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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2021/06/28/group-captain-harold-walmsley-spitfire-ace-destroyed-least-11/

Title: Group Captain Harold Walmsley, Spitfire ace who destroyed at least 11 enemy aircraft – obituary Author: Graham Pitchfork

Group Captain Harold Walmsley, who has died aged 98, was one of the last surviving Spitfire “aces” of the Second World War.

He joined 130 Squadron as a flight commander in October 1944 when it was based in Normandy flying the latest mark of Spitfire, the XIV, on ground-attack sorties in support of the advancing Allied armies.

On December 8, having moved to an airfield in Belgium, he was leading his section on an armed reconnaissance near Munster when Walmsley saw a locomotive. He turned to attack it with his cannons and as he pulled away, eight Messerschmitt Bf 109s appeared. In the ensuing fight, he shot one down.

In his combat report after the operation, Walmsley commented that the Spitfire XIV “is definitely better than the Bf 109, as I could do a better climbing turn even with my external fuel tank on and this prevented him from getting a deflection shot on me.”

During the Ardennes offensive later in the month, he was assisting US forces when he was shot down by friendly fire. He baled out, landed in a tree and was rescued by Belgian forestry workers who helped him to reach US lines.

He was wearing khaki battle dress (RAF blue was too similar to the field grey uniforms of the Germans) and initially the Americans treated him with suspicion, but he eventually managed to convince them of his identity, and returned to his squadron.

The bitter winter of 1944-45 cut down the squadron’s activities, but from March onwards it was involved in fierce dogfights with Focke-Wulf 190s. Flying from airfields in the Netherlands, on March 13 Walmsley shot down one of the single-seat fighters near Hamm. The German flew at very low level, but after chasing him for 10 miles Walmsley scored several hits and the enemy pilot baled out.

On the 18th, 12 Fw 190s attacked Walmsley’s formation head-on before breaking away into cloud. He and his pilots pursued them in and out of cloud before he got on the tail of one and shot it down.

In two weeks of April, he destroyed seven more enemy aircraft in the air and two on the ground. On the 17th he shot down a Junkers 52 transport aircraft and destroyed two planes under camouflage netting in a field. On the 20th, his section intercepted four Fw 190s; Walmsley shot one down.

Three days later he attacked a Messerschmitt Bf 108, and as he began firing the two occupants baled out. Shortly afterwards, he attacked a second which crash-landed in a field.

Walmsley was appointed to command 350 (Belgian) Squadron, and within days he had accounted for two more Fw 190s; on April 26 he shared in the destruction of another. This was his 11th and final success, though he had probably destroyed one other and damaged a further four.

On the day the war in Europe ended, his squadron was at Fassberg, north of Hanover. On that day, Walmsley wrote in his flying logbook: “Four Huns, bless ’em, landed in their 262s [the Luftwaffe’s jet fighter] on the drome in the evening having taken off from Prague, bombed the Russians and then come here to surrender. Nice types!”

He was awarded a Bar to an earlier DFC, and the Belgian Government awarded him the Croix de Guerre. The citation for the award of his second DFC recorded his “fine example of determination and devotion to duty”.

Harold Edward Walmsley was born on December 14 1922 in Preston, Lancashire, but when the war broke out he was living in Uxbridge, where he was working as a metallurgical laboratory assistant. He joined the RAF in December 1940 and was one of the first pilots to be trained in Rhodesia.

He returned to Britain as a sergeant pilot and in September 1942 joined 611 (West Lancashire) Squadron to fly the Spitfire from Biggin Hill. The squadron provided escort for bomber squadrons attacking targets in northern France.

On January 9 1943 Walmsley probably destroyed an FW 190, and over the next few weeks he claimed to have damaged at least three more. On July 25, while escorting bombers to Amsterdam, he shot down a Bf 109.

In August he moved to 132 Squadron as a flight commander, also equipped with the Spitfire, flying sweeps and escort over France. On January 7 1944 he shot down a FW 190 over Abbeville. After 20 months of continuous operational flying he was rested in April and awarded the DFC.

He spent time as a fighter instructor before returning to operations with 130 Squadron in October.

After the war, Walmsley took command of 80 Squadron in Germany, flying the Tempest fighter. In November 1947 he became a flying instructor and in May the following year was posted back to his first squadron, 611, as the adjutant and flying instructor.

Now part of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, flying Spitfires from Woodvale, near Southport, he was one of three regular officers on the squadron.

A return to the Central Flying School as an instructor was soon followed by his appointment as the chief flying instructor at 4 FTS based in Rhodesia. After attending Staff College he converted to the Sabre, and in April 1955 assumed command of 67 Squadron at Wildenrath in Germany, remaining as the CO for two years.

His next appointments were in the fighter role, first in charge of flying operations at Tangmere, near Chichester, and then, as a group captain, he commanded the radar unit at Boulmer in Northumberland, a key station in the chain of fighter control units that provided for the air defence of the UK.

In 1965 he left for Singapore, with responsibility for plans during the Indonesian Confrontation campaign, before going on to serve in the MoD on the Defence Policy Staff.

He was the RAF parliamentary adviser to Denis Healey, a man he held in high regard, although on the whole he had little time for the Labour politicians.

After a period as the senior RAF instructor on the Senior Officers’ War Course at Greenwich, he retired from the Air Force in 1971 and moved to the village of Waldringfield in east Suffolk.

On leaving the RAF, Walmsley was immediately offered a two-year contract as deputy director of the British Defence Consortium being set up in Saudi Arabia. He spent a further two years as the general manager of Airwork in Oman, providing maintenance and technical support to the expanding Sultanate of Oman Air Force, which was being equipped with the Strikemaster light attack aircraft.

After his second retirement he was able to focus on his passion for sailing. He owned a Deben Four Tonner, a small wooden cabin cruiser which he sailed to Channel ports.

He visited the Baltic, and joining a friend and his Moody 336, he sailed to the Channel Islands and the Frisian Islands. His other great love was his garden.

Harold Walmsley married Jean, a wartime nurse, in 1945; she died in 2017. Their son and daughter survive him.

Harold Walmsley, born December 14 1922, died April 2 2021

Harold Walmsley, (14 December 1922–2 April 2021) was a flying ace who served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. During his service with the RAF, he was credited with having destroyed at least eleven German aircraft.

Early life
Harold Walmsley was born on 14 December 1922 in Preston, England. He was working as a metallurgical laboratory assistant when he joined the Royal Air Force in December 1940, when he was 18 years old.

He was commissioned as a pilot officer at the start of 1943. He was promoted to flying officer in July.

He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), the announcement being published in the London Gazette on 14 April 1944.

He received a substantive promotion to flight lieutenant in early January 1945.

His successes were recognised with an award of a Bar to his DFC. The published citation read: "This officer has completed many sorties since being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and throughout has set a fine example of determination and devotion to duty. In air fighting. Squadron Leader Walmsley has been responsible for the destruction of 9 enemy aircraft and has also inflicted much damage on enemy transport despite heavy opposition. He has proved a most valuable asset to the squadron."

Postwar service
He was promoted to squadron leader on 1 July 1952.