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John William Charlton Moffat (born 17 June 1919) is a former Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm pilot, famous for crippling the German battleship ''Bismarck'' during its Atlantic sortie, codenamed Operation Rheinübung on 26 May 1941, whilst flying a Fairey Swordfish biplane. ==Early life and family== John Moffat was born in the village of Swinton in the Scottish Borders county, to Mary and Peter Moffat. When he was a child his parents moved to Earlston where his father opened the first garage. John's father, Peter, had served in the Royal Navy during the First World War, joining in 1914 to qualify as an Aeronautical engineer for the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). Peter served in No. 2 Wing RNAS under Wing Commander Charles Rumney Samson, the first man to fly an aircraft off a ship. Peter Moffat served in Belgium and was posted to the seaplane carrier, HMS ''Ark Royal'' which sailed to the Mediterranean to take part in the Gallipoli Campaign. Peter left the service in 1917 and married Mary in 1918.〔Moffat and Rossiter 2009, pp. 7-9.〕 Mary Moffat was an amateur opera singer. Moffat's mother encouraged him to take up playing musical instruments. Owing to this, John learned to play the violin and piano by the age of 10.〔Moffat and Rossiter 2009, pp. 16-17.〕 During his teenage life Moffat took up equestrianism and followed the riders during the blood sport fox hunting, which "did not go down well with his parents".〔Moffat and Rossiter 2009, p. 18.〕 In 1929 Moffat saw an Avro 504 aircraft fly over Kelso, triggering a lifelong passion for flying.〔Moffat and Rossiter 2009, p. 19.〕 The pilot was offering rides for 10 shillings. Moffat described the pilot as a Biggles Look-alike and was impressed by him. Moffat flew that day for the first time. Moffat described his feeling of his first flight: As for the experience of flying, I was astounded by it. This was like riding in the locomotive but infinitely more thrilling. There was the noise, the smell of hot oil and high-octane petrol (), and the speed seemed immense as we took off into the air, high above the countryside, with the town far below us. It was the stuff of dreams, like a glimpse of another world that made it impossible, once I was back on the ground, to view my surroundings in the same way again.... Now that I think about it, that pilot has an enormous amount to answer for.〔Moffat and Rossiter 2009, pp. 19-20.〕 Moffat passed the Entrance examination for Kelso High School and finished his preliminary education there. Moffat excelled at Rugby and was selected for the school's first team.〔Moffat and Rossiter 2009, p. 15.〕 Moffat had wanted to go to Edinburgh University but owing to the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the Moffats could not afford the University tuition fees.〔Moffat and Rossiter 2009, p. 21.〕 Moffat applied for a bursary, took examinations and attended interviews, but failed to make the grade and was not offered assistance. Moffat had no choice but to leave school at 16, to make his living working for a bus company, which he disliked, and using his musical talents playing at weddings.〔Moffat and Rossiter 2009, p. 22.〕 By 1938, Moffat was bored with life at the bus depot and decided to apply for a position as a naval pilot in the reserve having seen an advertisement which promised to train him as a pilot while offering him a substantial wage. Moffat had not pursued a flying career earlier, believing it to beyond the aspirations of ordinary people, but now seized the opportunity and applied to join the Fleet Air Arm.〔Moffat and Rossiter 2009, pp. 27-28.〕 Moffat heard nothing from the Navy and moved to London. After failing to find work in the Rhodesian police force through their High Commission in London, he received a letter from the navy offering him a part-time job in the reserves. Moffat accepted the Navy's offer and was ordered to report to ''HMS Frobisher'' in Portsmouth.〔Moffat and Rossiter 2009, pp. 30-31.Moffat had been on leave in Kelso on 1 September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. On 3 September 1939 Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. The following day, Moffat was ordered to the St Vincent Barracks Gosport, on the west side of Portsmouth Harbour, which was the Royal Navy Boy's Training Establishment.〔Moffat and Rossiter 2009, p. 36.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「John Moffat (Royal Navy officer)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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