Randal George Pearson was born in Salford in February 1921. His father, also Randal, was the son of a blacksmith but had been able, through education, to gain employment in a bank. Both his mother, Florence Bell, and his father were natives of Leigh in Lancashire and their marriage took place there in 1920.
At some point just before the outbreak of war, Randal senior was appointed a bank inspector in Sheffield and the family moved into 32 Brooklands Crescent. In August 1939, another child, Christopher, was born in Sheffield but it is not clear if there were other children born to to Randal and Florence.
By September 1939, Randal George was living in ‘digs’ in Bristol. His lodgings were on Filton Road which is the A38 from Bristol to Birmingham (and beyond in both directions.) He was working at the factory of Bristol Aeroplane Company Ltd. (now BAE Sysytems) which was a mile from his lodgings. As his details were supplied by his landlady, his occupation of ‘student aircraft’ probably means that he was either an apprentice or possibly working at the factory during the summer whilst he was on vacation from university.
Randal George joined the RAF soon after the outbreak of war. By 1942 he was based at RAF Cranfield (now Cranfield University) the location for 51 Operational Training Unit. He was already a Sergeant radio operator. This suggests he had joined early in the war.
Randal Pearson was killed, along with his pilot Sergeant William Hindle on 23rd December 1942 when they were on a night flight.. The Blenheim Mark IV aircraft lost height and crashed after an engine failed near Marston Mortaine, a village about 8 miles south west of Bedford.
He was buried in Kempston Cemetery and is rercorded on the plaque at Fulwood Church
Some time after the end of the war, Randal and Florence, along with Christopher, moved to Ashbourne in Derbyshire.