Arboretum: Photo: Simon Glancey

Warrant Officer K F Middlemist of 112 Sqn was killed when his Curtiss Kittyhawk III FR814 GA-T was shot down by flak near Pertosa, Italy, on September 15th 1943. He had been making a second run on the target.

He is described in the book ‘Shark Squadron’ by Robin Brown as ‘a North Countryman with an exuberant personality and was also something of an artist. When he became the Nº 1 of a pair he was entitled to his own aircraft, which was always ‘T’. On this, by the cockpit, he painstakingly painted, of all things, his old school crest.’

Acknowledgments: Simon Glancey

Shark Squadron: The History of 112 Squadron, 1917-1975 Robin Brown, page 110

“Kenneth (Middlemist) was born at Shilbottle and died at the age of 23 on September 23rd 1943 after being shot down near Pertosa, Italy. He is buried in Salerno War Cemetery. He was a Warrant Officer in 112 Squadron, known as the “Shark Squadron”.
Northumberland Gazette 09/09/1999 tells the story with a photograph. (The date of death given as 23rd is wrong).

There is a tree dedicated to his memory in the National Arboretum at Alrewas. Simon Glancey has submitted the photograph

Kenneth Forrest Middlemist is remembered in Shilbottle on S18.01 S18.02 S18.04 and in Alnwick on A11.17 and A11.53

Flight logbook extracts of R.W. Drown inc. Middlemist crash.
The CWGC entry for Warrant Officer Middlemist