| Vernon Charles Keogh | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Shorty |
| Born | c. 1912 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | 15 February 1941 (aged 29) Missing in Action [1] |
| Service/branch | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1940–1941 |
| Rank | Pilot Officer |
| Unit | No. 609 Squadron RAF No. 71 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars | |
Vernon Charles "Shorty" Keogh (c. 1912–1941) was an American pilot who flew for the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain.
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Born in Brooklyn, New York around 1912, Keogh had earned a civil pilots licence in America and was also a professional parachute jumper with over 500 jumps, performing at air shows across America.[2]
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 Andrew Mamedoff and Eugene Tobin and joined the Royal Air Force in 1940.
Keogh was the smallest pilot in the whole of the Royal Air Force, hence the nickname, and was just 4'10" (approx 1.47m) tall. He had to use two cushions in his Spitfire to see out of the cockpit. On 8 August 1940 Keogh was posted to No. 609 Squadron RAF at Middle Wallop airfield. He flew many missions during the height of the Battle of Britain in August and September. He was credited with one shared 'kill': a Do17 on 15 September. He was posted to RAF Kirton in Lindsey in Lincolnshire on 18 September 1940 and was a founder member of No. 71 'Eagle' Squadron along with Art Donahue, Andrew Mamedoff and Eugene Tobin.[3]
On 15 February 1941, Keogh was on a convoy-protection mission off Flamborough Head,[4] East Yorkshire. During the chase of a Heinkel He 111, he was last seen spinning off into the sea.[5] He may have been a victim of disorientation in cloud or oxygen failure. He was 29 years old. His body was not recovered, but he is remembered on the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede.