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on the 30th January 1943 while he attended and instrument flying course with No. 1521 Beam Approach Training Flight, Stradishall, Suffolk. At the conclusion of this course he resumed his training with the Advanced Flying Unit. This continued until the 9th March 1943 when he was posted to No. 15 Operational Training Unit, Harwell, Berkshire, to crew up and complete his training on Wellington bomber aircraft. On the 20th May 1943 he was then posted to No. 1663 Conversion Unit, Rufforth, Yorkshire, to convert to Halifax heavy bombers prior to being posted on the 30th June, 1943, to No. 77 Squadron, Elvington, Yorkshire, and commenced operational flying. With this Squadron as Pilot of a Halifax bomber he took part in four operational flights against the targets of Cologne, Gelsenkirchen, Aachenand Essen all in Germany.

From the attack on Essen undertaken on the night of the 25/26th July, 1943, the aircraft failed to return to its base and all members of its crew including Flying Officer Matheson were classified as missing. Later, information was received from a German source through the International Red Cross, that Flying Officer Matheson had been killed on the 26th July, and had been buried in the war cemetery, Haamstede Island, Schouwen, Holland. In consequence he was reclassified as missing believed killed in action. Due time having elapsed, Flying Officer Matheson's death was officially presumed to have occurred on the 26th July 1943 as the result of air operations. Subsequent to the cessation of hostilities he was reinterred in the British Military Cemetery, Bergen-Op-Zoom, Holland.

Find a Grave link with photo of deceased: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12727331/farquhar-duncan-matheson

4/2/2403 AS2.
456 Hours as Pilot.

Mrs. N. Matheson (M) (right aligned)
94 Mill Road, (right aligned)
NEW PLYMOUTH (right aligned & underlined)