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 ...

James Flint, (24 May 1913 – 16 December 2013) was a British businessman and decorated

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 ...

officer. During active service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he gained the unique distinction of receiving two gallantry awards for separate actions during the same operation.

Early life

Flint was born on 24 May 1913 in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, England. He was one of four children of William and Edith Flint. He was educated at Trent Bridge Central School. He left school at 14 and began work. However, the company soon went bust and he was offered a job by the company that undertook the

liquidation Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistrib ...

. He then trained as an accountant with the firm, R. A. Page.

Military service

In August 1938, he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and was accepted for pilot training. When

broke out in September 1939, he was called up for full-time service and continued his pilot training at RAF Tollerton and

RAF Brize Norton Royal Air Force Brize Norton or RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the village of Brize Norton, and the towns of Carterton and Witney. The station ...

. In January 1941, he completed pilot training and received his

wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

. He was posted to No. 49 Squadron RAF, based at

RAF Scampton Royal Air Force Scampton or RAF Scampton is a Royal Air Force station located adjacent to the A15 road near to the village of Scampton, Lincolnshire, and north-west of the city of Lincoln, England. RAF Scampton stands on the site of a First ...

, as a sergeant pilot in February 1941. His first mission was not as a pilot but as a navigator. He had volunteered to fill in for the original navigator who had fallen ill. As a pilot, he flew missions that were attacks against targets in Nazi Germany. Flint was awarded the

George Medal The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically by civilians, or in circ ...

(GM) and the

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 ...

(DFM) for actions that occurred on the same flight in an

Handley Page Hampden The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden is a British twin-engine medium bomber that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was part of the trio of large twin-engine bombers procured for the RAF, joining the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and Vickers ...

, on the night of 5/6 July 1941. He was awarded an immediate DFM for his 'cool courage and determination to strike at the enemy' during the flight. On 7 November 1941, he was awarded the George Medal. Flint's tour ended in September 1941 and he was rested from flight operations serving on the ground as an airfield controller. He was a flight sergeant when he was offered a commission for the second time. Having accepted, he was commissioned on 1 May 1942 into the General Duties branch of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 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 ...

(emergency). He spent the next two years at a bomber training unit as an instructor. He was promoted to flying officer (

war substantive Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...

) on 1 November 1942. He was promoted

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 12 November 1942. In 1944, he converted to the

Lancaster Bomber The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling ...

and was posted to No. 50 Squadron RAF as

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

. His squadron flew as air support during the

Normandy Landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

of June 1944. He 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 ...

(war substantive) on 11 June 1945. He commanded No. 50 Squadron RAF until the end of the war, having undertaken 20 sorties with them. On 23 March 1945, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). Flint was demobbed in 1945. On 24 May 1958, he was allowed to retain the rank of

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 ...

Later life

After being

demobilised Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and milita ...

in 1945, Flint took up employment with a sports outfitters and suppliers, Redmayne and Todd. He then became a representative and director of a hairdressing equipment company, which he worked for until his retirement in 1978. Flint died on 16 December 2013, aged 100.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flint, James 1913 births 2013 deaths English accountants Royal Air Force wing commanders Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the George Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Medal Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II English centenarians Men centenarians Royal Air Force pilots of World War II 20th-century English businesspeople Military personnel from Nottingham