Life Story
Operation Market Garden, September 1944, is remembered for its
remarkable acts of bravery against overwhelming odds. Among the
many heroes who emerged from the erce ghting, one name stands
out for an act of courage so profound that it earned the highest military
decoration - the VC. One of 5 VC winners from the battle. That man
was Flight Lieutenant David Samuel Anthony Lord.
Early Life and RAF Career
Born in Cork, Ireland, on 18 October 1913, David Lord was the son of
Samuel Beswick Lord, a Warrant Ofcer in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers
(sometimes misreported as the Royal Army Medical Corps), and Mary
Lord (née Miller). The family moved to British India when David was a
child, where his father was stationed. He attended Lucknow Convent
School before the family returned to Britain, settling in Wrexham, North
Wales.
Lord studied at St Mary’s College, Aberystwyth and later at the University
of Wales. Initially drawn to religious life, he began studies for the
priesthood at the English College in Valladolid, Spain, but eventually
decided to pursue a different path. In August 1936, he enlisted in the
Royal Air Force as a regular airman.
He trained as a pilot, gaining his wings in 1939, and was posted to No. 31
Squadron in Lahore, India. His early war service took him over some of
the most dangerous ying routes in the world — across the mountains
of Burma and “over the Hump” into China — carrying troops, supplies,
and the wounded in ageing Vickers Valentias and later Dakotas. The
supply missions over Burma earded him a mention in despatches, and
Lord was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in July 1943 for
his skill and determination in these operations. He received his award
at Buckingham Palace, and his promotion to ight lieutenant shortly
afterwards.