Richard Harry Freeman, known as Dick, was born the middle of three children to William, who died in 1934, and Louise Freeman on 30 April 1920 and lived his whole life at 83 Elthorne Road, Upper Holloway, London N19. A clerk at Cambridge University Press, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on 9 December 1938 as a trainee pilot but was re-categorised as an air observer-under-training in November 1939.

He was mobilised on 28 December 1939 and sent to No 3 Initial Training Wing at Hastings. The following April he went to No 5 Bombing & Gunnery School at Jurby, on the Isle of Man, and was promoted sergeant on joining No 10 Operational Training Unit, at Abingdon, on 5 October 1940.

Dick was killed on 17 January 1941 when Whitley Mk V N1494 crashed at 1.30am just north of RAF Abingdon, at Wootton Road. The aircraft was carrying out night bombing practice and flew into a snowstorm that caused icing and the failure of one engine. The wireless operator and a trainee air gunner parachuted to safety but the two pilots, a wireless operator/air gunner and Dick Freeman (20) were killed.

He is buried at Islington Cemetery and Crematorium.