Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

Colin Falkland Gray, (9 November 1914 – 1 August 1995) was a Royal Air Force (RAF) officer and the top New Zealand

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

of the Second World War. Born in Christchurch, Gray was accepted into the RAF in 1939 on a short service commission, after two previous attempts failed on medical grounds. He flew with No. 54 Squadron during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

. His twin brother, who had also joined the RAF and was a bomber pilot, was killed in a flying accident at this time. He flew extensively for the majority of the Battle of Britain and by September 1940, he had shot down 14 enemy aircraft and had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). He fulfilled a training role for the next few months before returning to offensive operations in early 1941. Gray commanded No. 616 Squadron on the Channel Front and was awarded a

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

to his DFC before being sent to the Mediterranean theatre of operations to lead No. 64 Squadron. By 1943 he was a wing commander and flew a number of operations in the North African and Italian Campaigns. By the end of the year he had destroyed at least a further 13 enemy aircraft and been awarded the Distinguished Service Order. A return to Europe followed and in September 1944, he commanded a wing supporting the airborne operations of the Battle of Arnhem. He finished the war with a confirmed 27 victories. After the war he held a number of staff and command positions in the RAF before his eventual retirement in 1961. He returned to New Zealand to work for Unilever. He died in 1995 at the age of 80.

Early life

Colin Falkland Gray and his twin brother Ken were born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 9 November 1914, the sons of an electrical engineer, Robert Leonard Gray, and his wife, Margaret . He attended several different schools, including two years at Christ's College in Christchurch, a year at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

in Wellington, before finishing his formal education at

Napier Boys' High School Napier Boys' High School is a secondary boys' school in, Napier, New Zealand. It currently has a school roll of approximately pupils. The school provides education from Year 9 to Year 13. Notable alumni Business * Rod Drury – chief execu ...

Napier Napier may refer to: People * Napier (surname), including a list of people with that name * Napier baronets, five baronetcies and lists of the title holders Given name * Napier Shaw (1854–1945), British meteorologist * Napier Waller (1893–19 ...

. He then gained employment as a clerk in 1933, working at a livestock company in Napier. In April 1937, Gray and his brother applied for a short service commission in the Royal Air Force (RAF). While Ken was accepted, Colin was rejected for health reasons; he was suffering influenza at the time of his medical examination. Gray then applied to join the Civilian Reserve of Pilots but was again rejected on medical grounds. Disregarding advice that he would unlikely to ever be deemed fit enough to serve in the RAF on account of osteomyelitis of a leg bone and being prone to conjunctivitis, Gray took up sheep mustering to improve his fitness. In September 1938 he successfully passed a medical and was subsequently accepted for a short service commission in the RAF. He had the opportunity to train with the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

(RNZAF) but opted to go to the United Kingdom. His flight training commenced in early 1939 at No. 1 Elementary Flying Training School at Hatfield in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. He was posted to No. 11 Flying Training School in April, gained his wings in July, and graduated from advanced training in October as a probationary

pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...

in October 1939.

Second World War

With the Second World War underway, Gray was posted to No. 54 Squadron, at the time equipped with

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

s and based at

Hornchurch Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed ...

, in November 1939. Another pilot at the squadron was fellow New Zealander

Alan Deere Air Commodore Alan Christopher Deere, (12 December 1917 – 21 September 1995) was a New Zealand fighter ace with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was also known for several near-death experiences over the course ...

, who would go on to have a notable career with the RAF during the war. During the early months of the war, the squadron alternated between Hornchurch and

Rochford Rochford is a town in Essex, England, north of Southend-on-Sea, from London and from Chelmsford, the county town. At the 2011 census, the Civil parishes in England, civil parish, which includes the town and London Southend Airport, had a popu ...

, undergoing training and carrying out patrols covering convoys in the North Sea. He was confirmed in his rank of pilot officer on 17 January 1940. Meanwhile, his brother Ken was a bomber pilot flying Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys. On 1 May 1940, he was flying south from his squadron's base in Scotland to visit Colin but was killed when his aircraft flew into a hill. The death of Ken greatly affected Colin's morale.

Battle of France

As the situation in France deteriorated after the

German invasion German invasion may refer to: Pre-1900s * German invasion of Hungary (1063) World War I * German invasion of Belgium (1914) * German invasion of Luxembourg (1914) World War II * Invasion of Poland * German invasion of Belgium (1940) ...

, No. 54 Squadron began patrolling over

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

and

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Luftwaffe on 24 May, when he engaged a pair of

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...

fighters. Firing at both, he claimed one as a probable and the other as a possible. Gray achieved his first confirmed enemy aircraft, a Bf 109, the next day while escorting a formation of Fairey Swordfish to dive-bomb Gravelines. His Spitfire received numerous cannon strikes in the engagement, and damage to the port

aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...

forced the aircraft into a dive that was controlled only with great difficulty. His aircraft had also lost its airspeed indicator and control of guns, flaps or brakes. Despite this damage, Gray managed to land safely at Hornchurch. With the pilots of the squadron exhausted after extensive operations over Dunkirk, it was withdrawn to Catterick in Yorkshire for a short rest. It returned to Hornchurch on 4 June and spent most of the month flying reconnaissance patrols into France and Belgium, monitoring the activities of the Germans. From 25 June, No. 54 Squadron started operating from

and on 3 July, Gray engaged a

Dornier Do 215 The Dornier Do 215 was a light bomber, aerial reconnaissance aircraft and later a night fighter, produced by Dornier originally for export, but in the event most served in the ''Luftwaffe''. Like its predecessor, the Dornier Do 17, it inherited t ...

of 9./

KG 77 ''Kampfgeschwader 77'' (KG 77) was a Luftwaffe bomber wing during World War II. Its units participated on all of the major front (military), fronts in the European Theatre until its dissolution in 1944. It operated all three of the major German b ...

, claiming it as a probable.

Battle of Britain

The first phase of the Battle of Britain commenced on 10 July 1940, when Luftwaffe attacks on targets along the coast of England and on shipping were stepped up in the ''

Kanalkampf The (Channel Fight) was the German term for air operations by the against the British Royal Air Force (RAF) over the English Channel in July 1940. The air operations over the Channel began the Battle of Britain during the Second World War. By ...

'' (Channel war). These were designed to draw out and destroy RAF Fighter Command, necessary for the proposed

invasion of Britain The term Invasion of England may refer to the following planned or actual invasions of what is now modern England, successful or otherwise. Pre-English Settlement of parts of Britain * The 55 and 54 BC Caesar's invasions of Britain. * The 43 AD ...

. As part of No. 11 Group, tasked with the defence of southeast England, Gray's squadron was to be heavily involved in the Battle of Britain. On 13 July Gray shot down a Bf 109 near Calais having pursued it across the English Channel. A week and a half later, No. 54 Squadron intercepted a group of bombers escorted by 30 Bf 109s. Targeting the fighters, Gray shot down one Bf 109 and then a second. He observed the latter's pilot bailing out into the Channel and swimming for a dinghy. He radioed the man's position, but the pilot did not survive the water conditions. The next day, 25 July, he claimed a probable Bf 109 that was escorting a group of

Junkers Ju 87 The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from ''Sturzkampfflugzeug'', "dive bomber") was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Con ...

dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...

s attacking a convoy off

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

. On 26 July, No. 54 Squadron went back to Catterick for a rest, having flown more operations than any other in No. 11 Group; Gray had flown 68 sorties in July. Gray's squadron reentered the Battle of Britain on 8 August, operating again from Hornchurch. He soon added to his tally of victories, shooting down a pair of Bf 109s on 12 August, one near Dover and the other over Cap Gris-Nez, where it crashed onto a beach. He repeated the feat just a few days later when, on 16 August, he destroyed two Bf 109s of JG 54 during a dogfight over Dover. In the morning of 18 August, he shared in the destruction of a Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter and damaged a Dornier Do 17 bomber on a second sortie. On his third patrol of the day, he shot down another Bf 110 over Clacton, the enemy aircraft crashing onto the nearby beach. On 24 August, he shot down a further Bf 110 which he had encountered over Dover. Although he expended all his ammunition, the enemy aircraft was severely damaged with one crew member bailing out over the Channel and the aircraft itself, with Gray following at a distance, crashing into the sea off Cap Gris-Nez. He destroyed a Bf 109 on 25 August near Dover. His award of the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) was announced two days later, the published citation for his DFC reading: Two Bf 109s were damaged on 28 August, and in another sortie the same day, he damaged a Do 17. On the last day of the month, he downed another Bf 109, this time near Maidstone. Gray was in the area again the following day when he engaged three

Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a "wolf in sheep's clothing". Due to restrictions placed on Germany after th ...

bombers. With one of the He 111s having both its engines set ablaze by Gray's machine gun fire, he dove away out of ammunition but found his Spitfire had been damaged and his ailerons were inoperative. Despite this, he was able to land back at Hornchurch. Flying another Spitfire the same day, he had to make a forced landing when his engine was damaged following an encounter with Bf 109s over

Biggin Hill Biggin Hill is a settlement on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Kent, prior to 1965 it was also in the administrative county of Kent. I ...

. He flew five sorties on 2 September; he shot down a Bf 109 in the morning although his own aircraft received damage. He took to another Spitfire for his remaining sorties of the day, and destroyed a Bf 110 that was escorting bombers raiding Hornchurch. The following day, Gray shared in the destruction of a Bf 110 that was part of a raid on

North Weald North Weald Bassett or simply North Weald is a village and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. The village is within the North Weald Ridges and Valleys landscape area. A market is held every Saturday and Bank Holiday Mo ...

. Later in the day he shot down a Bf 109. This was his last engagement of the battle for at the end of the day, No. 54 Squadron flew north to rest and re-equip. Badly fatigued, he had flown over 60 sorties in August and encountered enemy aircraft on at least 16 occasions, and for the three days of September until his squadron's shift north, recorded 13 sorties. Alan Deere noted that at this time Gray was "noticeably more hollow-cheeked" in appearance. At this stage of the war, Gray had accounted for 14½ enemy aircraft destroyed and was one of only four pilots who had been with the squadron when it began operating from Hornchurch in May. Based back at Catterick, No. 54 Squadron was deemed to be unsuitable for a return to operations and was placed in reserve. It fulfilled a training role with Gray teaching new pilots in aerial warfare. He was promoted to flying officer on 23 October and two months later was posted to No. 43 Squadron, which was also in reserve and equipped with Hawker Hurricanes. Although he considered the Hurricane nice to fly, he did prefer the Spitfire. He continued to train pilots sent from Operational Training Units until mid-January 1941, when he returned to No. 54 Squadron as one of its flight commanders.

Channel Front

By late February, No. 54 Squadron was back at Hornchurch and was carrying out offensive operations against targets in France. In the middle of the year, Gray was posted to No. 1 Squadron, which operated Hurricanes. He was the commander of one of the squadron's flights. One of the first sorties after his arrival involved escorting Westland Lysanders that were carrying out air-sea rescues in the English Channel, during which they encountered a Heinkel He 59 seaplane escorted by Bf 109s. Gray and another pilot shot down the He 59 and three Bf 109s were destroyed by others in the squadron. In July, No. 1 Squadron began operating from

Tangmere Tangmere is a village, civil parish, and electoral ward in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. Located three miles (5 km) north east of Chichester, it is twinned with Hermanville-sur-Mer in Lower Normandy, France. The parish h ...

, where its duties involved the protection of Allied shipping but it was also engaged in training for night interceptions. Gray was promoted to

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

in August 1941. The same month, he flew at least one operation with No. 41 Squadron to Le Havre, shooting down a Bf 109 on 22 August. In September, he was awarded a

to his DFC. The published citation read: At the end of September, Gray was promoted to acting squadron leader and posted to No. 616 Squadron, operating from Westhampnett, to serve as its commander. Part of the

Tangmere Wing Tangmere is a village, civil parish, and electoral ward in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. Located three miles (5 km) north east of Chichester, it is twinned with Hermanville-sur-Mer in Lower Normandy, France. The parish ...

, the squadron operated Spitfire Vbs on daylight operations into occupied France. It soon shifted to north and switched to a patrol role, monitoring the east coast of England until early 1942, when it moved to Kings Cliffe. Shortly afterwards, Gray relinquished command to take up a staff posting at No. 9 Group, advising on fighter tactics. Returning to operations in September 1942, Gray spent a short period of time at No. 485 Squadron, largely made up of New Zealand flying personnel, before taking command of No. 64 Squadron, which operated the latest model of Spitfire, the Mk IX, over the English Channel and France. Its work included escorting the early bombing raids carried out by

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

es of the United States

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...

Mediterranean

At the end of 1942, Gray was posted to the Mediterranean theatre of operations. Reporting to No. 333 Group in January 1943 he was sent to

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

take command of No. 81 Squadron. Normally based in Algeria, the squadron's flying personnel were on the island to collect the first Spitfire Mk. IXs sent to the theatre. No. 81 Squadron flew across the Mediterranean back to Algeria towards the end of the month. Gray soon encountered the enemy; flying from Bone on 31 January 1, he led a group of Spitfires in an interception of a raid on Cap Negro. Three Bf 109s were shot down in this engagement. Although he made no official claim for this encounter, according to his memoir he did destroy one of three Bf 109s although gave the credit for it to his wingman. He claimed a Bf 109 as probably destroyed on 22 February and followed this up with another Bf 109 reported as damaged a few days later. With another pilot, he claimed a shared probable, a Bf 109, on 2 March. No. 81 Squadron moved to

Souk-el-Khemis Airfield Souk-el-Khemis Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Tunisia, located approximately 3 km southeast of Bou Salem, and 110 km west-southwest of Tunis. It was a temporary airfield built by the US Army Corps of Engin ...

in mid-March and a week later Gray shot down a

Macchi C.202 The Macchi C.202 ''Folgore'' (Italian "thunderbolt") was an Italian fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Macchi Aeronautica. It was operated mainly by the '' Regia Aeronautica'' (''RA''; Royal (Italian) Air Force) in and around the S ...

fighter. This was followed by a Bf 109 two days later. At the end of the month, he shot down another Bf 109, observing its pilot bail out after he scored hits at the wing root of the enemy aircraft. At the time, it was reported that his victim was the German flying ace

Friedrich-Karl "Tutti" Müller Friedrich-Karl "Tutti" Müller (25 December 1916 – 29 May 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and wing commander during World War II. As a fighter ace, he is credited with 140 aerial victories claimed in more than 600 combat mission ...

but in fact it was another pilot with the same surname. Early the following month, soon after the squadron had taken off for a patrol, the engine of Gray's Spitfire began running rough. He turned back to the airfield which, since his departure, had been raided by a group of eight

Focke Wulf Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' ("Shrike") is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, th ...

fighter-bomber A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, wh ...

s. Despite his engine issues, he pursued the Fw 190s but was unable to catch up. Giving up the chase, he returned to the airfield but then encountered and shot down a Bf 109. Squadron Leader Colin Gray in Tunisia, 1943

Squadron Leader Colin Gray in Tunisia, 1943

On 18 April, during a sweep over Tunis, Gray claimed a Bf 109 as a probable and had a share in the destruction of another Bf 109 two days later, a fellow pilot confirming the crash of the enemy aircraft. He destroyed a second Bf 109 over Tunis later the same day. Two more Bf 109s were destroyed later in the month. The campaign in North Africa ended the following month. For his leadership and actions during his period of service in North Africa, Gray was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). The citation, published on 1 June 1943 in the ''London Gazette'', read: Gray was promoted to acting wing commander on 1 June and took over the leadership of No. 322 Wing, which at the time was based at Takali, on the island of Malta. The wing conducted offensive patrols and escorted bombers over the Italian coast. There was only occasional opposition from by the Luftwaffe. Gray shot down a Bf 109 on 14 June and this was followed by a C.202 a few days afterwards. On 1 July the wing flew in support of the Allied invasion of Sicily. That day, several Bf 109s ambushed the wing but Gray was able to shoot down one of the attacking fighters. No. 322 Wing moved to

Lentini Lentini ( scn, Lintini, historically Liuntini; la, Leontīnī; grc, Λεοντῖνοι) is a town and in the Province of Syracuse, South East of Sicily (Southern Italy). History The city was founded by colonists from Naxos as Leontini in 72 ...

, on Sicily, towards the end of July. On 25 July 1943, he led 33 Spitfires of No. 322 Wing on a sweep to try and intercept Luftwaffe attempts to land supplies to the German ground forces near Milazzo. They encountered a large group of

Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. Development of the Ju 52 commenced during 1930, headed by German Aeros ...

transports. Catching the escorting Bf 109s unawares, the Spitfires dived on the Ju 52s. At least 20 of the transports, many loaded with petrol, were destroyed, with Gray accounting for two of them, his last successes of the war. Four Bf 109s had also been destroyed by the Spitfires.

Return to Europe

Gray's acting rank of squadron leader was made substantive on 1 September 1943 and shortly afterwards he relinquished command of No. 322 Wing and was sent to Cairo to take up special duties at the headquarters of the

RAF Middle East Command Middle East Command was a command of the Royal Air Force (RAF) that was active during the Second World War. It had been preceded by RAF Middle East, which was established in 1918 by the redesignation of HQ Royal Flying Corps Middle East that ha ...

. In October, he returned to England and took up a staff post with No. 9 Group headquarters before taking command of No. 2 Combat Training Wing, based at Balado Bridge in Scotland. He was presented with his DSO by

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

on 9 November. Alan Deere, Gray's compatriot from his days at No. 54 Squadron, was present at the investiture as he was also receiving the DSO. At the same time, an award of a second Bar to Gray's DFC was announced. Gray only found out about this award when he read about it in a newspaper a few days later. NZ Wing Commanders, 1944

At the end of 1943, Gray was moved to another training role, this time with No. 61 Operational Training Unit at

Rednal Rednal is a residential suburb on the south western edge of metropolitan Birmingham, West Midlands, England, southwest of Birmingham city centre and forming part of Longbridge parish and electoral ward. Rednal is home to approximately 2,000 res ...

. He remained here until June 1944, when he became commander of the Spitfire Wing at the Fighter Leader's School based at

Millfield Millfield is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) located in Street, Somerset, England. It was founded in 1935. Millfield is a registered charity and is the largest co-educational boarding schoo ...

. Within a few months, he was appointed commander of the Lympne Wing, which carried out offensive operations and escort missions to France and the occupied Netherlands. In September his wing supported the airborne operations during the Battle of Arnhem. The next month he returned to Buckingham Palace to be presented with the second DFC Bar that he had been awarded the previous November. In January 1945, Gray attended a senior commander's course at RAF Cranwell before taking command of the RAF station at Skeabrae in the

Orkney Islands Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

. According to Gray in his memoirs, the main role of the Spitfire squadron based there was to protect the Royal Navy base at

Scapa Flow Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern end in June 2009 Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and ...

. In April, his commission in the RAF was made permanent, with Gray holding the rank of squadron leader. Gray finished the war with 27 confirmed enemy aircraft destroyed, a half share in another destroyed, seven probably destroyed with half shares in four others, and 12 damaged. The top New Zealand

of the Second World War, he had recorded well over 600 hours of operational flying during the course of the conflict.

Post-war

Gray returned to New Zealand on secondment to the RNZAF from July 1945 to March 1946 although most of this period was spent on leave. His active duty in New Zealand primarily involved giving talks to units of the Air Training Corps. Back in England by March 1946 after the end of his secondment, Gray was promoted to acting wing commander, which was made substantive the following year, and posted to the Air Ministry to serve in the Directorate of Accidents Prevention and then, after attending a course at the

RAF Staff College The RAF Staff College may refer to: *RAF Staff College, Andover (active: 1922 to 1940 and 1948 to 1970) *RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park (active: 1941 to 1948) *RAF Staff College, Bracknell The RAF Staff College at Bracknell was a Royal Air ...

Bracknell Bracknell () is a large town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Built-up Area, Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the Bracknell Forest, Borough of Bracknell Forest. It l ...

, in the Directorate of Air Foreign Liaison. In January 1950, Gray was sent to Washington, D.C. as an air liaison officer to the Joint Services Mission United States. In this role, he supervised the exchange program between the RAF and United States Air Force. He returned to the United Kingdom in September 1952, and after a period of time in an administrative role at a Gloster Meteor conversion unit at

Stradishall Stradishall is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Suffolk (district), West Suffolk in the English county of Suffolk. The civil parish includes a number of hamlet (place), hamlets including Farley Green. The Royal Air ...

, he commanded

Church Fenton Church Fenton or Kirk Fenton is a village and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England. It is about east of Leeds, about south-east from Tadcaster and north from Sherburn in Elmet. Neighbouring villages include Barkston ...

in Yorkshire from March 1954 to April 1956, during which time he was promoted to

group captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

. He was then posted to the headquarters of the Far East Air Force in Singapore. During the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...

, he served as a staff officer with responsibility for aerial operations. He returned to the Air Ministry in early 1959 to take up a position under the

assistant chief of air staff The Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (ACAS) is a senior appointment in the Royal Air Force. The current ACAS is Air Vice-Marshal Simon Edwards. The post was originally established circa February 1938, but without being made a member of the Air ...

as deputy director at Fighter Operations. By now he was considering a return to New Zealand for family reasons and he subsequently retired from the RAF in March 1961.

Later life

Gray returned to New Zealand to work for Unilever in Petone as its personnel director until 1979, at which time he retired. He settled in

Waikanae Waikanae (, ) is a town on the Kapiti Coast, 60 kilometres north of the Wellington CBD. The name is a Māori word meaning "waters" (''wai'') "of the grey mullet". The town lies between Paraparaumu, eight kilometres to the southwest, and Ōtak ...

and in his later years, he wrote ''Spitfire Patrol'', an autobiography detailing his time in the RAF and which was published in 1990. The same year, he returned to the United Kingdom for the fifty year anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Britain and formed part of the escort for the Roll of Honour in Westminster Abbey. He died in Kenepuru Hospital,

Porirua Porirua, ( mi, Pari-ā-Rua) a city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Porirua' is a corruption of 'Pari-rua', meaning "the tide swee ...

, on 1 August 1995, survived by his wife, Betty, whom he had married in October 1945, and his four children and a stepdaughter. His remains were cremated and the ashes interred at Porirua Cemetery.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Colin Falkland 1914 births 1995 deaths British World War II flying aces New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order New Zealand World War II flying aces New Zealand World War II pilots Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force group captains Royal Air Force personnel of the Malayan Emergency Royal Air Force pilots of World War II People from Waikanae The Few Wing leaders Military personnel from Christchurch