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 ...

Hugh Joseph "Huseph" Riddle

RAF 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 ...

(24 May 1912 – 16 April 2009) was a World War II

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 ...

fighter pilot during the

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 ...

Early life

Hugh Joseph Riddle, known as "Huseph", was born in

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 ...

on 24 May 1912 and was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

Air Force career

Riddle joined

No. 601 Squadron RAF Number 601 (County of London) Squadron is a squadron of the RAF Reserves, based in London. The squadron took part in the Battle of Britain, during which the first Americans to fly in World War II were members of the squadron. Reactivated in 2017 ...

, part of the

Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), formerly the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of His Majesty's Reserve Air Forces (Reserve Forces Act 1996, Part 1, Para 1,(2),(c)). It provides a primary rein ...

in early 1938 and was called to full-time service in October 1939. Riddle flew with 601 Sqn throughout the

, along with his younger brother "Jack".The squadron returned to Tangmere on 2 September and then moved to Exeter in 10 Group on 7 September 1940. F/O Jack Riddle scored one kill before and one kill after joining No 601 Squadron during the Battle of Britain, while Hugh Riddle scored a single kill on 11 July 1940 flying with No 601 Squadron. Both Hugh and Jack Riddle were promoted to Squadron Leader on the same date: 1 December 1941.

Family

In 1937 Riddle married Joan, known as "Tinker". Tinker was the daughter of

Claude Johnson Claude Goodman Johnson (24 October 1864 – 12 April 1926) was a British motor vehicle manufacturer who was instrumental in the creation of Rolls-Royce Limited. Johnson described himself as the hyphen in the Rolls-Royce name. When Royce fell ...

, first Managing Director of Rolls-Royce Ltd and first Secretary of the

RAC RAC or Rac may refer to: Organizations * Radio Amateurs of Canada * RATCH-Australia Corporation, electricity generator * Refugee Action Collective (Victoria), Melbourne, Australia * Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, US * Rent-A-Center, ...

. Riddle and Tinker had three children, all born after the war, Hugh ("Ras"), Victoria ("Wicky") and Arabel. When Riddle retired in 1974, the couple moved to France. Tinker died suddenly in 1994.

Later life

After the war, Riddle returned to portrait painting. He became a member of the

Royal Society of Portrait Painters The Royal Society of Portrait Painters is a charity based at Carlton House Terrace, SW1, London that promotes the practice and appreciation of portraiture. Its Annual Exhibition of portraiture is held at Mall Galleries, and it runs a commissio ...

and exhibited at the Society's Summer Exhibitions and at some Royal Academy exhibitions. Riddle painted the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

in 1965 for the

RAF Regiment The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regiment) is part of the Royal Air Force and functions as a specialist corps. Founded by royal warrant in 1942, the Corps carries out soldiering tasks relating to the delivery of air power. Examples of such ta ...

. In 1977 he was commissioned by the Royal Household to paint Prince Edward as a Silver Wedding present for the

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

. Huseph Riddle died on 16 April 2009, aged 97 in

Pierrevert Pierrevert (; oc, Peiravèrd) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also * Luberon *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department *Coteaux de Pierrevert AOC Coteaux de Pierrev ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riddle, Hugh Royal Air Force officers British World War II pilots The Few 1912 births 2009 deaths People educated at Harrow School Royal Society of Portrait Painters