King’s father had spent much time as a medical missionary in China. Aurel King was born in Essex but attended Chefoo School in northern China, where he was captain of boats and played football in the 1st Xl. He joined the RAF on a short service commission just before the outbreak of war and was posted to No 249 Squadron in June 1940.
A large crowd attended King’s funeral at All Saints’ Church, Fawley, near Southampton. Although his headstone states that he was 19, his birth certificate shows that he was born on 15 October 1921 and was therefore 18 when he was killed, making him one of the youngest pilots to fly in the Battle of Britain.
