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Aircraft Index |
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No.72 Sqn RAF
Founded : 28th June 1917
Basutoland Swift
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No.72 Sqn RAF
No.72 Sqn RAF Artwork |
No.72 Sqn RAF Artwork Collection |
  Clipped Signature - Alan Gear. |   Clipped Signature - Jack Steere. |   Wessex Over the Copelands by David Pentland. |
  Joint Rescue by David Pentland. |   Meteors Over Castle Howard by Michael Rondot. |   Wessex Over South Armagh by Michael Rondot. |
| Aces for : No.72 Sqn RAF | ||
| A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name. | ||
| Name | Victories | Info |
| J W Villa | 15.00 | |
| Aircraft for : No.72 Sqn RAF | |||
| A list of all aircraft known to have been flown by No.72 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | |||
| Squadron | Info | ||
Manufacturer : Gloster Production Began : 1935 Retired : 1945 Number Built : 746 | Gladiator GLOSTER GLADIATOR: A continuation form the Gloster Gauntlet aircraft the Gloster Gladiator (SS37) becoming designated the F.7/30 was named Gladiator on the 1st July 1935. The first 70 Gladiators had Under wing machine guns (Vickers or Lewis) before the browning became standard The first aircraft arrived at Tangmere airfield on in February 1937 to no. 72 squadron. at the outbreak of world war two a total of 218 Gladiators had been received by the Royal air force with a total of 76 on active service. They served also in the Middle eats and in 1940 when Italy joined the war was nearly the only front line fighter in the middle east. Between 1939 and 1941. the Gloster Gladiator flew in many war zones. flying in France, Greece, Norway, Crete Egypt Malta and Aden. The Aircraft claimed nearly 250 air victories. It stayed in front line duties until 1942, then becoming fighter trainer, and other sundry roles. It continued in these roles until the end of world war two. The Naval equivalent the Sea Gladiator a short service in the Middle east and European waters. A Total of 746 aircraft were built of these 98 were Sea Gladiators.. Performance. speed: 250mph at 17,500 feet, 257 mph at 14,600 Range 430 miles. Armament: Two fixed .3-03 browning machine guns | ||
Manufacturer : Supermarine Production Began : 1936 Retired : 1948 Number Built : 20351 | Spitfire Royal Air Force fighter aircraft, maximum speed for mark I Supermarine Spitfire, 362mph up to The Seafire 47 with a top speed of 452mph. maximum ceiling for Mk I 34,000feet up to 44,500 for the mark XIV. Maximum range for MK I 575 miles . up to 1475 miles for the Seafire 47. Armament for the various Marks of Spitfire. for MK I, and II . eight fixed .303 browning Machine guns, for MKs V-IX and XVI two 20mm Hispano cannons and four .303 browning machine guns. and on later Marks, six to eight Rockets under the wings or a maximum bomb load of 1,000 lbs. Designed by R J Mitchell, The proto type Spitfire first flew on the 5th March 1936. and entered service with the Royal Air Force in August 1938, with 19 squadron based and RAF Duxford. by the outbreak of World war two, there were twelve squadrons with a total of 187 spitfires, with another 83 in store. Between 1939 and 1945, a large variety of modifications and developments produced a variety of MK,s from I to XVI. The mark II came into service in late 1940, and in March 1941, the Mk,V came into service. To counter the Improvements in fighters of the Luftwaffe especially the FW190, the MK,XII was introduced with its Griffin engine. The Fleet Air Arm used the Mk,I and II and were named Seafires. By the end of production in 1948 a total of 20,351 spitfires had been made and 2408 Seafires. The most produced variant was the Spitfire Mark V, with a total of 6479 spitfires produced. The Royal Air Force kept Spitfires in front line use until April 1954. | ||
Manufacturer : Westland | Wessex For over 33 years, the Wessex has been at the centre of RAF operations in Northern Ireland. As a reliable workhorse the Wessex has no equal, but after 31st March 2002 the Mighty Wessex will be retired from frontline operations. No.72 Squadron received its first Wessex in 1964 at RAF Odiham and deployed to Northern Ireland on 15th August 1969 when Air Marshal Sir Tim Jenner (then a junior pilot) landed the first Wessex at the start of the current Troubles. Since then, the Wessex has been employed on all major security operations as well as day-to-day troop carrying and re-supply tasks. It enjoys a unique reputation as a tough and reliable foundry-built aircraft and will be sorely missed by the aircrew who regard it as an indestructible evergreen | ||
| Signatures for : No.72 Sqn RAF | |||||||
| A list of all signatures from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | |||||||
| Name | Info | ||||||
Flt Lt Jeffrey Dickie Bird DFC AE Click the name above to see prints signed by Flt Lt Jeffrey Dickie Bird DFC AE | Flt Lt Jeffrey Dickie Bird DFC AE Completing his pilot training in South Africa in 1942, Dickie was posted to 72 Sqn in the Middle East. He flew many operations from Tunisia, Malta, Sicily and finished the war on the Italian mainland. | ||||||
 Flight Lieutenant Bernard W Brown Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Bernard W Brown | Flight Lieutenant Bernard W Brown Flight Lieutenant Bernard Walter Brown was accepted for a short service commission in 1938, and after being accepted arrived in England in September, training at 5 E&RFTS, Hanworth and in late January 1939 he was posted to 5FTS, Sealand. He then went to No 1 School of Army Co-Operation at Old Sarum for a course on Lysanders in August 1939, and soon after joined 613 Squadron. Bernard Walker Brown was flying one of six Hectors detailed to dive-bomb gun emplacements near Calais. On the way to the target, he test-fired his forward gun but a fault caused the muzzle attachment to fly off, penetrate the fuselage and hole the main fuel tank. He jettisoned his bombs and turned back and make a forced-landing. In August 1940 he volunteered for Fighter Command, converting to Spitfires. He joined 610 Squadron at Biggin Hill. In late September he went to 72 Squadron, but on the 23rd was shot down by a Bf 109. He bailed out of the aircraft, badly wounded. Returning to active duty in November 1940, he was posted to 8FTS, Montrose for an instructor's course, after which he went to Rhodesia, subsequently instructing at Cumalo. In 1943, he trained with Transport Command, becoming a ferry pilot. He flew between the United Kingdom and the Middle East. He transferred to the RNZAF in January 1944 and by the end of the year was flying Halifaxes. He was released in 1945 to fly Dakotas with BOAC and later joined BEA, flying with the airline until his retirement in 1972. | ||||||
Flt. Lt. John (Chips) Carpenter DFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Flt. Lt. John (Chips) Carpenter DFC
| Flt. Lt. John (Chips) Carpenter DFC Flt. Lt. John Chips Carpenter DFC was born on 9 April 1921. He began elementary flying instruction at Redhill and later on Harvards at Turnhill with the RAF in February 1939 and on completion of his training he joined 263 Squadron at Filton in November. On 21 April 1940 the squadron embarked on HMS ‘Glorious’ for Norway, flying off three days later to land on a frozen lake. By the 26th all the Gladiators were either destroyed or unserviceable, so 263 Squadron re-embarked for the UK. In May another attempt was made. From the 21st until it re-embarked on HMS ‘Glorious’ on 6 June the squadron gave a good account of itself, covering the evacuation of the Army and flying offensive patrols. The carrier was sunk by enemy action soon after sailing and nearly all 263’s pilots were lost. Carpenter had not flown on to the carrier and returned to the UK by another ship. He joined 222 Squadron on Spitfires at Hornchurch in late June 1940 in time for the evacuation of Dunkirk. On 31 August he claimed a probable Bf109, on 1 September he destroyed another Bf109, on the 3rd a Bf110 and on the 4th a further Bf109. Soon afterwards he was shot down and wounded and returned to the squadron in October. Carpenter stayed with 222 Sqn. until April 1941, when he was posted to 46 Squadron, just as it prepared to go to the Middle East. The squadron embarked on HMS ‘Argus’, before transferring to the ‘Ark Royal’, from which they flew off to Hal Far, Malta on 6 June. 46 Squadron was kept in Malta and re-numbered 126 Squadron. On 30 June Carpenter shot down a Mc200, on 4 September he claimed another, on 8 November a Mc202, on the 12th another Mc202 and on 27 December he shot a Ju88 down into the sea. Carpenter, who had been a Flight Commander since early October, was awarded the DFC (2.1.42) and posted to 92 Squadron in the Western Desert. In May 1942 he covered the invasion of Sicily and Italy and was given command of 72 Squadron at Anzio. After a rest Carpenter was given command of 72 Squadron at Lago, Italy in January 1944. On 11 April he was posted away, received a Bar to the DFC (7.7.44) and returned to the UK. He went to Hawker’s as a production test pilot. Carpenter was granted a Permanent Commission in September 1945 and he retired on 31 December 1959, as a Flight Lieutenant, retaining the rank of Squadron Leader. Post war he served as CO in Kai Tek, Hong Kong. He died 11th February 2005. | ||||||
 Flight Lieutenant William J. Corbin DFC Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant William J. Corbin DFC
| Flight Lieutenant William J. Corbin DFC Already a member of the RAFVR, William Corbin was called up for active duty in September 1939. Following training and conversion to Spitfires, in September 1940 he was posted as a Sergeant Pilot to join 66 Squadron at Coltishall. With the exception of a few weeks spent with 610 Squadron he remained with 66 Squadron until September 1941. Commissioned in June 1942, he returned to combat flying in September, joining 72 Squadron with whom he went to North Africa. Here he shared in a probable Me109 and damaged another, and in August 1943 was awarded the DFC. Sadly he passed away on 8th December 2012. | ||||||
 Wing Commander David Cox DFC Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Wing Commander David Cox DFC
| Wing Commander David Cox DFC Ending the war with seven confirmed victories and as Wing Leader of 909 Spitfire Wing in Burma, Cox remembers an acerbic encounter with Bader as a young Sergeant Pilot. Bader made it very clear that the battle damage to his Spitfire was not excused by his having shot down the Bf 109 that caused it! Above all, however, he remembers Baders calmness on the radio when leading the Wing - it calmed evervone else. Cox, from Cambridge, an RAFVR pilot, originally failed the RAF medical, working for some months in Billingsgate market to build up his strength. He joined 19 Squadron at Duxford in 1940. He scored several victories during the Battle of Britain, but was shot down on September 27 1940 and wounded. Cox took part in many fighter sweeps with 19 Squadron in 1941 and was commissioned in July. After a spell instructing, Cox joined 72 Squadron in May 1942, accompanying it to North Affica where lie increased his score to a total of seven confirmed victories. On April 5 1945 he was posted to Burma. David Cox died 20th January 2004. | ||||||
  Air Chief Marshal Sir John Day KCB OBE ADC BSc RAF Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Air Chief Marshal Sir John Day KCB OBE ADC BSc RAF | Air Chief Marshal Sir John Day KCB OBE ADC BSc RAF Air Chief Marshal Sir John Day was educated at the Kings School, Canterbury and Imperial College, University of London where he read aeronautical engineering. His first tour was on No 72 Squadron at RAF Odiham flying Wessex helicopters and then, following the CFS course, he instructed on jet Provosts at RAF Linton-on-Ouse. On promotion to Squadron Leader in 1976, he was appointed to command Oxford University Air Squadron, after which he returned to the Support Helicopter Force as a flight commander on No 18 Squadron at RAF Gutersloh. Attendance at the RAF Staff College, Bracknell in 1981 was followed by a tour as the Personal Staff Officer to the Air Member for Personnel, and in 1983 he assumed command of No 72 Squadron at RAF Aldergrove, again flying Wessex. He then spent a year at the RAF Personnel Management Centre at Barnwood where he was responsible for managing the careers of General Duties wing commanders. This was followed by a tour as Group Captain Support Helicopters/Air at Headquarters No 1 Group, RAF Upavon where he was involved in developing joint operations and the joint Forces Headquarters concept. He then commanded RAF Odiham, operating Puma and Chinook helicopters. He attended the 1990 Course at the Royal College of Defence Studies before being promoted to Air Commodore and being appointed as the Director of Air Force Plans and Programmes in the Ministry of Defence. Following promotion to Air-Vice Marshal in 1994, he was appointed as the Air Officer Commanding No 1 Group, responsible for all the Royal Air Forces Strike Attack, Offensive Support, Reconnaissance & Support Helicopter forces. In May 1997, he was promoted to Air Marshal and appointed Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Commitments) in the Ministry of Defence where his primary responsibility was to be the United Kingdoms Director of Operations, which included overseeing the Kosovo campaign and operations over Iraq. He then served from March 2000 as the Air Member for Personnel and Commander-in-Chief Personnel and Training Command. He took up his current appointment as Commander-in-Chief Strike Command in April 2001 on promotion to Air Chief Marshal. Air Chief Marshal Day is the President of the Royal Air Force Rugby Union, the No 72 Squadron Association and his local Branch of the Royal British Legion. He also sits on the Council of the Burma Star Association. Sir John and his wife, Jane, have 2 sons. One is a Captain in the Royal Regiment of Artillery, and the other is an Accountant working in investment banking. | ||||||
 Flight Lieutenant James Gray Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant James Gray
| Flight Lieutenant James Gray James Gray was in college and taking a civilian pilot training course when the European war began. I tried for the U.S. Army Air Corps and couldn’t pass the physical, he says. I heard that the British were recruiting pilots for the Royal Air Force. I wanted to fly a fast fighter. Like many prospective Eagle Squadron pilots, Gray went to a special school in the United States and learned flying from former U.S. Army Air Corps pilots before shipping off to England. James Gray joined the RAF as an American volunteer in September 1941, and was posted to 71 Eagle Squadron flying Spitfire Vbs. Gray’s first missions in the Spitfire were mostly convoy patrols over the English Channel. By September of 1941, the faster Spitfire Mk.V had replaced No.71 Squadron’s Mk. IIs, and along with the aircraft change came Eagle missions of a little more range - sweeps across the Channel into France. These missions were dubbed Rhubarbs, Circuses and Rodeos, depending on the number of aircraft used, their tactics and varied methods of enticing the Luftwaffe to fight. Gray says he shot down his first enemy plane in the spring of 1942. The day before, some RAF bombers had been badly shot up on a major operation. Rescue boats went out looking for aircrew that might still be floating in dinghies, and Spitfires were sent to provide air cover for the operation. While on this patrol they were attacked by a number of Fw190's. Gray attacked one of the Fw190s which was pursuing Wing Leader Bob Sprague's Spitfire, Gray opened fire with his cannons and sent the Fw190 plunging into the sea. Staying in the RAF throughout the war, he flew Spitfires in North Africa and the Mediterranean, first with 93 Squadron, and later 111 Squadron. His luck eventually ran out in Italy when he was shot down early in 1945 whilst serving with 72 Squadron. Flight Lieutenant James Gray was shot down on January 4th, 1945, his 26th birthday. Gray's Squadron’s Spitfire IXs were carrying 500-pound bombs in ground attacks against German troops in northern Italy. He was taken POW for four months in Stalag-Luft I, north of Berlin. Among Flight Lieutenant James Gray's awards and decorations is the prestigious British Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). After the war Flight Lieutenant James Gray became a pilot for United Airlines, started flying the DC-3, then flew the Convair 340 and, after a long successful career, retired as a Captain in DC-8 jets. He was also the historian for the Eagle Squadrons. James Gray at the age of 90 passed away on the 25th of November 2009. | ||||||
Group Captain Brian Kingcome DSO DFC Click the name above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of Group Captain Brian Kingcome DSO DFC
| Group Captain Brian Kingcome DSO DFC Brian Fabris Kingcome was born in Calcutta on May 31st 1917. Brian Kingcome was educated at Bedford and in 1936 entered the RAF College, Cranwell. Soon after he began his pilot course he was seriously injured in a car accident and was told by the RAF medical board that he would never fly again as he was expected to suffer permanent double vision. But after months in hospital and with Brians strength of character he proved the board wrong. In 1938 he was posted to No 65, a biplane Gladiator fighter squadron based at Hornchurch. Brian Kingcome took part in the Battles of France and Dunkirk but transferred to 92 Squadron as a flight commander and flying Spitfires in May 1940 scoring his first victories in June 1940. Brian Kingcome became acting commanding officer during the latter stages of the Battle of Britain. During this time he and his pilots achieved the highest success rate of any squadron in the entire Battle of Britain. After being shot down by Me109s and wounded, he returned to active operations. In February 1942 he was posted to command 72 Squadron, followed by promotion to Wing Leader at Kenley. In May 1943 he was posted to lead 244 Wing in the Mediterranean during the invasion of Sicily. An Ace, Brian Kingcome flew Spitfires in combat continually until the end of 1944, his tally finishing at 8 and 3 shared destroyed, plus a score of probables and damaged. One of the prewar Cranwell elite, Brian Kingcome was to become one ofthe Second World Wars great fighter leaders, alongside such immortals as Douglas Bader, Bob Stanford Tuck and Johnnie Johnson. At the outbreak of war he was serving in 65 Squadron, but in May 1940 was posted to 92 Squadron as flight commander. On 25 May he shared a Do 17 and on 2 June destroyed two He l l Is and damaged a third. He shared a Ju 88 with two others on I0 July, and again on the 24th. On 9 September he probably destroyed a Bf 110 and two days later shot down a He 111. On the 14th he damaged another. He shot down a Bf 109 on the 23rd and next day probably destroyed another and damaged a Ju 88. Three days later he shared a Ju 88 again, damaged two others, probably destroyed a Do 17, and damaged one of these also. Around this time he was awarded a DFC for six victories, and on 11 October got a Bf 109 He claimed another next day, and also damaged one. In 1941 he became commanding officer, having frequently led the squadron. It will be noted that he claimed many probables and damaged during the Battle of Britain, and this was due to his view that it was more important to hit as many as possible than to try and confirm victories. On 16 June 1941 lie probably destroyed a Bf 109, and on 24 July shot one down. He was then rested until late in the year, when he was posted to command 72 Squadron, and in February 1942 gave escort cover to the Fleet Air Arm pilot Eugene Esmonde, who won the VC trying to attack German capital ships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and and the cruiser ‘Prinz Eugen’ with Swordfish during the Channel Dash. In atrocious weather Kingcome caught a fleeting glimpse of tbe Scharnhorst - Oh what a beautiful battleboat! he exclaimed, just as a shell made a hole the size of a dustbin lid in his port wing. During 1941 he received a Bar to his DFC, having brought his score to 10. He was promoted to lead the Kenley wing, and on 15 April 1942 damaged a Fw 190. He probably destroyed a Bf 109 on 28 May, and during the year was awarded a DSO, having added another victory to his score. In 1943 he was posted to North Africa to lead 244 Wing, and lead this for 18 months, becoming a Gp. Capt. after the invasion of Italy. By the end of his stay with the wing he had brought his score to 18, and was then posted as SASO of a Liberator group, and flew an operation as a waist gunner over northern Yugoslavia after taking up this appointment. Sadly Group Captain Brian Kingcome passed away aged 76 in 1994. | ||||||
  Squadron Leader Arthur Leigh DFC, DFM Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Squadron Leader Arthur Leigh DFC, DFM | Squadron Leader Arthur Leigh DFC, DFM Another RAFVR pilot, The son of a regular soldier, Arthur Leigh was called up at the outbreak of war. After finishing his flying training he was posted to 7 OTU and then on to convert to Spitfires in August 1940. Arthur Leigh flew with 64 Squadron at Leconfield and 72 Squadron at Biggin Hill during the Battle of Britain before transferring to 611 Squadron. Awarded the DFM in September 1941, Leigh had then completed 50 sweeps, had destroyed two Bf 109s, probably destroyed another four and shared in the destruction of a Do 17. After a spell instructing and ferrying Hurricanes from Gibraltar to Cairo, he returned to operations with 56 Squadron flying Typhoons from Manston. He was shot down on his first sweep by flak, near Calais but was picked up by an ASR launch. In late 1943 Leigh was posted to 129 Squadron at Hornchurch and was awarded the DDC on completing his second tour in December 1944, spending the rest of the war as an instructor. | ||||||
  Flight Lieutenant Larry Robillard DFM CD Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Larry Robillard DFM CD
| Flight Lieutenant Larry Robillard DFM CD Born in Ottawa, 17 November 1920, Canadian ace with 8 victories. Sgt. Joseph Guillame Laurent Robillard, During a sweep over the Lille area, less than a month after his first operational flight, Sergeant Robillard, a former member of the Ottawa Flying club, saw a fellow pilot parachuting. Believing it was his commanding officer who had been shot down, Robillard started to protect the descending pilot by escorting him down, but was himself attacked by nine enemy fighters. In the fierce fight which followed the daring Ottawan destroyed at least two of his attackers. Flight Leutnant Larry Robillard was one of Johnnie Johnsons keen and skillful Canadian pilots. He was shot down over France in 1943. However, with his fluent French and the help of the Resistance, he managed to get back to England, and received a heros welcome when he returned to France to continue the fight, leading a section of 443 Squadron of Johnnies 144 Wing following the Liberation. He flew with 145 Sqn RAF, 72 Sqn RAF, 402 Sqn RCAF, 443 Sqn RCAF. Larry Robillard died at his home in Montreal, Canada on 8th March 2006.
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 Group Captain Desmond Sheen DFC* Click the name above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of Group Captain Desmond Sheen DFC*
| Group Captain Desmond Sheen DFC* A Great Australian Spitfire pilot throughout the Battle of Britain. Scoring his first victories in 1939. He was shot down twice and once wounded. He commanded 72 squadron and by 1945 commanded HQ 148 Airfield. He died in 2001.
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 Flight Lieutenant John Squier Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant John Squier
| Flight Lieutenant John Squier John Squier was called up from the RAFVR at the outbreak of war, joining 64 Squadron at Kenley in June 1940 flying Spitfires. In August he crash landed following an attack by Hannes Trautloft of III/JG51, suffering severe injuries. Rejoining 64 Squadron in November, he was posted to 72 Squadron, then 603 Squadron, and finally 141 Squadron. He was commissioned in 1942. After the war he became a test pilot and was the first pilot to eject at supersonic speed. He died 30th January 2006. | ||||||
  Air Commodore Sir Archie Winskill KCVO CBE DFC AE Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of Air Commodore Sir Archie Winskill KCVO CBE DFC AE
| Air Commodore Sir Archie Winskill KCVO CBE DFC AE An RAFVR pilot, Winskill flew with both 72 Squadron and 603 Squadrons during the Battle of Britain. Commissioned in August 1940 he was posted in February 1941 to 41 Squadron where he soon became a Flight Commander. Baders determination to engage the enemy at every possible opportunity is what he remembers most clearly of the period, On August 14th he was shot down over France, just five days after Bader. He managed to evade capture and, with the help of the French Resistance, made his way to Spain and then Gibraltar. He was the first pilot to use this route home. After another operational posting to North Africa, after which he was awarded a Bar to his DFC, he finished the war with four confirmed victories. Post war he stayed on in the RAF and was Captain of the Queens Flight for 14 years. He died 9th August 2005.
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| Battle of Britain Pilots for this Squadron | |
| Name | Info |
| Sgt. H. J. Bell-Walker | British, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| P/O B. W. Brown | New Zealand, Served with : 610 and 72 Squadrons |
| P/O H. R. Case | British, Served with : 64 & 72 Squadrons Killed October 12th 1940 |
| S/Ldr. A. R. Collins | British, Served with : 72 and 46 Squadrons |
| P/O. I. H. Cosby | British, Served with : 610, 72 and 222 Squadrons |
| P/O P. J. Davis-Cooke | British, Served with : 72 & 610 Squadrons Killed September 27th 1940 |
| F/O T. D. H. Davy | British, Served with : 266 and 72 Squadrons Killed September 13th 1942 |
| P/O. R. Deacon-Elliott | British, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| P/O B. Douthwaite | British, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| P/O R. D. Elliott | British, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| F/Lt T. A. F. Elsdon | British, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| Sgt. J. S. Gilders | British, Served with : 72 Squadron Killed February 21st 1941 |
| Sgt. N. V. Glew | British, Served with : 72 Squadron Killed May 17th 1944 |
| S/Ldr. E. Graham | British, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| Sgt. M. Gray | British, Served with : 72 Squadron Killed September 25th 1940 |
| P/O D. F. Holland | British, Served with : 72 Squadron Killed September 20th 1940 |
| Sgt. M. A. W. Lee | British, Served with : 72 Squadron & 421 Flight. Killed December 31st 1940 |
| S/L R. B. Lees DFC | Australian, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| Sgt. A. C. Leigh DFC DFM Signed Artwork | British, Served with : 64 & 72 Squadrons Passed away Another RAFVR pilot, The son of a regular soldier, Arthur Leigh was called up at the outbreak of war. After finishing his flying training he was posted to 7 OTU and then on to convert to Spitfires in August 1940. Arthur Leigh flew with 64 Squadron at Leconfield and 72 Squadron at Biggin Hill during the Battle of Britain before transferring to 611 Squadron. Awarded the DFM in September 1941, Leigh had then completed 50 sweeps, had destroyed two Bf 109s, probably destroyed another four and shared in the destruction of a Do 17. After a spell instructing and ferrying Hurricanes from Gibraltar to Cairo, he returned to operations with 56 Squadron flying Typhoons from Manston. He was shot down on his first sweep by flak, near Calais but was picked up by an ASR launch. In late 1943 Leigh was posted to 129 Squadron at Hornchurch and was awarded the DDC on completing his second tour in December 1944, spending the rest of the war as an instructor. He died on 3rd July 2004. |
| P/O A. I. Lindsay | British, Served with : 72 Squadron Killed October 23rd 1942 |
| P/O J. P. Lloyd | British, Served with : 64 & 72 Squadrons Passed away 1971. |
| P/O E. E. Males | British, Served with : 72 Squadron Killed September 27th 1940 |
| Sgt. N. Morrison | British, Served with : 54, 72 & 74 Squadrons Killed February 24th 1941 |
| P/O N. R. Norfolk | British, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| F/O J. J. O'meara | British, Served with : 64, 72 Squadrons & 421 Flight |
| F/O O. St. J. Pigg | British, Served with : 72 Squadron Killed September 2nd 1940 |
| Sgt R. E. Plant | British, Served with : 72 & 611 Squadrons Killed November 21st 1940 |
| Sgt. M. H. Pocock | British, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| P/O P. D. Pool | British, Served with : 266 & 72 Squadrons Missing August 19th 1942** |
| P/O J. R. Ritchie | British, Served with : 600, 111 & 72 Squadrons |
| F/Lt. N. C. H. Robson | British, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| Sgt. W T. E. Rolls | British, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| F/O D. Secretan | British, Served with : 54 & 72 Squadron |
| F/Lt D. F. B. DFC Sheen Signed Artwork | Australian, Served with : 72 Squadron Passed away 2001. Desmond Frederick Burt Sheen was born in Sydney, Australia, on October 2 1917. After school, he received a cadetship in the Royal Australian Air Force and in 1937 sailed for Britain, where he was granted a short service commission in the RAF and was posted to No 72 Squadron. During the Battle of Britain, Desmond got his first victories and was shot down twice during the Battle of Britain, in the course of which he accounted for three enemy aircraft destroyed, one shared, two probably destroyed and two damaged. By the summer of 1940, Sheen, was serving as a Spitfire pilot with No 72 Squadron, based at Acklington, Northumberland. Although well to the north of the main area of the Battle of Britain, on August 15 the squadron was heavily engaged with the enemy. Flying from Denmark and Norway, a Luftwaffe force of more than 60 bombers with a 34-strong fighter escort was making for the RAF's fighter bases in north-east England. With two other Spitfire squadrons, No 72 raced to intercept them. In the ensuing action, beyond the Farne Islands, Sheen accounted for two Me 110 fighters, one of which almost did for him. Flames and smoke appeared near the inside of the port engine. he said. The enemy aircraft, either with the pilot shot or in a deliberate attempt to ram me, approached head on left wing low. Sheen took evasive action and saved his neck. A fortnight later, on August 31, No 72 was ordered south to No 11 Group fighter sector station at Biggin Hill, Kent - where they landed as the airfield was being heavily bombed. The next morning, having transferred to Croydon, they were scrambled to intercept a large enemy force approaching London. This time Sheen's aircraft was hit. As his cockpit filled with dense smoke, he released his straps, turned the Spitfire on its back, pushed the stick forward and dropped out. It was a sunny day, and as he drifted to the ground he had a grandstand view of the battle Several dogfights were going on and an Me 109 went past me in flames. I think the pilot baled out but his harness broke and he didn't make it.On reaching the ground, Sheen was confronted by a girl and a young Army officer who, suspicious of the darker blue of Sheen's old Australian uniform, brandished a revolver. The misunderstanding cleared up, the girl took Sheen to a nearby house where a party of guests were enjoying pre-lunch drinks on the lawn as they watched the battle in the sky overhead. Four days later, back with his squadron, Sheen was shot down again. As his Spitfire hurtled towards the ground, Sheen, though wounded, managed to release his harness. He was sucked out of the cockpit, but his boots caught on the windscreen and he was left lying on top of the fuselage. After what seemed an age, he recalled, my feet came free and I pulled the ripcord and my parachute opened with a terrific jerk. I just had time to see treetops underneath when I was in them. These broke my fall and I landed on my feet as light as a feather. A bobby appeared on the proverbial bicycle. He pulled out a flask, bless him, and handed it to me. 'You left it a bit late,' he said. His first real taste of action came on October 21 1939, when he shot down two of some dozen Heinkel 115 floatplanes that were attacking a North Sea convoy off the Yorkshire coast. In early December, north of Arbroath in Scotland, Sheen shared in the destruction of an He 111 bomber. Flying so low that he opened fire at a level below the top of a nearby lighthouse, he was hit by return fire and wounded in the leg. I stopped a couple of bullets, Sheen explained. One went through my earphones and the other got me in the thigh. The most serious was a bullet in my fuel tank. The petrol began to stream into the cockpit. I went in again to attack but I was dizzy and decided to turn for home.After a spell in hospital, in April 1940 Sheen was posted to the embryo photographic-reconnaissance unit which had been formed under Sidney Cotton, another intrepid Australian. The two men flew down to the south of France and to Sardinia where, flying unarmed Spitfires, they made photo-recce sorties over Italy. Sheen resumed with No 72 at the end of July 1940 and later, after the Battle of Britain and a second spell in hospital, took part in a night action over the North Sea which he described in a broadcast on the BBC. In bright moonlight, on the night of March 13-14 1941, he intercepted a Ju 88. As I opened fire I could see my tracer bullets bursting in the Junkers like fireworks . . . when I turned in for my next attack I saw that one of the Hun's engines was beginning to burn but just to make quite sure of him I pumped in a lot more bullets then I had to dive like mad to avoid ramming him. Not long after this, Sheen received command of No 72. Flying from Biggin Hill, he led the squadron - and sometimes the Spitfire Wing - in offensive sweeps over occupied Europe. Subsequently, he held staff appointments and station commands in Britain and in the Middle East. He was awarded a DFC in 1940 and a Bar to it in 1941. Sheen was released from the RAF in 1947, but in 1949, dropping in rank from wing commander to flight lieutenant, he rejoined with a permanent commission. From 1950 to 1952, he commanded No 502, a Royal Auxiliary Air Force fighter squadron equipped with Spitfires, and later with Vampire jets. In 1954, he was posted to the Central Flying Establishment's air fighting unit, and a year later to RAF Leuchars, in Scotland, as Wing Commander Flying. Subsequent appointments included the command of RAF Odiham (1962-64), and Group Captain Organisation at Transport Command. After retirement in 1971, he joined the BAC/British Aerospace to administer the company's BAC 111 and Concorde marketing teams. He died aged 83 in 2001. |
| F/Lt F. M. Smith | Canadian, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| Sgt. R. C. J. Staples | British, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| F/Sgt. J. Steere | British, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| P/O N. Sutton | British, Served with : 611 & 72 Squadron Killed October 5th 1940 |
| Sgt. P. H. R. R. Terry | British, Served with : 72 & 603 Squadrons |
| F/Lt R. A. Thomson | New Zealand, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| F/Lt. J. W. DFC Villa WW2 Ace - 15.00 victories | British, Served with : 72 & 92 Squadrons |
| F/O R. J. Walker | British, Served with : 72 Squadron |
| Sgt. J. White | British, Served with : 72 Squadron Killed June 14th 1941 |
| F/O E. J. Wilcox | British, Served with : 72 Squadron Killed August 31st 1940 |
| P/O A. L. Winskill Signed Artwork | British, Served with : 72 & 603 Squadrons Passed away 9th August 2005. An RAFVR pilot, Winskill flew with both 72 Squadron and 603 Squadrons during the Battle of Britain. Commissioned in August 1940 he was posted in February 1941 to 41 Squadron where he soon became a Flight Commander. Baders determination to engage the enemy at every possible opportunity is what he remembers most clearly of the period, On August 14th he was shot down over France, just five days after Bader. He managed to evade capture and, with the help of the French Resistance, made his way to Spain and then Gibraltar. He was the first pilot to use this route home. After another operational posting to North Africa, after which he was awarded a Bar to his DFC, he finished the war with four confirmed victories. Post war he stayed on in the RAF and was Captain of the Queens Flight for 14 years. He died 9th August 2005. |
| P/O D. C. Winter | British, Served with : 72 Squadron Killed September 5th 1940** |
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