Ginger Lacey, Fighter Pilot (Battle of Britain)

Who shot down more enemy aircraft in the Battle of Britain than any other fighter pilot? Sgt. Pilot J. H. Lacey. Who shot down the Heinkel 111 which had just bombed Buckingham Palace? Ginger Lacey again. Yet Ginger Lacey was almost unknown outside the RAF because at that time the papers seldom referred to him by name and because his natural modesty made him shun the limelight. He went on to serve as an instructor work on airborne weapons development and command a famous fighter squadron in the Far East. Unorthodox autocratic in his command but resentful of unreasonable interference from those above him Ginger Lacey was a slim pale boyish-looking man with a fantastic gift for leadership sharp eyes bravery and an innate sense of timing. He died in 1989.