Born: December 7th 1915
Died: April 14th 1940
Age at Death: 24
Killed, April 14th 1940
Medals / Honours: Mentioned in despatches
House Prefect 1932
School Prefect 1933
Boxing 8 1933
1st 15 1933-1934
2nd 11 1932-1933
Fives 8 1932-1933
Eric was born on 7 December 1915 in Satara, India, to Charles McIver, a senior engineer for India’s Public Works Department, and his wife Ruth (née Soldi).
In 1919 mother and children moved back to England, living in Bexhill-on-Sea, though his father continued to live and work in far-flung parts of the Empire for at least some of the time. Ten years later, McIver entered Brighton College. On leaving, he joined the military – hardly surprising, since he had been Platoon Commander in the College’s Officer Training Corps. He was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in the Royal Marines in 1934, progressing to Lieutenant in 1937. In that year he began training as a pilot, qualifying in May 1938.
In the summer of 1938 McIver married Diana Owen, known to all as Phyllis.
During the night of 8/9 April 1940 Germany invaded Norway. The Allies responded by attacking German ships off the coast of the country. Captain McIver participated as a member of 803 Squadron, based at Hatston in the Orkneys, and flying the Blackburn Skua, a fighter plane that also doubled as a dive bomber, plunging from the sky to attack the enemy. He took part in the sinking of the German cruiser Königsberg in Bergen harbour, but in another attack in the same place four days later his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire at a low altitude and crashed into the harbour.
McIver was posthumously Mentioned in Despatches, along with a number of comrades, two months later. This is not an award or medal but a commendation for an act of gallantry or service. All such Mentions were published in the London Gazette. The list of names was given under the citation:
“HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS
For daring and resource in the conduct of hazardous and successful operations by the Fleet Air Arm against the enemy, especially on the Coast of Norway”
Captain McIver is buried in the Molldendal Church Cemetery in Bergen.
Their son, John, was born on 9 September 1940. Having married at the age of only 22, even younger than her husband, Diana outlived him by 72 years, dying in 2012.