Mauritz Bernard Berndsson is listed as a former pupil at South Shields Technical School for Boys under “Lives Remembered”. He was one of the successful South Tyneside ARC rowing crew in 1937 and 1938. He is listed as being in the Royal Air Force (RAF) Volunteer Reserve No. 102 Squadron and on 21 November 1941 Sergeant Berndsson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM).
The Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and other British Armed Forces, below commissioned rank, for “exceptional valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy.
By 1944 Berndsson had transferred to 35 Squadron and the Squadron’s Operations Record Book shows that he was the Captain of a 35 Squadron aircraft on 34 operational bombing raids between 9th April 1944 and 18th August 1944.
On 16 February 1945 Berndsson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) was the third-level military decoration awarded to officers in the Royal Air Force for “an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy”.
The Supplement to the London Gazette records that on the 27th January 1955, Flight Lieutenant M.B. Berndsson D.F.C., D.F.M., relinquished his RAF commission. He died in 2006.
Source:
Tim Fay
Photo:
British Newspaper Archives