World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Hiram Aldine Putnam
Hometown
Clarkwood, Texas
Honored By
A Grateful American
AMERICAN CITIZEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH AIR TRAINING PLAN, HELD THE RANK OF PILOT OFFICER AND SERVED AS A PILOT IN THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE. EARNED HIS PILOT'S FLYING BADGE AT NO. 2 SERVICE FLYING TRAINING SCHOOL, UPLANDS (OTTAWA), ONTARIO ON APRIL 18, 1941. INITIALLY SERVED WITH NO. 133 'EAGLE' SQUADRON, ROYAL AIR FORCE. KILLED IN ACTION AT THE AGE OF 28 WHILE ATTACHED TO NO. 126 SQUADRON, ROYAL AIR FORCE (FIGHTER COMMAND) WHEN HIS SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE MK. VC (AB336) WAS ATTACKED BY LUFTWAFFE MESSERSCHMITT BF 109'S AND CRASHED NEAR SIGGIEWI, MALTA ON APRIL 21, 1942. BURIED IN A COLLECTIVE GRAVE AT MALTA NAVAL CEMETERY, KALKARA, MALTA. COMMEMORATED ON THE EAGLE SQUADRON MEMORIAL, GROSVENOR SQUARE, LONDON, ENGLAND.