Air Commodore Eric William "Ricky" Wright, (21 September 1919 – 5 November 2007) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force who flew Hurricanes with No. 605 Squadron in the Battle of Britain.

Early year

He was educated at Cambridge County School and the Technical College. He joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in June 1939 and was called up when he had completed his training as a pilot. Once he had completed his training as a pilot he was called up into the regular air force.

Royal Air Force

Wright joined No. 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron in July 1940, and saw action during the Battle of Britain. In early September he shared in the destruction of a Messerschmitt Bf 110 and a Dornier 17. On 15 September Wright shot down a Dornier 17 over Maidstone. By the end of the year he had accounted for six enemy aircraft, probably destroyed three more and damaged six. At the end of November he was awarded a

Distinguished Flying Medal The Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and other British Armed Forces, and formerly to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "exceptional va ...

. As a

sergeant pilot A sergeant pilot was a non-commissioned officer who had undergone flight training and was a qualified pilot in the air forces of several Commonwealth countries before, during and after World War II. It was also a term used in the United States Arm ...

he was granted a commission as a

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 ...

on probation on 18 December 1940. Wright was posted to the Far East in 1941, as a flight commander in No. 232 Squadron. After the Japanese attacks on Malaya the squadron reinforced the defences at Singapore at the end of January 1942. Within a week Wright's commanding officer had been killed and Wright was promoted to squadron leader. He claimed a Japanese bomber damaged off the coast of Singapore. The squadron soon evacuated to Sumatra and then to Java. In March Wright was ordered to take his remaining pilots to Tjilatjap, ready to board a boat for Australia. On arrival however, the last boat had been sunk, and when the island fell to the Japanese a few days later Wright and his pilots were made prisoners of war. After a period at Batavia repairing the airfield, Wright and his fellow prisoners were shipped to Japan and worked as farm labourers and in shipbuilding yards. After the war, he was granted a permanent commission as a

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 ...

(but continued to be allowed to use his final wartime rank) on 19 December 1945. Wright was a member of the RAF's official aerobatic team, No. 247 Squadron flying Vampires. In April 1948 he flew one of the six Vampire F.IIIs of No 54 Squadron making the first Atlantic crossing by jet aircraft.

Honours and awards

*26 November 1940 – 748522 Sergeant Eric William Wright, RAFVR of 605 Squadron is awarded the

: * 1 October 1946 – Acting Squadron Leader Eric William Wright, DFM (64870) RAFVR is awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross in recognition of gallant and distinguished services rendered during the period of operations against the Japanese in Malaya and the Netherlands East India terminating in March 1942. *1 January 1949 – Acting Squadron Leader E.W.Wright DFC DFM (64870) RAF is named as being commended with the

King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air The Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, formerly the King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, was a merit award for flying service awarded by the United Kingdom between 1942 and 1994. It was replaced by the Queen’ ...

. * 1 January 1964 – Group Captain Eric William Wright DFC DFM is appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Eric William 1919 births 2007 deaths Military personnel from Cambridgeshire British military personnel of the Suez Crisis British World War II prisoners of war Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English aviators People from Cherry Hinton Recipients of the Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Medal Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force pilots of World War II The Few World War II prisoners of war held by Japan