Noel Agazarian
| Noël le Chevalier Agazarian | |
|---|---|
Noel Agazarian, photographed at RAF Warmwell, August 1940
|
|
| Nickname(s) | Aggy |
| Born |
26 December 1916 London |
| Died | 16 May 1941 (aged 24) Kambut, Libya |
| Buried at | Knightsbridge War Cemetery, Acroma |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1939–1941 |
| Rank | Flying Officer |
| Unit | No. 609 Squadron RAF No. 274 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars |
World War II |
| Relations | Jack Agazarian, brother;Monique Agazaria, sister; Francine Agazarian, sister–in–law |
World War II
Noël le Chevalier Agazarian (26 December 1916 – 16 May 1941) was a British World War II fighter ace with seven victories. He was the brother of Special Operations Executive agent Jack Agazarian, who was executed by the Germans in 1945, and Monique Agazarian, pilot, author and businesswoman.
Noël Agazarian's father was Berge Agazarian (died 1944), an Armenian who arrived in the United Kingdom in 1911 as a teenager with little money. However he eventually prospered, owning a successful electrical engineering company. He married Frenchwoman Jacqueline Marie-Louise le Chevalier. They had six children, four boys (three of whom later joined the Royal Air Force) and two girls, one of whom, Monique Agazarian, later served as a pilot in the Air Transport Auxiliary. The four siblings' interest in aviation may have been sparked by their mother, who bought a World War 1 surplus Sopwith Pup fighter for £5 at a Croydon auction, and parked it in the back garden of the family house for use as a plaything by her children.
Noël Agazarian was schooled at Dulwich College, where he was a member of the first XV Rugby union team, captained both the swimming and boxing teams and was awarded the Victor Ludorum for sporting achievement. He then went on to Wadham College, Oxford in 1935. An earlier application to Trinity College, Oxford was rejected, allegedly because the Trinity College President, Herbert Blakiston, objected to Agazarian's ethnicity. At Oxford, Agazarian began his flying career with the Oxford University Air Squadron. He achieved a blue in boxing and became friends with Richard Hillary, who became well known some years later for his autobiography The Last Enemy about his time as a fighter pilot.
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