Colin Hodgkinson (RAF officer)
| Colin Hodgkinson | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Hoppy The poor man's Bader |
| Born |
11 February 1920 Wells, Somerset |
| Died | 13 September 1996 (aged 76) Dordogne, France |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1938–1946 1949–1950s |
| Rank | Flight Lieutenant |
| Service number | 4253756 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
1939–1945 Star Air Crew Europe Star Defence Medal |
| Relations | G. Hodgkinson (father) |
Flight Lieutenant Colin Gerald Shaw Hodgkinson was a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot during the Second World War. His is credited with 2 aerial victories.
Born at Glencot House near Wookey Hole in Somerset to First-class cricketer Gerard Hodgkinson. Being a "difficult and unruly" child found him sent to Pangbourne College for a nautical scholarship. In 1938, aged 18, he was accepted into the Fleet Air Arm to undergo pilot training as a Midshipman.
Hodgkinson carried out training aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Courageous in the De Havilland Tiger Moth. He had completed some 20 hours of flying, including solo flights.
On 12 May 1939 he was practicing blind flying at RAF Gravesend, with a hood over his head. At an altitude of 800 feet his Tiger Moth struck another aircraft and plummeted to the ground. The crash killed his 28 year old trainer, Fg Off John Fyrley Spanton, and seriously injured Hodgkinson. He was rushed to hospital, where his right leg was amputated above the knee and his left leg below the knee. He was transferred to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham to recover. During this period he was introduced to Archibald McIndoe, who convinced him to join the "Guinea Pig Club" and have plastic surgery on his burned face.
By Christmas 1940, just over a year after his accident, he was walking on artificial limbs to such a standard that he was allowed back into the air. He subsequently joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and went on numerous flights, including as a rear gunner on a bomber.
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