Battle of Britain pilot credited with 14 1/2 aircraft victories as a fighter pilot during the battle with 234 Squadron . He later served in Burma and had a distinguished post war career in the RAF before leaving in 1966. In recent years Bob doe had been a popular figure at various aviation and Battle of Britain events and was a modest and charismatic figure. It is also sad Bob has passed in this, the 70th Anniversary year of The Battle of Britain.   To quote Bob Doe's own autobiography, "For Bob Doe, there are certainly no regrets!"

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Air gunner

 

219 Squadron

 

Battle of Britain.

Colonel Mike Osborn, who has died aged 92, had an remarkable army career in which he was awarded a DSO and an MC, and played a leading part in the arrest of Heinrich Himmler.

 

 

 

 

Bill Humphrey was a member of the wartime Pathfinders and led the first air attack on German defences on D Day. Flying Mosquito bombers he completed three operational tours flying 103 missions and twice winning the DFC.

During World War 2, Lieutenant 'Bubs' Russell led a port clearance company or "P" party. They were responsible for clearing mines and explosives and searching for German booby traps. His party cleared the ports of Antwerp, Cherbourg, Ostend, Hamburg and Bremen. Enabling supplies to be landed for the allied advances into Germany.

The last man to leave the doomed Aircraft Carrier HMS Ark Royal after she was torpedoed by the German U-Boat U81. He was also in Ceylon in 1942 when the japanese attacked and witnessed and was involved in combat with Japanese aircraft During the sinking of HMS Hermes. Later in the War he commanded 866 Naval Air Squadron flying Seafires in support of the D DAY Landings. During his flying career he flew 49 aircraft types and claimed 2 Japanese and 2 German aircraft as destroyed.

One of a small number of West Indian volunteers who was commissioned into the RAF in WW2. As a FLT/LT Navigator, he joined 103 Squadron at Elsham Wolds lincolshire flying Lancaster Bombers. By june 1943 he had completed three missions to the Ruhr Valley.On returning from one such misssion his aircraftt was hit and after bailing out and being on the run, was eventually captured. He spent the remainder of the war as a POW. Post-war, he retrained as a barrister and then eventually became an actor and was one of the first black actors to appear regularly on British TV in programs such as Tonight and Drama programmes such as The Persuaders. He also became an activist in black politics.

In 1942 Lamond was among the early arrivals at Stalag luft 111 Sagan. It was Goerings show camp for captured allied airmen and claimed to be escape-proof. Lamond already had a reputation as a tunneller and with two companions, Bill Goldfinch, his co-pilot with whom he was captured in Crete and Jack Best, they were the first to escape from Sagan by tunneling and "moling" out after 36 hours underground. They headed for a local training airfield with the intent of stealing an aircraft. After failing, they set off on a 200 mile trek to Stettin, but were re-captured and returned to Sagan. His two companions were sent to the infamous Colditz Castle, Goldfinch and Best were the two masterminds behind the proposed glider escape.

Ian Carmichael personified the affable silly ass Englishman in scores of revues and comedies and appeared in many classic British films such as 'Privates Progress'. 'I'm All right Jack', 'School for Scoundrel's and 'Light up the Sky'. Serving during World War 2 he was commisiioned and served with the 22nd Dragoons,part of the famous 79th Armoured Division "Hobart's Funnies". Finishing the war as a Major he was mentioned in dispatches. Post-war he returned to acting and for many will forever be remembered as Bertie Wooster and also Lord Peter Wimsey. He was a lifelong cricket fan and a member of the MCC and in 1970 was chairman of the "Lords Taverners". He was awarded an OBE in 2003.

Actor Lionel Jefferies was also a screen writer and director. Famous for such films as' The Railway Chidren', 'The Amazing Mr Blunden', 'The Colditz Story', which he starred in alongside Ian Carmichael, 'Blue Murder at St Trinians', and of course 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'. In 1945 he was commisiioned into the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry serving first in Burma and later as a captain in The Royal West African frontier force.