Acting Squadron Leader Guy de Laval Harvie
Guy was the second son of the Reverend Francis Graham Harvie and his wife C. Kathleen Willis. He was born in Cambridge, New Zealand on 1 December 1913.
The Rev. Harvie had graduated B.A., with second-class theological honours at Merton College, Oxford, in 1904. He studied afterwards at Wells Theological College and was ordained in 1906, being appointed curate of St. Mary's Harrow-on-the-Hill.
Guy was educated at New Plymouth Boys’ High School in 1926 and went on to Wanganui Collegiate the following year. After Matriculating, he went to Auckland University. In 1934, he came up to Christ Church to read history and graduated in 1937. He played rugger for the college.
Whilst at Oxford, he joined the University Air Squadron and became a Pilot Officer on 22 September 1936. Both his brothers, Ted and Monty were well-known airmen in New Zealand.
After going down, his rank was made permanent on 15 October 1937. He trained on Hawker Hart and Hawker Audax aircraft and gained his wings on 15 February 1938. He was promoted to Flying Officer the following 25 April and completed his Service Flying Training on 1 June 1938 when he joined the Royal Air Force. After attending the School of Air Navigation at RAF Manston, he was posted to No. 98 (B) Squadron on 20 August.
On 3 March 1939, he was promoted to Acting Flight Lieutenant. After the outbreak of war, he was transferred to No. 207 Squadron at Cranfield on 14 September and started flying Avro Anson twin-engine light bombers.
In the summer of 1939, he had married Isolda Kingsley Havers at Basford, Nottinghamshire. Born in 1921, she was the daughter of Air Marshall C.E. Havers. They had a son in 1941 and a daughter in 1942, both born in Oxford.
In April 1940, he was moved to No 12 Operational Training Unit at RAF Benson and was promoted to Acting Squadron Leader, the following month. He remained there as an instructor until December when he converted to flying Vickers Wellington bombers. He was Chief Ground Instructor at Benson through 1940 and moved to RAF Chipping Warden and, to Moreton-in-Marsh at the end of October 1941.
On 14 February 1942, he was moved to operational duties with 57 Squadron at RAF Feltwell, Norfolk. He completed six operations; to Essen, Lubeck, Hanau, the Renault Works in Paris, St. Nazaire and Le Havre.
On 2 April 1942, he took off from RAF Feltwell in a Vickers Wellington 111 [X3410]. He was to make low-level attacks on railway targets at Hanau and Lohr in Germany. He was brought down over Frettenheim in Germany. All six crew of his plane were killed. Thirteen of the forty-nine aircraft which took place in this sortie were lost.
His wife wrote to Christ Church on 17 October 1942. She lived at 20 Villiers Lane, Oxford. At the time of his death, his parents had returned to England and were living at The Rectory, Milton, Abingdon.
Guy is buried with his crew in the Rheinberg War Cemetery Plot Coll grave 7 A7-12.
With acknowledgement to