Basil Robert Coffin Conway was born at Bournemouth in October 1923, the son of Owen Humphrey Conway, a furniture dealer in Bournemouth. Educated initially at Malmsbury Park School, he gained a scholarship to enter Bournemouth School in 1934. A keen member of the school's OTC, he was a member of the team which fired for the school at Bisley in 1938. Matriculating in July 1938 he entered the Royal Air Force at Cranwell as an aircraft apprentice in January 1939 aged just 15 years old.

After completing his training he joined the Maritime Patrol 210 Squadron at Oban, Scotland in November 1941.

When World War II began, detachments from No. 210 Squadron were sent to Invergordon and Sullom Voe. On 9 April 1940 the first RAF aircraft, a Sunderland, was shot down over Sylling, Norway. In July 1940 the squadron moved to RAF Oban and began to re-equip with the Consolidated Catalina. The squadron returned to Pembroke Dock in October 1942, with a detachment based at Gibraltar. Up until the time he was reported missing Conway had completed over 1000 hours operational flying, which included three trips to Russia.

Basil Conway was 19 years old when the Consolidated Catalina he was a crew member of (W 8416), failed to return from a coastal protection mission over Casablanca on 11 November 1942.

He is commemorated on the Malta Memorial.

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45 issued to Basil's family. © Spink & Son Ltd

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