Andrew Allison Law

Bank: National Bank of Scotland

Place of work: Head Office, Edinburgh

Died: 3 September 1941

Andrew Allison Law was born in Edinburgh on 23 November 1916, the son of Thomas and Mary Marshall Allison Law. He was educated at George Watson’s College, Edinburgh, and in 1934 went to work for National Bank of Scotland. By 1939 he was on the staff of the bank’s Inspector’s Department, based in head office on St Andrew Square, Edinburgh.

He joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as soon as war broke out in September 1939, and completed his pilot's training in December 1940. In the same month he became engaged to his girlfriend from home, Dorothea.

Pilot Officer Law began operational flights in January 1941. In April, on the way home from a bombing mission to Berlin, his plane was hit by enemy flak over Hamburg. He kept the plane flying until it was over the North Sea, and then was forced to ditch onto the water. The five-man crew successfully evacuated into a dinghy and were rescued three days later. After recovering from frostbite, Law returned to active duty. He was involved in another serious plane crash in August, but he and his crew survived unscathed.

On 3 September 1941 his plane crashed while attempting to land in dense fog, killing all but one of the crew, including Pilot Officer Law. He was 24 years old.

Andrew Allison Law is commemorated on a bank war memorial at Gogarburn campus, Edinburgh.