,
serving in Belize, Singapore and Malaysia. He now lives with his wife
Kathy, daughter Patricia and son Alexander in Clawson, a suburb of
Detroit, Michigan.
Flt.Lt Chis on the right. The other man is believed to be his regular navigator, E.L. Wilde
 [By kind permission of Martin
Bowman]
157 Squadron gathered on the steps of
the Officer's Mess, RAF Swannington. The front row, left to right, are:
F/L JRV Smythe; Stevens; S/L 'Chis' Chisholm; W/C HDU Dennison (CO
March-June 1944); Towser the dog; F/L JO Mathews DFC; S/L JG Benson; S/L
Dolly Doleman.
Chis, on right, catching forty winks in the Officer's mess
at Swannington. Who are his fellow officers ?
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John Harry MacKellar 'Chis' Chisholm
The Mossie model presented to
Patricia by 'B' Flight, 157sqn
Chis with his dog Bracken
and 'mossie
Chis as a Flying Officer
at Linton May 1938
'Chis'
R GIBBONS © 2002
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