Flying Officer John Butler Ayer was born on 21 September 1912 in Bangor, Penobscot County, Maine, USA. He was the second of the three children of Fred Rollins Ayer (1880-1936) and Eleanor Frances Ayer née Butler (1885-1970).
United States Federal Census returns show that in 1930 he was resident in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and in 1940 in Neenah, Winnebago County, Wisconsin.
He joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, service number 83702, as a Pilot Officer, in Ottawa, Canada, and served in No.71 Squadron. He gained promotion to Flying Officer and died, aged 21 years, on 10 April 1942 when flying a Spitfire aircraft attached to No.1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit. that went missing while engaged on photograph reconnaissance over the French coast.
As he has no known grave he commemorated on Panel 66 of the Runnymede Memorial, Englefield Green, Egham, Surrey and on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
