Tom Pollitt

Pollitt enlisted in the Royal Air Force as a non-commissioned officer prior to 1931. He played first-class cricket for the Royal Air Force cricket team against the Army at The Oval in 1931.^[1] Batting twice in the match as an opening batsman, he was dismissed for 6 runs in the Royal Air Force first-innings by Adrian Gore, while in their second-innings he was dismissed for 14 runs by the same bowler.^[2]

Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, Pollitt was made a commissioned officer when he was promoted from warrant officer to flying officer in June 1939.^[3] In August 1940, he was granted the war substantive rank of flight lieutenant.^[4] He was mentioned in dispatches twice in 1941, in January and March.^[5][6] He was made an OBE in the 1942 Birthday Honours.^[7] He was mentioned in dispatches in June 1943,^[8] and then in the same month he was promoted to the war substantive rank of squadron leader, antedated to July 1942.^[9] He was promoted to the temporary rank of wing commander in July 1944.^[10] A year after the conclusion of the war, he was promoted to the full rank of squadron leader.^[11] He was granted seniority in the rank of squadron leader back to June 1945.^[12] He was promoted to the full rank of wing commander in July 1947, with seniority to October 1946.^[13] He retired from active service in April 1955, retaining the rank of wing commander.^[14]

He died at Ely in August 1979.