Squadron Leader NEVILLE DUKE, DSO OBE DFC** AFC CzMC
Neville Duke began training as a fighter pilot in 1940 at the age of 18. Oblivious to the fact that keeping a diary was a contravention of the Official Secrets Act, Neville began right away, diarising his daily thoughts and experiences. In the entry for New Year’s Day 1941, he noted, “The past year has been the best and most successful of my life. I started flying last August and some of my friends are dead, but many of my brother-pupils will last this war out. Perhaps if I should one day fall, this diary will be of some slight interest to those who will in the future become pilots.”
In April 1941 he was posted to 92 Squadron at Biggin Hill where he was 'Sailor Malan's wingman. In November 1941 he was posted to 112 Squadron in the Middle East, where he survived being shot down twice by pilots of JG-27.
By February 1942 Neville Duke had 8 confirmed enemy aircraft shot down and three probables. Then followed a second tour with 92 Squadron, flying Spitfire Vs in the North African campaign, before going on to a third tour flying Spitfire VIIIs with 145 Squadron in Italy. He became the Allied top-scorer in the Mediterranean theatre.
Neville logged 28 combat victories, 485 sorties and more than 700 hours’ flying, all meticulously recorded in his diaries.
After the war, rather than accept a desk job Neville joined Hawker as a test pilot. In 1949, delivering a Hawker Fury to Pakistan, he set speed records for London to Rome and London to Karachi. He went on to become Chief Test Pilot in 1951. On September 7, 1953, flying his famous all red Hawker Hunter, he set a new air speed record of Speed record at 727.63 mph.
God's speed
