Donald Edward Garland
- Born
- 1918-06-28 12:00:00
- Died
- 1940-05-12 12:00:00
- Gender
- Male
Donald Edward Garland was born in Ballinacor, County Wicklow on the 28th of June 1918, though he moved to London at a young age where he was educated.
As a young man, Garland joined the Roya Air Force. When Garland was 21 years old, he was serving as a flying officer in the number 12 squadron in World War II. On the 12th of May 1940, Garland was ordered to lead an attack to demolish a bridge over the Albert Canal in Belgium. The pilots found themselves under heavy attack from anti-aircrafy artillery, yet Garland pushed on to attack the bridge.
Garland lost his life on this mission. He was posthumously awarded the prestigious Victoria Cross for his bravery on that day.
He is buried in the Heverlee War Cemetery in Belgium.
