Edward Gracie, (21 September 1911 – 15 February 1944) was a British

flying 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 ...

who served with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF) during the Second World War. He was credited with having shot down at least seven aircraft. Born to

Acton, London Acton () is a town and area in west London, England, within the London Borough of Ealing. It is west of Charing Cross. At the 2011 census, its four wards, East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 62,480, a ...

, Gracie joined the RAF in 1930 but was dismissed from the service three years later. Rejoining as an officer in the

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

, he was called up for service upon the outbreak of the Second World War. He briefly flew in 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 ...

in May 1940 and, flying with No. 56 Squadron, was heavily engaged in the subsequent

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

during which he achieved his first aerial victories, until he broke his neck at the end of August. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross later in the year, in 1941 he commanded No. 23 Squadron and then No. 601 Squadron. Gracie was sent to Malta in early in 1942, ferrying a

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 ...

fighter to the island. Here he commanded No. 126 Squadron during the intensive bombing campaign waged by the German and Italian air forces against Malta. After briefly leading the Takali

Fighter Wing In military aviation, a wing is a unit of command. In most military aviation services, a wing is a relatively large formation of planes. In Commonwealth countries a wing usually comprises three squadrons, with several wings forming a group (ar ...

he returned to the United Kingdom in July. He commanded No. 169 Squadron from October 1943 until his death over Hanover on 15 February 1944. He was posthumously

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

Early life

Edward John Gracie, the son of Donald Michael and Mary Elizabeth Gracie, was born in the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

suburb of

Acton Acton may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Acton Australia * Acton, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Acton, Tasmania, a suburb of Burnie * Acton Park, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, formerly known as Acton Canada ...

, in the United Kingdom, on 21 September 1911. He joined the

(RAF) in June 1930, on a short service commission. However, he left the RAF three years later due to being dismissed by way of a court martial. The offence that led to his departure from the RAF is not known. Gracie subsequently worked in sales and in 1935 married Patricia Mary Cawley at

Holborn Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. The area has its roots ...

. He secured a commission in the

Reserve of Air Force Officers Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

in March 1937 and on the outbreak of the Second World War, was called up for service in the RAF.

Second World War

Posted to No. 79 Squadron in early 1940, Gracie, who was nicknamed 'Jumbo', 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 ...

on 20 March. His squadron, equipped with

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

fighters Fighter(s) or The Fighter(s) may refer to: Combat and warfare * Combatant, an individual legally entitled to engage in hostilities during an international armed conflict * Fighter aircraft, a warplane designed to destroy or damage enemy warplan ...

, was based at Manston and was tasked with the aerial defence of London. In May, it was sent to France to assist the RAF fighter squadrons operating there during the German invasion of that country but was only engaged in the aerial fighting for ten days before returning to the United Kingdom.

Battle of Britain

In June, Gracie was posted to No. 56 Squadron to serve as one of its flight commanders. At this time, the squadron was regularly flying its Hurricanes from

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 ...

as escorts to

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

light bomber A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance. The earliest light bombers were intended to dro ...

s attacking targets in France. As the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

increased its operations against the southeast of England, the squadron switched to an interception role and became heavily engaged in the

. On 10 July Gracie shot down a

Messerschmitt Bf 110 The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engine (Des ...

heavy fighter A heavy fighter is a historic category of fighter aircraft produced in the 1930s and 1940s, designed to carry heavier weapons, and/or operate at longer ranges than light fighter aircraft. To achieve performance, most heavy fighters were twin-eng ...

off

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to t ...

, his first aerial victory. Five days later he probably destroyed a

Dornier Do 17 The Dornier Do 17 is a twin-engined light bomber produced by Dornier Flugzeugwerke for the German Luftwaffe during World War II. Designed in the early 1930s as a ''Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") intended to be fast enough to outrun opposing a ...

medium bomber A medium bomber is a military bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized Aerial bomb, bombloads over medium Range (aeronautics), range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombe ...

off

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...

. On 20 July Gracie and two other pilots combined to destroy a

Junkers Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II ''Luftwaffe'' twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called ''Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") that would be too fast ...

medium bomber to the southwest of Clacton. He shot down a

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 ...

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 ...

five days later. He damaged two

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 over

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 ...

on 13 August and then claimed another Bf 109 as probably destroyed in the vicinity of

Eastchurch Eastchurch is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Sheppey, in the English county of Kent, two miles east of Minster. The village website claims the area has "a history steeped in stories of piracy and smugglers". Aviation history Eastchu ...

three days later. This was followed on 18 August with the shooting down of a Bf 110 east of Bradwell. He combined with other pilots to destroy a Do 17 off

Cap Gris-Nez Cap Gris-Nez (literally "cape grey nose"; ) is a cape on the Côte d'Opale in the Pas-de-Calais ''département'' in northern France. The 'Cliffs of the Cape' is the closest point of France to England – from their English counterparts at Do ...

on 27 August, and the next day shot down another Do 17 to the east of

Southend Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...

. His final aerial victories during the Battle of Britain were on 30 August, when he destroyed one

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 ...

medium bomber and damaged a second, both to the north of the squadron's station at North Weald. His own Hurricane was damaged in this engagement and he crash-landed near

Halstead Halstead is a town and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex, England. Its population of 11,906 in 2011Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). The published citation read: Gracie returned to No. 56 Squadron a week after the announcement of the award of his DFC. By this time the squadron was operating in a quieter sector and in December, Gracie was promoted to

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...

in a temporary capacity.

Squadron command

In March 1942, after a period of leave, Gracie was appointed commander of No. 23 Squadron, at the time operating Blenheims in a

night fighter A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used i ...

role but due to reequip with the

Douglas A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American medium bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement f ...

night

intruder Intruder may refer to: Film and television * ''The Intruder'' (1914 film), directed by Wallace Reid * ''The Intruder'' (1933 film), an American film by Albert Ray * ''The Intruder'' (1939 film), ''La intrusa'', an Argentine film by Julio Sa ...

. On the night of 14 March, on an sortie to Merville in northern France, he claimed a Do 17 as probably destroyed. His tenure as commander was brief, for the following month he took command of No. 601 Squadron. His new unit was engaged in the

Circus offensive Circus was the codename given to operations by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War where bombers, with a mass escort of fighters, were sent over continental Europe to bring fighters into combat. These were usually formations o ...

, flying Hurricanes on sorties to German-occupied Europe. However, in August it was withdrawn to

Duxford Duxford is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, about south of Cambridge. It is part of the Hundred Parishes area. History The village formed on the banks of the River Cam, a little below its emergence from the hills of north Essex. One of the ...

to begin equipping with the

Bell P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by the ...

fighter. This American-supplied aircraft was unsuccessful and No. 601 Squadron was the only unit in the RAF to use the type; suffering a high accident rate, the aircraft was used on one operational sortie but otherwise saw no action. Gracie's period of command of the squadron ended in December 1941.

Siege of Malta

In early 1942, Gracie was posted to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. Sailing abroad the aircraft carrier HMS ''Eagle'', he flew a

fighter off its flight deck on 21 March, arriving safely at Takali airfield on Malta along with eight other pilots. The Spitfires were to form the basis of a newly reformed No. 126 Squadron, to be commanded by Gracie. However, the losses of the existing Spitfires on the island meant that some of the arrivals went to No. 249 Squadron. On 26 March, Gracie, leading a flight of five Spitfires, damaged a Ju 88 over the island but his own aircraft received return fire and was damaged. On 2 April, he claimed a Ju 88 as probably destroyed. Later in the month, he went to Gibraltar to embark on the aircraft carrier USS ''Wasp'' for

Operation Calendar Operation Calendar in 1942 was an Anglo-American operation in World War II to deliver Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft to Malta. The aircraft were desperately needed to bolster the island's defence against strong Axis air raids. Background ...

. This was an effort to ferry several more Spitfires, with Gracie guiding them, to Malta. On 20 April, he flew the first of 47 Spitfires off ''Wasp'', leading them safely to Malta. The next day, the Luftwaffe mounted a large raid on the island. Flying to intercept Ju 88s after they had released their bombs, he destroyed two, seeing them go into the sea to the north of Malta. Scrambled again later in the day to engage more Ju 88s, he damaged two of them and claimed another as probably destroyed. Two days later he claimed his final aerial victory, a share in a Ju 87 that was shot down over the dockyard at

Valetta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 was ...

. At the end of the month, Gracie was promoted to acting

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

and appointed leader of the Takali

fighter wing In military aviation, a wing is a unit of command. In most military aviation services, a wing is a relatively large formation of planes. In Commonwealth countries a wing usually comprises three squadrons, with several wings forming a group (ar ...

. One of Gracie's earliest tasks as wing leader was to prepare Takali Airfield to receive the latest group of reinforcement Spitfires, which landed on 9 May in Operation Bowery. To avoid the newly arrived Spitfires getting caught in Luftwaffe bombing raids after landing, they were to be refueled and rearmed as soon as possible. Within minutes of landing, they were up in the air again, one with Gracie at the controls. Aircraft remained at a premium, and Gracie threatened to have one pilot transferred after he crashed his Spitfire on landing. He ended his service on Malta and returned to the United Kingdom at the end of July. He was well regarded by those under his command; the noted Canadian

George Beurling George Frederick "Buzz" Beurling, (6 December 1921 – 20 May 1948) was the most successful Canadian fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War. Beurling was recognised as "Canada's most famous hero of the Second World War", as "The F ...

, who had been commissioned upon Gracie's insistence, regarded him as "Mr Malta".

Later war service

After a period of rest, Gracie commanded No. 32 Squadron, at the time training for an overseas posting, for a period in September 1942. This was followed with several months of instructing duties at No. 57 Operational Training Unit at

Hawarden Hawarden (; cy, Penarlâg) is a village, community (Wales), community and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in Flintshire, Wales. It is part of the Deeside conurbation on the Wales-England border and is home ...

. In October 1943 Gracie was posted to command of the newly formed No. 169 Squadron. Based at

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population ...

and equipped with the

de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...

heavy fighter, the squadron became part of

Bomber Command Bomber Command is an organisational military unit, generally subordinate to the air force of a country. The best known were in Britain and the United States. A Bomber Command is generally used for strategic bombing (although at times, e.g. during t ...

's No. 100 Group, his new unit was tasked with supporting bombing missions into German-occupied Europe. After a period of training, it became operational in January 1944, Gracie flying on its first sortie to Hamburg. Flying a sortie over

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

on 15 February 1944, Gracie's Mosquito was attacked by a German night fighter. While his navigator was able to bale out, Gracie was killed. Posthumously

on 8 June 1944, he is buried at the

Hanover War Cemetery The Hanover War Cemetery (locally known as the Limmer War Cemetery,) is a military cemetery owned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). The cemetery is immediately adjacent to the city of Hanover, and is more precisely located in the ...

Hannover -Englischer Friedhof - War Cemetery- 2015 by-RaBoe 014

At the time of his death, Gracie was credited with having shot down seven German aircraft, with an addition three shared with other pilots. He is also credited with having probably destroyed five aircraft and damaging six.

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gracie, Edward 1911 births 1944 deaths Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force wing commanders British World War II flying aces The Few Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force personnel of World War II People from Acton, London