Tony Bartley
| Tony Bartley | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Anthony Charles Bartley |
| Born |
28 March 1919 Dacca, India |
| Died | 18 April 2001 (aged 82) |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1939 — 1945 |
| Rank | Squadron Leader |
| Unit | |
| Commands held | |
| Relations | Sir Charles Bartley |
| Other work |
|
Squadron Leader Anthony Charles Bartley DFC (28 March 1919 – 18 April 2001) was a film and television executive. As an RAF Spitfire fighter ace, he was awarded the DFC after scoring eight victories against enemy aircraft in the Battle of Britain.
Tony Bartley was born in Dacca, India, the son of Sir Charles Bartley, an Irish barrister who served as a judge in the Calcutta High Court.
Bartley was educated at Stowe School, a boarding independent school for boys in the civil parish of Stowe, in Buckinghamshire.
In 1938 Bartley learned to fly. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1939 on a short service commission, and was posted to No. 92 (East India) Squadron in November 1939 as it was forming in Tangmere, Sussex with the fighter version of the twin engine Bristol Blenheim.
After the Blenheims were replaced by Spitfires, he fought over Dunkirk during the fall of France and evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force. He flew with the Squadron through the Battle of Britain, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in October 1940.
In March 1941 he was posted as a flight commander to No. 74 Squadron RAF at Manston in Kent. In May 1941 he served as a flying instructor at No. 53 Operational Training Unit and No. 56 Operational Training Unit (OTUs), before moving in July 1941 to Vickers-Supermarine as a production test pilot, and made a significant contribution to the further development of the Spitfire. During this time he performed the aerobatics for the film "The First of the Few", which chronicled the life of the Spitfire's designer R. J. Mitchell, as played by Leslie Howard.
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