Billy Drake
| Billy Drake | |
|---|---|
Wing Commander Billy Drake in 1943.
|
|
| Birth name | Billy Drake |
| Born |
20 December 1917 London, England |
| Died | 28 August 2011 (aged 93) Teignmouth, Devon, England |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1936–1963 |
| Rank | Group Captain |
| Commands held |
No. 421 (Reconnaissance) Flight RAF No. 128 Squadron RAF No. 112 Squadron RAF Krendi Wing No. 20 Wing RAF |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) |
Group Captain Billy Drake DSO, DFC & Bar (20 December 1917 – 28 August 2011) was a British air ace. He scored 20 enemy aircraft confirmed destroyed, six probable and nine damaged with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. Drake flew Hawker Hurricanes, Supermarine Spitfires and Curtiss P-40s (Tomahawks/Kittyhawks), with squadrons based in France, England, West Africa, North Africa and Malta. He was the top-scoring RAF P-40 pilot and the second-highest-scoring British Commonwealth P-40 pilot, behind Clive Caldwell.
Drake was born in London, to an Australian mother and a British father. He was educated in Switzerland. His Christian name at birth was Billy, not William.
Drake joined the RAF on a Short Service Commission in July 1936. He joined No. 1 Squadron at RAF Tangmere in May 1937, flying the Hawker Fury before converting to the Hawker Hurricane.
Following the outbreak of war, the squadron was sent to France. On 20 April 1940, during the Battle of France, Drake scored his first kill, a Messerschmitt Bf 109. Subsequent victories over France included a Dornier Do 17 and Heinkel He 111. While attacking another Dornier, Drake was shot down by a Messerschmitt Bf 110 and wounded with shell splinters in the foot, ending his participation in the campaign.
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