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During the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, we remember the Few and all those who served from the UK, Commonwealth and our allies.
There are nine Americans known to have fought in the Battle of Britain, who would become immortalised as part of 'the Few'. The United States Air Force and Royal Air Force continue to work closely together, often in skies that the Few would recognise. As NATO allies, defending democracy and freedom are the same values that the Few fought to preserve. Standing together in peace and war.
17 August 2020 marks the 80th anniversary of the day Billy Fiske, the first American to volunteer to serve with the RAF, died in the Battle of Britain. This is his story.
William Meade Lindley Fiske III, otherwise known as Billy Fiske, was born in Chicago on 4 June 1911, the son of a successful international banker whose family could trace their American roots back to the Mayflower, the ship which brought some of the very first settlers from Britain to the New World.
When Britain declared war, Fiske was the first American to come to the UK to volunteer. He was under no obligation to do so and in fact risked severe penalties should the US authorities choose to pursue and charge him with 'fighting for a foreign power'. He wrote to his sister of his motives:
"The English have been damn good to me in good times so, naturally, I feel I ought to try and help out in bad (times) if I can. There are absolutely no heroics in my motives, I'm probably twice as scared as the next man, but if anything happens to me I at least feel I have done the right thing in spite of the worry to my family—which I certainly couldn't feel if I was to sit in New York making dough."
This risk was compounded as, at that time, the Royal Air Force was not interested in recruiting non-British and non-Commonwealth citizens and Billy had to weave a complex story in order to pass himself off as Canadian. He was interviewed by no less than the Chief of Air Staff, the senior airman, Air Marshal Sir Cyril Newall, and accepted for the Auxiliary Air Force. Despite being a pilot already he had to follow the military training programme and was posted to No 10 Elementary Flying Training School, Yatesbury, for military flying training in the Tiger Moth, and then No 2 Flight Training School, Brize Norton. Later training was in the Gloster Gladiator, the Royal Air Force's last biplane fighter.
On 23 March 1940, Billy Fiske was granted a commission as an Acting Pilot Officer on probation, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He joined No 601 (County of London) Squadron at RAF Tangmere on 12 July 1940. Unusually, he had been posted to 601 without having flown a Hurricane and his first flight in one was on the 14 July. He had only accumulated eleven hours on this aircraft when he flew his first operational sortie on 20 July. Between 20 July and 16 August, Pilot Officer Fiske flew 42 sorties, not a record but an indication of the pace of the Battle over the English Channel.
On 11 August, Billy Fiske claimed a twin-engine Messerschmitt Bf 110 shot down. On 13 August, he claimed another Bf 110 probably shot down and two more damaged. On 15 August, Fiske and his Hurricane forced a German bomber into a balloon barrage. A day later the Squadron was scrambled to intercept a formation of Ju 87 Stuka dive-bombers that were in fact heading for 601's base at Tangmere. Individual combats broke out as the Stukas dropped their bombs on the airfield and headed out to sea over Pagham harbour.
Fiske's Hurricane P3358 was hit, presumably by return fire from a Stuka's gunner, but though the engine had stopped Fiske was able to glide over the airfield boundary and make a wheels-up landing. The aircraft immediately burst into flames. Two ground crew, Corporal G W Jones and AC2 C G Faulkner, drove an ambulance over to the aircraft, unstrapped Fiske and lifted him out. They had to extinguish a fire in his lower clothing before placing him on a stretcher and driving to the medical building. Minutes earlier this building had received a direct hit and had been extensively damaged.
Interviewed in 2003, the Medical Officer, the late Flying Officer Courtney Willey explained that he was inside and had been crushed by the chimney breast falling on him. Injured, but saved from a fatal blow by his tin helmet, he emerged from the ruins to be confronted by Jones and Faulkner bringing the stretcher bearing Fiske to him. With both eardrums punctured by the blast, Willey had to convey to them by sign language to take Fiske to nearby Chichester Hospital. He first administered a dose of morphine but said that he was very pessimistic about Fiske's chances of survival due to the severe burns to his lower body. Fiske died the next day at the hospital. He was 29 years old. Billy Fiske's Hurricane, which he had struggled to save, rather than bailing out, was repaired and was operational again within a few days.
Fiske's funeral took place on 20 August 1940 at the nearby Boxgrove Priory Church, just across the (now) A27 from Tangmere. Fiske's colleagues being in action, as they were most days, the coffin was borne into the churchyard by six members of the ground staff at Tangmere. It was a major event which attracted widespread publicity and newsreel coverage, including the personal attention of the new British prime minister, Winston Churchill.
In a later ceremony a memorial was unveiled to Fiske at St Paul's Cathedral in London on 4 July 1941. This was a singular honour in which Churchill's hand can again be seen. At the presentation, Sir Archibald Sinclair, Secretary of State for Air, said:
"Here was a young man for whom life held much. Under no compulsion he came to fight for Britain. He came and he fought, and he died."
The plaque reads, "An American citizen who died that England might live."
Fiske's flight commander, Flight Lieutenant Sir Archibald Hope, wrote:
"Unquestionably Billy Fiske was the best pilot I've ever known. It was unbelievable how good he was. He picked up so fast it wasn't true. He'd flown a bit before, but he was a natural as a fighter pilot. He was so terribly nice and extraordinarily modest and fitted into the Squadron very well."
On 25 June 1940, three Americans arrived in Plymouth on the South-West coast of the UK. The same town that the Mayflower set sail from 320 years before. Vernon Keough, Andrew Mamedorf and Eugene Tobin made an epic journey from the USA to take up the fight for freedom. All three joined the RAF in July 1940. They were amongst nine known Americans to have fought in the Battle of Britain and were to become immortalised as part of 'The Few'.
Another American was US Olympic Gold Medal winner, Billy Fiske, ho sadly died of his wounds on 17 August 1940. He was buried in the UK and is remembered at St Pauls Cathedral. During the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, we remember the Few and all those who served from the UK, Commonwealth and our allies. Our finest hour. The United States Air Force and Royal Air Force continue to work closely together, often in skies that the Few would recognise. As NATO allies, defending democracy and freedom are the same values that the Few fought to preserve. Standing together in peace and war.
Dedicated to the memory of Lt Kenneth Allen, USAF.
