Father: John Henry Murphy, a Water Works Engineer; mother Margaret Elizabeth [Gosling] Ed. Manchester Grammar School, Manchester College of Technology m. 1938 in Stockport, Alice [Webster] prev. Director and Printing Works Manager, Dean & Co, Stockport; "in control of a staff of approx. 120 employees" "Not exempt - recently de-reserved" Ab initio pilot Address in 1943: 29 Daylesford Rd, Cheadle, Cheshire "As a regular reader of 'Flight' for some years, I am very keen to fly and regret that circumstances did not enable me to join the RAF as a pilot when still young enough. Sports: Swimming, cricket, tennis and lacrosse Hobbies: Gardening, photography, foreign touring, amateur motor engineering" Postings: 5TFPP, 16FPP, 7FPP, 3FPP Salary: £285 p.a. from 26 Jul 1943 "This pilot had not flown before he came to ATA. He has proved slow to get started on new things but keen and hardworking." "He is on the nervous side and his flying would improve if he put more dash and decision into it." 3 accidents, one his fault: - 13 Dec 1943, in Magister N4583; the undercarriage collapsed on landing due to the brakes binding - 22 Jun 1944, his Harvard IIb FX285 nosed over when he applied the brakes while taxying to take-off. He was blamed for this, as he had previously noticed that the brakes were 'fierce' d. 25 Nov 1944 in Barracuda II MX709, which flew Into the ground at Annesley North Railway Junction ("near the signal box"), nr Hucknall, Notts in bad visibility during a ferry flight from 15MU Wroughton to RNAS Dunino. "There is a conflict between eye-witnesses who are positive that the aircraft was on fire before the crash, and the evidence from subsequent technical examination which strongly indicated that fire only occurred after the crash." "Insufficient evidence to determine the responsibility for this accident."
Buried Cheadle Cemetery, Manchester
Probate of £3124 15s 7d was granted to Alice on 27 January 1945. Alice married Rowland Pollitt in 1948; he died in 1971.
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