
Keith Hampshire (RAAF officer)

Keith MacDermott Hampshire, (10 September 1914 – c. 17 November 1982) was a pilot and ace of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during the Second World War. He saw action in twin-engine propellor-driven aircraft, flying [[Strike fighter|intruder]], [[ground attack aircraft|ground attack]] and [[night fighter]] missions.
Hampshire is notable for three achievements in particular:
His younger brother, [[John Hampshire (aviator)|John Hampshire]] (1916–1990), also commanded RAAF squadrons in both the Pacific and Europe.
Early life.
The Hampshire family had an agricultural background and Keith was born at Portsea, [[Port Macquarie, New South Wales]], to Gladys May Hampshire and Percy George Hampshire. The family moved to [[Perth, Western Australia]] (WA), where Percy Hampshire took up a position as State Dairy Expert and later became a cattle breeder. Keith attended [[Scotch College, Perth|Scotch College]], where he obtained a Junior Certificate. Hampshire then attended [[Muresk Institute|Muresk Agricultural College]], worked as a [[wool classer]] and gained a pilots' licence in his spare time.<ref name="Sunday Times 5/3/39">"Sunday Times" [Perth], 5 March 1939, p4.</ref>
A keen [[surfing|surfer]] and track and field athlete, Hampshire was a member of the WA team at the 1935 national [[surf life saving]] carnival in Sydney, and during the same period was also chief instructor at [[Cottesloe, Western Australia|Cottesloe]] Surf Life Saving Club.
He joined the RAAF on 18 January 1937 and had the [[service number]] of "147" throughout his career. In 1939, Hampshire completed a specialist [[signals (military)|signals]] course in England at [[RAF Cranwell]], as the war was breaking out. He was initially posted to signals duties in Australia.
Hampshire was promoted to temporary [[squadron leader]] in 1941 and returned to flying, commanding [[maritime patrol]] squadrons: [[No. 6 Squadron RAAF]] at [[RAAF Richmond]], and then [[No. 23 Squadron RAAF]] in Queensland. He was promoted to temporary [[Wing commander (rank)|wing commander]] in October 1942.
War service.
Pacific theatre.
In December 1942, Hampshire received a front-line command: [[No. 22 Squadron RAAF]], flying [[Douglas A-20 Havoc|Douglas Boston]] Mk III [[light bomber]]s in [[New Guinea campaign|New Guinea]]. Aviation historian [[Hank Nelson]] described Hampshire's approach to operations as "aggressive", accompanied by a concern for his squadron's facilities and morale. Hampshire worked closely in 22 Sqn with [[Flight Lieutenant]] [[Bill Newton]] and it was Hampshire who recommended Newton for the [[wikt:posthumous|posthumous]] award of a [[Victoria Cross]]. (In March 1943, Newton was shot down and taken prisoner during a mission over [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] positions near [[Salamaua]] and subject to [[summary execution]] by a Japanese officer.)
22 Sqn played a key role in the [[Battle of the Bismarck Sea]]. On the morning of 5 March 1943, to hinder Japanese air support, Hampshire led six Bostons in an attack on the major airbase at [[Lae]]. As he began the squadron's attack run, Hampshire was seriously wounded in the leg by [[Shrapnel shell|shrapnel]] and suffered severe blood loss, but carried out the attack and piloted his Boston back to base. Before the wound had fully healed, Hampshire resumed combat operations. As a result of his conduct since joining 22 Sqn, he was awarded the DSO, on 27 April 1943 (see the "Citation" opposite).
In mid-1943, the RAAF transferred Hampshire to the UK. He travelled via the United States and in New York City the [[United States Army Signal Corps#World War II|US Army Pictorial Service]] filmed Hampshire at the [[Empire State Building]], in conversation with former members of the US [[3d Operations Group|3rd Bombardment Group]] – discussing their respective roles during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. The footage appeared in the documentary feature "[[Appointment in Tokyo]]" (1945).
Europe.
In the UK, Hampshire undertook a fighter conversion course, and in late 1943, he assumed command of [[No. 456 Squadron RAAF|No. 456 Squadron]], an [[Article XV squadrons|Article XV]] RAAF [[night fighter]] unit, at [[RAF Fairwood Common]], in Wales. The squadron was converting at the time to the [[De Havilland Mosquito]] NF Mk. XVII, which carried [[Radar in World War II#S-Band airborne|AI Mk X]] on-board radar. In the words of Nelson, Hampshire proved to be a "demanding leader who enforced the division between the [[officer (military)|officer]]s and [[non-commissioned officer|non-commissioned]] [[aircrew]]... drove the squadron hard, and [ensured] it was well prepared for front-line duties.
In March 1944, in response to [[Operation Steinbock|"Unternehmnen Steinbock"]] ("Operation Ibex"), a [[Nazi Germany|German]] "[[Luftwaffe]]" intruder offensive against targets in southern England, 456 Sqn relocated to [[RAF Ford]], in Sussex.
According to aviation historian Martin W. Bowman, Hampshire and his navigator, Flt Lt Tom Condon most often flew Mosquito "HK286" (squadron code "RX-A"). 
 The pair experienced great success in this aircraft, starting with two [[Ju 88]]s shot down on [the night of] 27/28 February 1944 off the south-west coast [of England]. On 24/25 March they destroyed ... Ju88 [3E+AP] of "[[Kampfgeschwader 6|6./KG 6]]" over [[Walberton]], in Sussex, and three nights later ... downed [two] Ju 88s[:] 3E+FT of "9/KG 6" [over [[Beer, Devon]],] and B3+BL of "[[Kampfgeschwader 54|3./KG 54]]" [over [[Isle Brewers]], Somerset]... On 23/24 April they shot down another Ju 88 into the sea near [[Swanage]], whilst on 28/29 April they probably damaged a [[Dornier Do 217|Do 217]][,] 86 miles off [[Durrington, West Sussex|Durrington]] [West Sussex]. On 22/23 May they downed a Ju 88S off the [[Isle of Wight]], and on 12/13 June claimed ... another Ju 88 over the [English] [[English Channel|Channel]].
As [[Invasion of Normandy|D-Day]] approached, 456 Sqn switched to intruder and ground attack [[sortie]]s over [[occupied Europe]]. The squadron primarily attacked trains and other ground targets in France, while also diverting the "Luftwaffe" from major Allied bomber operations.
Near [[Le Havre]] on D-Day + 1 (7 June 1944), 456 Sqn intercepted a formation of four-engined [[Heinkel He 177]] heavy bombers, belonging to "[[Kampfgeschwader 40|KG 40]]", each armed with two [[glide bomb]]s, approaching the Allied beachheads. Hampshire shot down one of the heavy bombers and 456 Sqn destroyed four in all. 456 Sqn also destroyed more than 20 [[V-1 flying bomb]]s. While 456 Sqn had shot down only six enemy aircraft before Keith Hampshire assumed command, it was credited with 38 kills by the time he departed.
By 1944, Hampshire's brother John was also commanding a RAAF unit in the UK, [[No. 461 Squadron RAAF]]. The parallel military careers of the brothers attracted publicity, as did their recreational interests, including participation in a [[surf carnival]] reputed to be the first held in England. At around this time, Australian official war artist [[William Dargie]] made Hampshire the subject of a portrait (later acquired by the [[Royal Air Force Museum]]).
Hampshire ceased combat duties in November 1944, after which he was posted to [[No. 300 Group RAF|No. 300 Group]], [[RAF Transport Command]]. This was part of the Allied preparations for the [[Japan campaign|final stages of the war against Japan]].
On 18 February 1945, Hampshire was awarded a [[bar (medal)|Bar]] to his DSO, as a result of his service with 456 Sqn (see the citation opposite).
He was discharged from the RAAF in Australia on 29 April 1946, by which time he had achieved the substantive rank of [[group captain]].
Later life.
Nelson said of Hampshire's post-war life, that his "confidence, even arrogance, in decision-making, his courage, skill, competitiveness and acceptance of the loneliness of command that had served him well in the air war did not transfer easily into business." He never married.
Hampshire worked for the British Aviation Insurance Group in Australia and Asia, as well as fields such as farming, oil exploration, aircraft sales and importing.
During the 1960s, he attended [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], from which he received a Bachelor of Arts (1963) and a Master of Arts in economics (1970).
While visiting the United States, on or about 17 November 1982, Hampshire died from injuries following a fall from a beach cliff at [[Palos Verdes, California]]. A coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.
Footnotes.
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1982 deaths]]
[[Category:Australian World War II pilots]]
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:Royal Australian Air Force officers]]
[[Category:Australian people of World War II]]
[[Category:People educated at Scotch College, Perth]]
[[Category:People from Perth, Western Australia]]
[[Category:Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Australian surfers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths from falls]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in California]]
[[Category:Australian aviators]]
[[Category:Australian World War II flying aces]]