- James Harry Lacey
Infobox Military Person
name= James Harry "Ginger" Lacey
lived= 1917–1989
placeofbirth=Wetherby ,Yorkshire
placeofdeath=Bridlington ,Yorkshire
caption= "Ginger" Lacey c. 1940.
nickname= "Ginger"
allegiance=United Kingdom
serviceyears= 1937–1967
rank=Squadron Leader
branch=Royal Air Force
commands=No. 501 Squadron RAF (1939-1941)
57 OTU (1941)
602 Squadron (1942)
81 Group (1942)
No. 1 Special Attack Instructors School (1942)No. 20 Squadron RAF (1943)
1572 Gunnery Flight(1943)No. 155 Squadron RAF (1944)No. 17 Squadron RAF (1944-1948)
Fighter Controller
unit=
battles= Second World War
awards=Croix de Guerre Distinguished Flying Medal
Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar
laterwork= Owner of a cargo air carrier, Flight instructorSquadron Leader James Harry "Ginger" Lacey DFM & Bar (1 February 1917 inWetherby , nearLeeds ,Yorkshire ,England –30 May 1989 ) was one of the top scoringRoyal Air Force fighter pilots of the Second World War and was the second highest scoring RAF fighter pilot of theBattle of Britain , behind P/OEric Lock ofNo. 41 Squadron RAF . Lacey was credited with 28 enemy aircraft destroyed, five probables and nine damaged. [Holmes 1998, p. 26.]Early years
Lacey left King James Grammar School, Knaresborough in 1933. After four years as an apprentice pharmacist, he joined the RAFVR (
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve ) in January 1937 as a trainee pilot atPerth, Scotland . In 1938, he then took an instructor's course, becoming an instructor at the Yorkshire Flying School. Called up at the outbreak of war, he joinedNo. 501 Squadron RAF .econd World War
Battle of France
On
10 May 1940 , the Squadron moved toBétheniville in France where he experienced his first combat. On13 May over Sedan, Lacey destroyed aHeinkel He 111 and aBf 109 followed by aBf 110 in the afternoon. [Holmes 1998, p. 37.] He claimed two more He 111s on27 May before the squadron was withdrawn to England on 19 June, having claimed nearly 60 victories. On9 June , he crash landed and was almost drowned in a swamp. During his operational duties in France, he was awarded the FrenchCroix de Guerre .Battle of Britain
Flying throughout the
Battle of Britain with No. 501 based at Gravesend orCroydon , Lacey became one of the highest scoring pilots of the battle. His first kill of the battle was on20 July 1940 when he shot down a Bf 109E ofJagdgeschwader 27 . He then claimed a destroyed Ju 87 and a “probable” Ju 87 on12 August along with a damaged Bf 110 and damaged Do 17 on15 August , a probable Bf 109 on16 August . He destroyed a Ju 88, damaged a Do17 on24 August and shot down a Bf 109 ofJagdgeschwader 3 on 29 August. He bailed out unharmed after being hit by return fire from a Heinkel He 111 on13 August .On
23 August , Lacey was awarded theDistinguished Flying Medal .On
30 August 1940 , during combat over theThames Estuary , Lacey shot down a He 111 and damaged a Bf 110 before his Hurricane was badly hit from enemy fire. His engine stopped and he decided to glide the stricken aircraft back to the airfield at Gravesend instead of bailing out into the Estuary.A highly successful August was completed when he destroyed a Bf 109 on the 31st.
On
2 September , Lacey shot down two Bf 109s and damaged a Do 17. He then shot down another two Bf 109s on5 September . During a heavy raid on13 September , he engaged a formation of "Kampfgeschwader" 55 He 111s over London where he shot down one of the bombers that had just bombedBuckingham Palace . He then bailed out of his aircraft, sustaining slight injuries, as he could not find his airfield in the worsening visibility.Returning to the action shortly thereafter, he shot down a He 111, three Bf 109s and damaged another on
15 September 1940 , one of the heaviest days of fighting during the whole battle, which later became known as “Battle of Britain Day”.Two days later on
17 September , he was shot down overAshford , Kent during a dogfight with Bf 109s and bailed out without injury. On27 September , he destroyed a Bf 109 and damaged a Ju 88 on30 September . During October he claimed a probable Bf 109 on7 October , shot down a Bf 109 on12 October , another on26 October and on30 October , he destroyed a Bf 109 before damaging another.During the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain, Lacey had been shot down or forced to land due to combat no less than nine times.
On
26 November 1940 , with 23 claims (18 made during the Battle of Britain) Lacey received a Bar to his DFM for his continued outstanding courage and bravery during the Battle of Britain.After 1940
In January 1941, Lacey was commissioned and promoted to Acting
Flight Lieutenant in June. On10 July 1941 , as “A” Flight Commander, he shot down a Bf 109 and damaged another a few days later on the14 July . On17 July , he claimed aHeinkel He 59 seaplane shot down and on24 July , two Bf 109s (by causing them to collide). He was posted away from combat operations during August 1941, serving as a flight instructor with 57 OTU (Operational Training Unit).During March 1942, Lacey joined No. 602 Squadron, based at
Kenley flying the Spitfire Mk V and by24 March had claimed a Fw 190 as damaged. He damaged another Fw 190 on25 April 1942 before a posting to 81 Group as a Tactics Officer and later that year, in November, as Chief Instructor at the No. 1 Special Attack Instructors School, Milfield.In March 1943, Lacey was posted to No. 20 Squadron, Kaylan in India before joining 1572 Gunnery Flight in July of the same year to convert from Blenheims to Hurricanes and then to Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. He stayed in India, being posted to command 155 Squadron flying the Spitfire VIII in November 1944 and then as CO No. 17 Squadron later that month. While based in India, Lacey claimed his last aircraft on
19 February 1945 , shooting down a Japanese Army Air ForceNakajima Ki 43 “Oscar” with only nine 20mm cannon rounds."Ginger" Lacey was one of the few RAF pilots on operational duties on both the opening and closing day of the war.His final tally was 28 confirmed, four probables and nine damaged.
Post War
After the war was over, Lacey went to Japan with No. 17 Squadron, becoming the first Spitfire pilot to fly over Japan on
30 April 1946 . He returned to the UK in May 1946. After receiving a permanent commission in December 1948, Lacey retired from the RAF on5 March 1967 as a Flight Lieutenant; he retained the rank of Squadron Leader.After retirement, Lacey ran an air freight business and instructed at a flight school near
Bridlington , UK.Death
"Ginger" Lacey died on
30 May 1989 at the age of 72. In September 2001, a plaque was unveiled at Priory Church,Bridlington , Yorkshire in memory of the fighter pilot and ace.References
Notes
Bibliography
* Bickers, Richard Townshend. "Ginger Lacey: Fighter Pilot". London: Hale Ltd., 1962. ISBN 1-330-02411-6.
* Bishop, Edward, ed. "The Daily Telegraph Book of Airmen's Obituaries". London: Grub Street, 2002. ISBN 1-902304-99-3.
* Holmes, Tony. "Hurricane Aces 1939–1940" (Aircraft of the Aces). Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1998. ISBN 978-1-85532-597-5.
* Shores, Christopher and Clive Williams. "Aces High". London: Grub Street, 1994. ISBN 1-89869-700-0.External links
* [http://www.battle-of-britain.com Battle of Britain website]
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