Notes
David Maitland-Makgill-Crichton was born at Poona [Pune] in India on 12 July 1914, the son of Phyllis (née Cuthbert) and David Edward Maitland-Makgill-Crichton. He was educated at Bedford School, where he was a member of the School Officer Training Corps.
David Maitland-Makgill-Crichton entered Worcester College on 6 October 1933 on an open exhibition. He achieved 3rd class honours in Modern History in 1936. During his time at the University he was editor of the student magazine Isis, and spoke at the Oxford Union. After leaving Oxford he became a freelance journalist and spent a year in Albania where he became friendly with King Zog I, about whom he was writing a biography. He also travelled in north Greece and Turkey.
Following the outbreak of war, David Maitland-Makgill-Crichton was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers on 11 February 1940, but in 1941 he was recruited by the Special Operations Executive because of his experiences in Albania, Greece and Turkey. He left Liverpool on the cargo ship, SS Jonathan Holt, on 18 February 1941 but was killed when the ship was sunk by U Boat U-97 on 24 February 1941. Lieutenant David Maitland-Makgill-Crichton was 33 years old.