Vernon Keough

Pilot Officer Vernon Charles "Shorty" Keough (8 June 1911 – 15 February 1941) was an American pilot who flew with the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain in World War II. He was one of 11 American[2] pilots who flew with RAF Fighter Command between 10 July and 31 October 1940, thereby qualifying for the Battle of Britain clasp to the 1939–45 campaign star.

Vernon Charles Keough
Pilot Officer Vernon Keough at RAF Church Fenton, Yorkshire, October 1940
Nickname(s)Shorty
Born8 June 1911
Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S.
Died15 February 1941 (aged 29)
off Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire, England[1]
Allegiance France
 United Kingdom
Service/branch France
 Royal Air Force
Years of service1940–1941
RankPilot Officer
Service number81620
UnitNo. 609 Squadron RAF
No. 71 Squadron RAF
Battles/warsWorld War II

Biography

Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on 8 June 1911, Keough was the son of Charles K. Nezu and Constance Theresa Keough. He earned a civil pilot's license in America and was also a professional parachute jumper with over 500 jumps, performing at air shows across America.[3]

Second World War
The Dornier 17 shot down by Keough, John Dundas and Mike Appleby on 15 September 1940. One of the German crew, Feldwebel Pfeiffer, is being carried on a stretcher

Keough and his friends and fellow Americans Andrew Mamedoff and Eugene Tobin were among 32 pilots recruited by American soldier of fortune Charles Sweeny to join the French Air Force.[4] However, by the time they reached France, Germany had already invaded the country. The trio made their way to England and joined the Royal Air Force in 1940. (Of the rest of Sweeny's recruits, four were killed, 11 were taken prisoner, and two others reached England.[5])

Keough was the smallest pilot in the whole of the Royal Air Force, hence the nickname, and was just 4 ft 10 in (147 cm) tall. He had to use two cushions in his Spitfire to see out of the cockpit. On 8 August 1940 Keough was posted to No. 609 Squadron RAF at Middle Wallop airfield. He flew many missions during the height of the Battle of Britain in August and September. He was credited with one shared kill: Dornier Do 17 bomber shot down on 15 September with Pilot Officer Mike Appleby and Flight lieutenant John Dundas.

He was posted to RAF Kirton in Lindsey in Lincolnshire on 18 September 1940 and was a founding member of No. 71 'Eagle' Squadron along with Art Donahue, Andrew Mamedoff, and Eugene Tobin.[6]

Death

On 15 February 1941, Keough was on a convoy-protection mission off Flamborough Head,[7] East Yorkshire. During the chase of a Heinkel He 111, he was last seen spinning off into the sea.[8] He may have been a victim of disorientation in cloud or oxygen failure. He was 29 years old. His body was not recovered, but he is remembered on the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede.

See also

References
  1. "Battle of Britain London Monument - P/O V C KEOUGH". Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  2. Battle of Britain - Roll of Honour
  3. "Non - British RAF in the Battle of Britain - Page 2 - World War II Forums". www.ww2f.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008.
  4. Caine, Philip D. Eagles of the RAF: The World War II Eagle Squadrons (PDF). National Defense University Press. p. 69. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 October 2021.
  5. Kan, Kenneth C. (2007). "First in the Air: The Eagle Squadrons of World War II" (PDF). Air Force History and Museums Program.
  6. "Ww Ii Ace Stories". Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  7. "Battle of Britain London Monument - P/O V C KEOUGH". Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  8. "Ka-pilots".
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