A decorated American WWII pilot, who made a nostalgic return to his former RAF North Witham airfield in 2019, has died at the age of 102.
Lieutenant Colonel David Hamilton was hosted by South Kesteven District Council during the 75th commemoration of D-Day as the last surviving pilot from a pre-invasion Normandy mission.
As a 21-year-old, he piloted one of the 20 C-47s of America’s 9th Troop Carrier Command that took off late on 5th June from what is now Twyford Wood near Colsterworth.
On board were elite US 82nd Airborne Pathfinder paratroopers who dropped behind German lines to set up navigational aids guiding in the main airborne invasion force.
Having flown the outward mission at 50ft above the English Channel to avoid enemy radar, Hamilton returned to RAF North Witham with more than 200 holes in his aircraft from anti-aircraft and small arms fire.
Cllr Richard Dixon-Warren, SKDC Lead Member for Armed Forces, said: “Mr Hamilton embodied the spirit and sacrifice of the allies who joined Britain in the fight to liberate Europe. It was an honour to organise the visit.
“D-Day was under way as soon as those aircraft took off on a mission that helped to change the course of the war. We cannot overstate the importance of what they achieved.”
Lt Col Hamilton was awarded five Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service. He retired in 1963 as a Lt Colonel serving in intelligence.
In his last interview he said: “My first mission was the Normandy invasion. Nothing I ever did exceeded that in importance and overall what it meant in the total war picture as far as Europe was concerned.”
When he visited South Kesteven, he was met at Grantham railway station by air cadets and taken to North Witham for a tour of the airfield – once home to more than 3,000 American troops – where he unveiled an information board on the 1944 Pathfinder mission.
He then went to South Witham to unveil a commemorative bench and have lunch with schoolchildren.
In July 2022 he was treated to a hero’s celebration in the United States and flown to join the WWII Airborne Demonstration Team at Frederick Regional Airport Army Airfield in Oklahoma for a weekend of celebrations.
It included an airborne operation involving an historic Douglas C-47 Skytrain, nicknamed Wild Cat. Team members parachuted from the aircraft in his honour and he took the controls for several minutes.