Geoffrey Page
| Geoffrey Page | |
|---|---|
Page, in his Spitfire Mk. IX, about to take off on a sortie from Longues-sur-Mer, Normandy (1944)
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| Born |
16 May 1920 Boxmoor, England |
| Died | 3 August 2000 (aged 80) Wokingham, Berkshire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1939–1946 |
| Rank | Wing commander |
| Commands held |
No. 125 Wing RAF No. 132 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar Officer of the Order of Orange Nassau (Netherlands) |
| Spouse(s) | Pauline Bruce (m. 1946–2000) |
| Relations | Sir Frederick Handley Page (uncle) |
| Other work | Salesman with the British Aircraft Corporation Founder of the Battle of Britain Trust |
Alan Geoffrey Page DSO, OBE, DFC & Bar (16 May 1920 – 3 August 2000), known as Geoffrey Page, was a British flying ace of the Second World War, and a founding member of the Guinea Pig Club.
Page was born on 16 May 1920 in Boxmoor, England. His parents divorced when he was young. Page developed an early interest in aviation, perhaps not surprisingly as he had an uncle who flew in the First World War and another was the aircraft manufacturer, Sir Frederick Handley Page.
Page was educated at Dean Close School, Cheltenham, and later studied Engineering at Imperial College, where he took advantage of the free Royal Air Force flying training available, and joined the University Air Squadron at Northolt.
Two weeks after the outbreak of the Second World War, Page received his call-up papers and joined the RAF with the rank of acting pilot officer. After advanced training at Cranwell, Page was assessed as "exceptional" and assigned, against his wishes, to a flying instructor's role. However, in May 1940 he received a posting to No. 66 Squadron RAF, flying Spitfires. This posting was a blunder by the RAF, and Page was almost immediately re-posted to No. 56 Squadron RAF to fly Hawker Hurricanes.
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