Date of birth:

July 13th, 1905 (Petone/Wellington, New Zealand)

Date of death:

April 24th, 1950 (near Tonbridge/Kent, Great Britain)

Nationality:

New Zealander

Service number 29116.

Henry Neville Gynes Ramsbottom-Isherwood was born on 13th July 1905 in Wellington, New Zealand as the son of Henry Lionel Ramsbottom-Isherwood and Lilian Catherine Kelly.

He served with the New Zealand Rifles as Second Lieutenant from 1924 until 1930, before moving to the United Kingdom to join the RAF. After his basic training het was send to India in the late 1930's to return to England in 1935 and joining the No. 54 Squadron. Later he served with No. 35 Squadron. At the time he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant in 1936, he served with the Staff of the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A. & A.E.E.), where he tested new planes for the RAF.
He married to Betty Ailsa Taylor.

In 1941 he became Sector Commander with No. 9 Group, fighter Command. In 1941 and 1942 he led the No. 151 Wing as its Wing Commander in the Soviet Union. The Wing was flying Hurricanes and was send there to help the Soviets in their struggle against the German forces. When he returned to England he was appinted A.O.C. of RAF Church Stanton, Valley and Woodvale between 1942 and 1944 and then was send to India. Here he commanded the No. 342 Wing in Burma and South-east Asia.

He stayed in South-East Asia until 1947. After this he became Commanding Officer of RAF West Malling.
Ramsbottom-Isherwood was killed on 24th April 1950, when he crashed in bad weather with his Gloster Meteor IV. Wreckage pieces of his plane were found until in 2003.

Promotions:
12th July 1930: Pilot Officer;
12th January 1932: Flying Officer;
12th January 1936: Flight Lieutenant;
1st October 1938: Squadron Leader;
1st December 1940: Wing Commander (temporary);
1st January 1944: Group Captain (temporary);
17th January 1944: Wing Commander (war subst.);
1st October 1946: Wing Commander.

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• Photo 1: Wilco Vermeer
• Photo: Wilco Vermeer collection
  
• - The London Gazette of 25th February 1936, Issue 34259
  - The London Gazette of 10th December 1940, Issue 35010
  - Supplement to The London Gazette of 9th July 1940, Issue 34892, dated 11th July 1940
  - Fourth Supplement to The London Gazette of 27th February 1942, Issue 35475, dated 3rd March 1942
  - Fourth Supplement to The London Gazette of 27th March 1942, Issue 35507, dated 31st March 1942
  - Supplement to The London Gazette of 18th January 1944, Issue 36340, dated 21st January 1944
  - Second Supplement to The London Gazette of 11th April 1944, Issue 36467, dated 14th April 1944
  - Second Supplement to The London Gazette of 1st November 1946, Issue 37776, dated 5th November 1946
  - Daily Mail
  - Australian war Memorial
  - Family Tree Maker Online
  - Flight Global - Archive