Battle of Britain London Monument – P/O J Benzie 
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN LONDON MONUMENT 
"Never in the field of human
conflict was so much owed
by so many to so few." 
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Privacy Statement The Airmen’s Stories – P/O J Benzie
John Benzie, from Winnipeg, served in Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry for three years prior to joining the RAF on a short service commission. He began his training in April 1939 and was posted from 5 OTU, Aston Down to 242 Squadron at Church Fenton on 26th January 1940.
The squadron moved to France after the German invasion in May and on the 23rd he was shot down by Me109’s near Ypres. Benzie baled out south of Dunkirk, wounded, and was evacuated to England by sea. He rejoined his squadron on 11th July and attended a parachute course at Weeton, Lancashire on 2nd August.
Benzie failed to return from a combat over the Thames Estuary on 7th September 1940. He was 25 and is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial, Panel 7.
(Above photo courtesy of Dean Sumner)
Lake Benzie in Manitoba, Canada was named in his honour in 1953.
In 1976 the burnt out remains of a Hurricane were excavated from a field between Loughton and Theydon Bois in Essex. Human remains were also found. There was strong circumstantial evidence that this was Benzie’s aircraft P2962 but not enough for the Ministry of Defence to confirm his identity and the remains were buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery (Plot 22, Row E, Grave 1) as an unknown airman.
There is a detailed account of the excavation and subsequent research in ‘After the Battle’ issue 147 (The Battle for Cherbourg).
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