| William "Cherry" Vale | |
|---|---|
| 3 June 1914–29 November 1981 | |
 |
|
| Nickname | "Cherry" |
| Place of birth | Chatham, Kent, England |
| Place of death | Nottinghamshire |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1931–1946 |
| Rank | Squadron Leader |
| Unit | No. 33 Squadron RAF No. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1777 - San Jose California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Nottinghamshire (abbreviated Notts) is an English county in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence No 33 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Puma HC1 from RAF Benson, Oxfordshire 80 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | AFC Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar |
Squadron Leader William "Cherry" Vale DFC and Bar and AFC (3 June 1914 –29 November 1981) was a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot who, during the Second World War, shot down 30 enemy aircraft and shared in the destruction of three others, 6 damaged and another two shared damaged. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom 's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom 's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1777 - San Jose California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including His 10 victories while flying the Gloster Gladiator made him the second highest scoring biplane pilot (second to Marmaduke Pattle) in the RAF. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Squadron Leader Marmaduke Thomas St John "Pat" Pattle DFC & bar ( 3 July 1914 &ndash 20 April 1941 [1]
Contents |
Entry into RAF
Born in Chatham, Kent, William Vale entered the RAF in 1931 as a Fitter and then as a Gunner. In 1935 he was posted to No. 33 Squadron RAF in Egypt, equipped with the Hawker Hart. The Hawker Hart was a British two-seater Biplane light-bomber of the Royal Air Force (RAF which had a prominent role during the RAF's inter-war period In 1936 he began training as a pilot at 4 FTS, Abu Sueir. He returned as a pilot to 33 squadron in late 1937. In March 1938 the unit converted to the Gloster Gladiator. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
World War Two
Combat Operations
Based in Egypt at the beginning of the war, Vale encountered mostly Italian aircraft over the Libyan border. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. In July he was commissioned and posted to No. 80 Squadron. Between 1 July 1940 and 28 February 1941 Vale claimed 10 Regia Aeronautica aircraft in the Gladiator. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Royal Air Force ( Regia Aeronautica) was the name of the Italian Air Force established as an independent service from 1923 until the He would see much action over Greece and the Balkans in late 1940 and early 1941, and flew to Crete in may 1941, in defence of the island. Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the He then flew operations over Syria against the Vichy French. Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944
Between 3 March 1941 and 12 June 1941 Vale claimed another 20 kills, all claimed in the Hawker Hurricane. Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Three of his kills were over Vichy French Air Force aircraft. The Vichy French Air Force (Armée de l'Air de Vichy was the aerial branch of the armed forces of Vichy France. With the chaotic retreats from Greece and Crete official RAF records were destroyed including combat reports, making many pilot's kill totals impossible to verify. However Vale's claim total appears to be around 30 with 3 shared destroyed , 6 damaged and 1 shared damaged. [2]
During active operations Vale fought in the North African Campaign, Greek Campaign and the Battle of Crete. During World War II, the North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, took place in the North African desert from June 10, 1940 The Battle of Greece (also known as Operation Marita, Unternehmen Marita was a World War II battle that occurred on the Greek mainland and in southern Albania The Battle of Crete ( German Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta; Greek Μάχη της Κρήτης) was a battle during World War II [3]
Awared the DFC and bar, in July 1941 Vale was posted to RAF Haifa as Operations Officer, returning to the United Kingdom in April 1942 to become CFI at 59 OTU. Haifa (חֵיפָה; حَيْفَا) is the largest City in Northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country with
Vale was not to particpate in combat operations for the remainder of the war.
Post War
Vale retired from the RAF in 1946. He was killed in a road accident on 29 November 1981. Events 1777 - San Jose California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 [4]
References
- ^ Thomas 2002, p. 9.
- ^ Shores and Williams 1994, p. 603.
- ^ Squadron Leader William "Cherry" Vale
- ^ Squadron Leader William "Cherry" Vale
- Thomas, Andrew. Gloster Gladiator Aces. Osprey Publishing. London. 2002. ISBN 978-1-841762-89-0
- English / British & Other RAF Aces of WW2
- Squadron Leader William 'Cherry' Vale AFC DFC and Bar
- Squadron Leader William 'Cherry' Vale AFC DFC and Bar
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