Derick/Derrick 'Bill' Kain (RAF 37407)

[martingleeson]

Hello,

Could anyone please confirm the correct spelling and the full name of this pilot ?

Was William his middle name ?  I cannot find any reference to it in the RAF Air Force Lists, his sole AIR 50 Combat Report or on the London Gazette website.  As far as I can see in the 73 Squadron ORB and Appendices he was only recorded as 'D. Kain'.

I have seen a thread on this website with his passport photo (pre-WW2 ?) and signed by him as 'Derick Kain'.  The Air Force Lists and the London Gazetter spell his first name as 'Derrick'.  Would the former be accepted as the correct version ?  

Any assistance will be much appreciated.

Regards,

Martin Gleeson.

[errolmartyn]

Martin,
Online BDM has him registered as Derrick Kain.
Two of the papers on his file at Personnel Records, NZDF have him as Dereck Kain, including two in his own hand. One of these is pre-war/pre-RAF and the other dated 1945.
Signature appears as just D. Kain.
Errol

[martingleeson]

Hello Errol,

Thanks for your reply. Because of the BDM website version - as per the RAF Air Force Lists and London Gazette - I am inclined to go with 'Derrick'. I read one of those signatures, somewhere else on this website, as 'Derick'. The NZ National Library website has him as 'Derek', but that seems to me to be the result of a computer program using some form of predictive text.
I wonder is the 'William' a retrospective addition based on his nickname 'Bill'. At any rate, there is always more to learn in this game !

Many thanks again.

Regards,

Martin.

[errolmartyn]

Martin,
I should point out that the two Dereck instances I gave are not only in his own hand but in printed handwriting, so both very clear as to what he described as his christian name.
If you give me your email I can copy the two documents to you.
Cheers,
Errol

[martingleeson]

Thanks Errol,

my new email for aviation matters is martinavpage AT gmail dot com

Regards,

Martin.

[Dave Homewood]

Agreed that his name was Dereck Kain.

Kerry Carlyle and I interviewed him years ago.

[Dave Homewood]