Name: |
PYOTT |
Given Name: |
JOHN BARRIE |
Initials: |
J B |
Service No: |
542941V |
Trade: |
Pilot |
Rank: |
LieutenantOther Casualties of this Rank |
Regiment: |
South African Air Force |
Unit: |
450 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.Other Casualties from this Unit |
Date of Death: |
1945-03-04Other Casualties on this
Date |
Age: |
20 |
Cause of Death: |
Killed in action, Kittyhawk IV FX595, left 1350 to Vittorio Veneto area to bomb a bridge, shot down in flames SSE Belluno 1450. The viaduct, known locally as "Dodici ponti" (Twelve Bridges), still exists and is on the active railway line between Vittorio Veneto and Ponte nelle Alpi. The attack was conducted along a north-south route and Pyott's plane crashed near a group of houses called "La Sega". Pyott's body was taken away from the fascists of the Black Brigades by the parish priest Father Raffaele Saler, who had it transported to the Forcal cemetery to await burial. Father Raffaele Saler was killed along with 20 other civilians in the following day's raid by 15 USAF P47 Thunderbolts that mistakenly hit the nearby district of S. Giustina. Lieutenant John Barrie Pyott's plane crashed as a result of the early blast of the bomb dropped by the previous plane. |
Additional
Information: |
Son of Ian Vernon Jeffrey Pyott, DSO (RFC Pilot WW1) and Norah Frances Pyott, of Port Elizabeth, Cape Province, South Africa. Born Durban. Educated Hilton College, Natal. A student |
This information was last verified for accuracy: 2023-03-23
