| David Atcherley | |
| Birth Name: | David Francis William Atcherley |
| Birth Date: | 1904 1, df=y |
| Birth Place: | York, England |
| Death Place: | Mediterranean Sea |
| Allegiance: | United Kingdom |
| Branch: | British Army (1922–29) Royal Air Force (1929–52) |
| Serviceyears: | 1922–52 |
| Rank: | Air Vice Marshal |
| Servicenumber: | 05168 |
| Commands: | No. 205 Group (1952) Central Fighter Establishment (1948–50) No. 47 Group (1946) No. 48 Group (1945–46) No. 323 Wing (1943) No. 325 Wing (1942–43) RAF Fairwood Common (1942) No. 57 Operational Training Unit (1941–42) No. 25 Squadron (1941) RAF Castletown (1940–41) No. 253 Squadron (1940) No. 85 Squadron (1938–40) |
| Battles: | Second World War |
| Awards: | Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Flying Cross Mentioned in Despatches (3) Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold II (Belgium) Croix de guerre (Belgium) |
| Relations: | Air Marshal Sir Richard Atcherley (brother) |
Air Vice Marshal David Francis William Atcherley, (12 January 1904 – 8 June 1952) was a senior Royal Air Force officer.[1]
David Atcherley and his twin Richard were born on 12 January 1904, and were the sons of Major General Sir Llewellyn Atcherley, Chief Constable of the West Riding of Yorkshire,[2] and his wife "Nellie", Eleanor Frances (1871–1957), daughter of Richard Mickelthwait, of Ardsley House, in the valley of Deane near Barnsley. Their father was a grandson of David Francis Atcherley of Marton Hall, High Sheriff of Shropshire, Serjeant-at-law, Attorney-General of the County Palatine of Lancaster and County Durham. David Atcherley and his brother, first cousins of William Empson, attended Oundle School in Northamptonshire.[2]
Atcherley entered Sandhurst Military Academy in 1922. In 1924 he was commissioned into the East Lancashire Regiment.[3]
He then became an aircraft pilot and transferred to the Royal Air Force (RAF). At the start of the war he was Commanding Officer of No. 85 Squadron. He commanded No. 253 Squadron in May 1940.[3]
Atcherley became the Commanding Officer at RAF Fairwood Common in 1942 and was responsible for collecting Oberleutnant Armin Faber from RAF Pembrey when he landed his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 there on 23 June 1942.[4]
Towards the end of the war he served as senior air staff officer in No. 2 Group.[3]
In June 1952, Atcherley was lost at sea, presumed dead whilst piloting a Meteor jet fighter PR Mk.10 (from No. 13 Squadron). He took off from RAF Kabrit in Egypt at approximately 11.30 am for a 40-minute flight to Nicosia in Cyprus.[5] His aircraft never arrived at Nicosia, and no radio message was received. No trace of Atcherley or his aircraft was ever found despite an extensive air-sea search being carried out by British, Israeli, Turkish and American aircraft.[6]