Flying Officer

Edgar James Kain

DFC

Awards

Conflict: 
WW2
Additional Information: 

Son of Reginald G. Kain, and of Nellie Kain, of Wadestown, Wellington, New Zealand.

References:
NZ WAR GRAVES

Biographical Notes:

FIRST WW2 ACE. FIRST WW2 DFC.

Most people know that the first man to climb Everest was a Kiwi -but did you know that the RAF's first ace of WWII, and the first man from that conflict to be awarded a DFC was born in Hastings (NZ), went to school in Wellington, and got his pilot's licence with the Wellington Aero Club

Edgar James Kain -known as "Cobber" (the Kiwi word for pal or friend in the 1930's) left for England at 18 and joined the RAF. Kain began flying operational sorties during the Phoney War period. He gained No. 73 Squadron's, and his, first victory in November 1939. A second followed days later. In March 1940 he had claimed his fifth victory and became the RAF's first fighter ace of World War II, and the first recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross in the Second World War. The Phoney War ended on 10 May 1940 when the Battle of France and the Low Countries began. Within 17 days of the beginning of the campaign, he had claimed a further 12 aerial victories. His success so early in the war meant he was to become a household name in the UK.

His kills were mainly Do-17s and Bf-109s. Kain was the RAF's top ace on the 07 June 1940 and was returning to England for some well-deserved R&R. As he sat waiting to taxi out in a Miles Magister to make the short hop to Le Mans to pick up his kit before heading across the channel, he saw his beloved Hurricane "Paddy III" arriving from a sortie. He decided to farewell his fellow pilot's properly so took Paddy up for one last "beat-up" of the aerodrome. He performed three aileron rolls at 800 feet, and on the last one his plane was seen to lose power, stall and then enter a spin. The plane hit the ground wings level but at a high rate of descent. Kain's body was thrown nearly 100 feet from the crash. He died instantly

Barry Gamble December 2020

Public Contributions:

There are no public contributions written for this casualty

Personal Tributes:

Casualty

Service Number: 
39534
Name:
Edgar James Kain
Name variation:
"Cobber" Kain
Rank: 
Flying Officer
Date of Birth:
27 June 1918
Place of Birth: 
Hastings, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
Date of Enlistment:
Not known
Unit:
Royal Air Force, 73 Squadron

Casualty Details

Cause of Death:
Killed in an aircraft accident
Date of Death:
07 June 1940
Day of Death:
Friday
Age at Death: 
21
Conflict: 
WW2

Embarkation Details

Embarkation Body:
Royal Air Force (RAF)

Text in italics supplied by Cenotaph Online, Auckland War Memorial Museum

Cemetery

Cemetery Reference: 
1A. C. 8.
Cemetery Location: 
France
Edgar James Kain
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