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David Hayden (RAF airman)

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David Hayden

Birth nameDavid James Hayden
Bornc. 1979 (age 44–45)
Germany
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchRoyal Air Force
Years of service1997–present
RankSergeant
UnitRAF Regiment
Battles / warsWar in Afghanistan
Iraq War
AwardsMilitary Cross

David James Hayden, MC (born c. 1979) is the first Royal Air Force non-commissioned officer to win the Military Cross.

Early life

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Hayden was born in Germany and attended the Gleed Boys' School in Spalding, where he grew up. His father (who died in June 2005, aged 49) was a tank driver in the Queen's Royal Hussars, becoming a warrant officer class 2.[1]

RAF service

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Hayden joined the RAF Regiment in 1997 and after a number of tours including time with No. 2 RAF Force Protection Wing at RAF Leeming – with which he served in Afghanistan for the first time – he is currently a sergeant.[2] He is a qualified instructor.

While serving in Iraq in 2007, as part of No. 4 RAF Force Protection Wing (of which 1 Squadron is a sub-unit), he showed outstanding courage while commanding a dismounted patrol in a fight against an insurgent force, repeatedly risking his own life to rescue a wounded comrade and extract his team.[3] His Military Cross was gazetted on 7 March 2008.[4]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ "Kate signs last page in memory of James", Spalding Today, 30 November 2005
  2. ^ "Gunners honoured for outstanding courage". Thetford and Brandon Times. 7 March 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  3. ^ Ministry of Defence website Archived 13 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "No. 58633". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 March 2008. pp. 3615–3619.