Kenneth Rayment

[Larry]

Can anyone give details of the wartime career of Kenneth Rayment, who was a pilot in the RAF in WW2.

He was the co-pilot in Airspeed Ambassador G-ALZU which crashed at Munich on 6th February 1958 with the Manchester United Football Club team onboard. He subsequently died of his injuries on 15th March 1958.

All I know is that he was on a Sqn involved in 'Diver' patrols in 1944 to counter the V-1

[Gordon Raddock]

Kenneth Gordon Rayment RAF No. 126970 (NCO); 108000 (Officer)
b. 11 March 1921 at Wanstead, Essex
1937 - joined Merchant Navy
15 October 1940 - joined RAFVR
March 1941 - commenced training at 17 EFTS
Sent to Canada - 32 SFTS at Mosse Jaw where he passed out top of his course
August 1941 - commissioned
September 1941 - 56 OTU, Sutton Bridge
December 1941 - joined 153 Sqn, RAF
December 1941 - 62 OTU, East Fortune for training as a night fighter pilot
February 1942 - returned to 153 Sqn, RAF
December 1942 - with 153 Sqn to North Africa
2 June 1943 - mentioned in Despatches
July-September 1943 - stationed at Reghaia after leaving 153 Sqn
Returned to UK to 51 OTU, Cranfield instructing to 19 April 1944
Joined 264 Sqn, RAF deploying with them to France on 11 August 1944
Seconded to BOAC flying Lodestars in November 1944 until end 1945
1946 - transferred to BEA on its foundation flying Oxfords, then Dakotas until 1947, then Vikings.
March 1953 began flying Ambassadors
Flew Viscounts as a Senior Captain
On 6 February 1958 flew as second pilot on a special charter flight carrying the Manchester United football team home from Munich which crashed at Munich Airport in a snowstorm on take-off. Rayment was hospitalised with a broken leg and severe head and internal injuries. His leg was subsequently amputated but he died on 15 March without regaining conciousness.
Rayment recorded 6 destroyed, 1 damaged and 1 V-1 destroyed victories during WW2
(all the above from Aces High Volume 2 by Christopher Shores)

Cheers
Gordon

[Larry]

Gordon,

Thanks for your comprehensive reply, which I forgot to acknowledge!

[Frank Olynyk]

Gordon,

That's Moose Jaw, not Mosse Jaw.

Frank.

[Gordon Raddock]

Thanks Frank.....a little finger trouble!!

Cheers
Gordon