| Andrew B Mamedoff | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Andy |
| Born | August 12, 1912 Thompson, Connecticut |
| Died | October 8, 1941 (aged 29) near Maughold |
| Place of burial | Brookwood Military Cemetery |
| Allegiance | France United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1940–1941 |
| Rank | Flight Lieutenant |
| Unit | No. 609 Squadron RAF No. 71 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars | |
Andrew B "Andy" Mamedoff (1912–1941) was an American pilot who flew for the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain.
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Born in Thompson, Connecticut, where his White Russian family had settled in the early 1910s.[1] He graduated from Worcester Academy in 1931. Mamedoff was married to Alys Laird "Penny" Mamedoff (née Craven[2]); interestingly it is believed that he was Jewish of Russian heritage.[3] He had learned to fly in the USA and even had his own plane with which he performed at airshows.[4] He and Eugene Tobin had been flying friends at Mines Field in California before the war.[5] He was attempting to set up charter services in Miami immediately prior to the war. Mamedoff initially came to Europe to fight Finland against Russia, but too late for that war.[6]
He joined the French Air Force towards the end of the Battle of France, but as France fell he came to England with his friends and fellow Americans Eugene Tobin and Vernon Keough and joined the Royal Air Force in 1940.
After converting to the Spitfire, Mamedoff was posted to RAF Middle Wallop and joined No. 609 Squadron RAF on the 8 August 1940.
He was posted to RAF Kirton in Lindsey in Lincolnshire on the 18 September 1940 and was a founded member of the No. 71 'Eagle' Squadron along with Art Donahue, Eugene Tobin and Vernon Keough.[7] He was posted to RAF Duxford in August 1941 to another "Eagle Squadron", No. 133 Squadron RAF as a Flight Commander.
On 8 October 1941 Mamedoff was flying with 133 Sqn on a standard transit flight from Fowlmere Airfield to RAF Eglinton in Northern Ireland in his Hurricane Z3781. He didn't arrive at his destination and it is understood that he crashed due to poor weather. The wreckage of his plane was found near Maughold on the Isle of Man and his body was later recovered for burial at Brookwood Military Cemetery.