Donald James Duncan – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 104 Squadron

 Flying Officer Donald James Duncan – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 104 Squadron

Birth and Family Background

Donald James Duncan was born in 1920 at Swansea. He was the son of Edgar James Duncan and Clara Annie Nicholls, who were married in 1910 at Swansea.

1921 Census

The 1921 Census records the Duncan family residing at Langside, Gower Road, Sketty. Edgar James Duncan (34) was employed as an architect and surveyor with Swansea Corporation, while his wife Clara Annie (30) undertook household duties. Their only child at that time was Donald James, aged 11 months.

Later Family Circumstances

1939 Register

Edgar James Duncan died in 1926. By the time of the 1939 Register, Clara Annie, recorded as undertaking unpaid domestic duties, and Donald J., employed as a clerk (auctioneer), were living at 29 Moorside Road, West Cross.

Royal Air Force Service

Donald James Duncan served with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, attaining the rank of Flying Officer. He was posted to No. 104 Squadron RAF.

RAF Foggia Main, Italy

By late 1943, the squadron was based at RAF Foggia Main, one of the principal Allied airfields in southern Italy and part of the extensive Foggia Airfield Complex. Captured by Allied forces following the Italian armistice in September 1943, Foggia rapidly became a major base for RAF and USAAF operations.

From Foggia, No. 104 Squadron flew long-range night bombing missions across northern Italy, Yugoslavia, Austria, Hungary, and southern Germany, attacking aircraft factories, railway yards, ports, and oil installations. These operations were exceptionally demanding, involving extended over-water and mountainous flights, often lasting many hours, and conducted under constant threat from heavy anti-aircraft fire and German night fighters.

Death and Burial

Wellington X 

On 1^st February 1944, Flying Officer Donald James Duncan was serving aboard a Wellington X aircraft during a long-range night bombing operation against an aircraft factory at Maribor, a strategically important industrial target in what was then Yugoslavia. Maribor was heavily defended due to its role in aircraft production and repair, and raids on the area were frequently met with intense anti-aircraft fire and active night-fighter patrols.

During the mission, Duncan’s aircraft is believed to have been intercepted by a German night fighter, a common hazard for RAF bombers operating over the Balkans in early 1944. Aircraft of No. 104 Squadron often operated far from the main bomber stream, making them especially vulnerable during both the attack and the return flight. The combination of enemy interception, long flying hours, fatigue, and difficult navigation over hostile territory contributed to the high loss rates experienced by squadrons based in Italy.

The Wellington X was shot down, and Flying Officer Donald James Duncan was killed in action. His death reflects the considerable risks faced by RAF crews flying from southern Italy as part of the Allied effort to disrupt German industry and transport networks in south-eastern Europe.

Donald James Duncan
Belgrade War Cemetery, Serbia
credit - findagrave

Flying Officer Donald James Duncan is buried at Belgrade War Cemetery, Serbia, where many Allied airmen lost during operations over the Balkans are laid to rest