Jimmy Rawnsley


Cecil Frederick "Jimmy" Rawnsley was a Royal Air Force night fighter observer radar operator and gunner during the Second World War. He flew many of his sorties with John "Cat's Eyes" Cunningham who was credited with 20 kills, of which 19 were claimed at night, and 17 of which were achieved with Rawnsley.

Second World War

Rawnsley initially served as an air-gunner but retrained to become a navigator/radar operator and was sent to No. 604 Squadron RAF flying Beaufighters. Using the new airborne interception equipment. Using this tracking device at night, Rawnsley was able to guide Cunningham onto targets. Their first confirmed "kill" came on the night of 19 – 20 November 1940, when they downed a German Junkers Ju 88 bomber over Oxfordshire.
On 4 April 1941 he was awarded a Distinguished Flying Medal to which he added a Bar on 23 May of the same year. With mounting success he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 19 September 1941.
In January 1943, Rawnsley transferred to No. 85 Squadron RAF along with Cunningham. They now flew a Mosquito and within the year had downed four more enemy aircraft. On the 26 October 1943, after flying over 200 sorties with Cunningham and having been his radar operator during the downing of 17 enemy planes he was awarded a Distinguished Service Order.

Memoir

In 1957 Rawnsley published a memoir detailing his wartime career in the book Night Fighter. Covering his partnership with Cunningham, it gives a clear insight into the methods the pair used to find and down enemy aircraft.

Medals and awards