John Bisdee (RAF officer)
British flying ace of WWII / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Bisdee, OBE, DFC (20 November 1915 – 21 October 2000) was a British flying ace who served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was credited with having shot down at least ten aircraft.
John Bisdee | |
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Born | (1915-11-20)20 November 1915 Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, United Kingdom |
Died | 21 October 2000(2000-10-21) (aged 84) |
Buried | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | Royal Air Force |
Years of service | 1939–1945 |
Rank | Group Captain |
Commands held | No. 601 Squadron Military Governor of Lampedusa No. 323 Wing |
Battles/wars | Second World War |
Awards | Officer of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross Mention in Despatches (2) |
Other work | Business management |
Born in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, Bisdee was working for Unilever when he was called up for service in the RAF on the outbreak of the Second World War. Posted to No. 609 Squadron, he flew in the Battle of Britain and achieved a number of aerial victories during this time. He later was involved in the RAF's Circus offensive and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross just before being assigned to instructing duties. He appeared in the 1942 film The First of the Few before being sent to Malta as commander of No. 601 Squadron. After a period of service on the island, the squadron went to North Africa where it was involved in the campaign in the Western Desert. In 1943 he was appointed the Military Governor of Lampedusa. The majority of the remainder of his war service was spent in training and as commander of No. 323 Wing in Italy. Made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in June 1945, he was released from the RAF later that year as a group captain. In the postwar period he resumed working for Unilever and later became chairman of one of its subsidiaries. Retiring in 1976, he died in 21 October 2000, aged 84.