16/08/2024
๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ e๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐! My first post is ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง '๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ' ๐
๐ข๐ฌ๐ค๐!
William โBillyโ Meade Lindsley Fiske III was born on 4th June 1911 in Chicago and into a wealthy banking family. He was an anglophile whose ancestors had gone to America from Suffolk in the seventeenth century.
His early schooling was in the US but he went to university at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, in 1928 to study Economics and History. He was also an excellent sportsman. His major accomplishment was winning at the age of just 16, a gold medal at the 1928 Winter Olympics at St Moritz, Switzerland (Image in sequence).
He would also lead the US bobsleigh team again in 1932 at Lake Placid, New York.
In 1936 the Games were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany but Fiske relinquished his team place as he wanted nothing to do with the N**i regime.
Golf and fast cars were other major interests and these were combined as he travelled to and from tournaments in his British Racing green 4.5-litre Bentley. (Image in sequence)
Working for the family firm Dillon, Reed and Co., he was sent by them to their London office in 1938. Here he combined work with taking flying lessons (there is evidence that he had undergone flying training while at home in the US too), qualifying in the same year.
He was awarded his Aero Certificate 16112 on 10th August 1938 (see his ID photo below).
On 8th September 1938 he further demonstrated his love of all things English when he married Rose Bingham, formerly the Countess of Warwick, at Maidenhead Register Office (above). However the firm recalled him to New York in early 1939.
Tension was already high following the German takeover of Austria and Czechoslovakia and on 3rd September England would declare war on Germany following that countryโs invasion of Poland. One of Billyโs English friends in New York anticipated being called up and arranged a passage to England on the Aquitania for 30th August. This friend, William Clyde (also known as Billy), was already a pilot and member of 601 (County of London) Auxiliary Squadron. He is pictured below (photo courtesy Jack Riddle).
Billy Fiske opted to join him and on arrival enlisted in the RAF. 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 โfighting for a foreign powerโ. At that time the RAF 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.
Despite being a pilot already, he had to follow the standard training programme for would-be fighter pilots.
On 12th April 1940 he was commissioned as Acting Pilot Officer and on 12th July, just two days into the Battle of Britain, was posted to his friend Billy Clydeโs unit, 601 Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force, at Tangmere, Sussex. It is fair to assume that this posting was the result of some more string-pulling by Fiske, who is pictured below.
Fiske should have felt immediately at home as 601 had a history of recruiting from the members of Whiteโs gentlemanโs club in St. James, London. Fiske was a member and would have already met many of his future squadron colleagues there. Several of the squadron's core members had private means and came from prestigious families, leading 601 to be called 'The Millionaires Squadron'.
Fiske had something of a pl***oy image and there was some doubt that he would be able to pull his weight. However within days his engaging character and above-average flying skills ensured that he was fully accepted. Unusually he had been posted to 601 without having flown a Hurricane and his first flight in one was on the 14th July. He had only accumulated eleven hours on this aircraft when he flew his first operational sortie on 20th July. Further patrols ensued and on 13th August he claimed a Ju88 shot down.
On 16th August 601 Squadron was scrambled to intercept a formation of Ju87 Stuka aircraft that were in fact heading for 601's base at Tangmere. Individual combats broke out as the Stukas dropped their bombs and headed out to sea over Pagham harbour.
Fiske's Hurricane was hit 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 groundcrew 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. Fiske received a dose of morphine to help with the severe burns to his lower body but died the next day at hospital. He was 29 years old.
Fiske's funeral took place on 20th August 1940 at 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. He was buried with full military honours.
On the 4th July (Independence Day) 1941 a tablet in his honour was unveiled in the crypt of St. Paul's Cathedral. The service was attended by the Secretary of State for Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair, who said
"Here was a young man for whom life held much. Under no kind of compulsion he came to fight for Britain. He came and he fought, and he died".
For more amazing stories like this or to book a tour, visit our website at: ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐ.๐ญ๐ก๐๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐จ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ.๐๐จ.๐ฎ๐ค
dover #1940
