Thurrock Historical Social's chair Susan Yates brings us her latest column in the occasional series reflecting on the borough's past and the memorable figures who contributed to it.

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REGINALD Joseph Cowan Grant DFC and Bar, DFM was born in Woodville, North Island, New Zealand on 3rd June 1914 the son of W.E. Grant and Gertrude Isabella Grant nee Rowntree.

He joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in November 1939 and on completion of his initial training in March 1941 he was sent for further training with no. 55 Operational Training unit given the rank of Sergeant, and posted to Royal Air Force 145 Squadron at Tangmere, Sussex. 

Reg's older brother William had served in the RAF but died from illness on 2nd February 1932. Reg went on to serve with his younger brother Flying Officer Ian Grant who on 13th February 1943 was killed being shot down near Calais, France.

Ian's Spitfire was in combat with German fighters when it was shot down. Reg engaged the fighter that had shot down his brother and in turn shot it down. 

The war was not very kind to Mrs. Grant's boys because on 28th February 1944 she lost a third son. Wing Commander Grant took off on a sortie with 122 Flight, 65 squadron in a Mustang Mark 111. 

They were escort on a raid in the vicinity of Poix/Amiens, France. Weather some cloud but visibility good.

Wing Commander Reg Grant

Airborne at 12.35 hours 10 minutes after the form up and whilst circling at 2,500 feet Wing Commander Reg Grant leading the squadron broke away reporting engine trouble. He glided down to about 500 feet with a dead engine when for reasons unknown he pulled up again rolled and bailed out. Sadly, his parachute failed to open and the pilot died when he hit the ground. 

The fighter crashed near Barrington's Farm, Orsett. Investigators concluded that he had failed to pull the ripcord possibly due to being overcome with fumes from the aircraft cockpit.

Wind Commander Reginald Joseph Cowan Grant DFC and Bar, DFM Royal New Zealand Air Force was only 29 when he died. He had flown 205 operations for a total of 673 hours with 8 confirmed kills to his credit. He was the Airfields HQ Commanding Officer. He is buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Woking, Surrey.

In April 2003 Thurrock Local History Society contacted the Thameside Aviation Museum as they had been approached with a request for information on Grant and his sad end by a Mr Jack Rae who had married Reg's sister Veronique after the war. Jack too was a fighter ace with 11 kills to his credit and was also a friend of Reg's having flown with him on combat missions. 

Jack told the museum that Veronique now 96 could still not come to terms with her personal loss.

The Aviation Museum decided that a memorial at the crash site would be appropriate and so 60 years to the day after Reg Grant's death a memorial service was held at Orsett Fire Station in the presence of Reg Grant's niece Dr. Barbara Rae-Venter and her son Christopher. 

They jointly unveiled a memorial plaque in front of the 100 or so guests, of which I was one. 

The plaque made of brass and containing details of the incident is situated in a small garden. 

The guests included local ex-servicemen's associations, various family friends and the New Zealand governments representative Group Captain Stephen Moore. The service was carried out by Sqdn Ldr. Andrew Jolly the padre from RAF Uxbridge. Wreaths were laid and a short poem "High Flight" read out after which a reception was held in the Fire Station.