Richard Carew Reynell (12 April 1912 – 7 September 1940) was a

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...

and fighter pilot in the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

. He was born into the prominent Reynell family of

winemakers A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to dete ...

from

Reynella Reynella is a metropolitan suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located 20 km south of the Central Business District of Adelaide in the north of the City of Onkaparinga. It is bordered to the east by Main South Road, to the south ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. His father, Carew Reynell, who was a leading winemaker died at Gallipoli in 1915 while commanding the 9th Light Horse. Reynell was educated at St Peter's College in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, and left Australia in 1929 to read Agriculture at

Balliol College Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

. In 1931 he joined 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) an ...

, serving in No. 43 Squadron and became an instructor at No. 8 Flying Training School, Montrose. Before the start Second World War he took a job as a test pilot with Hawker Aircraft. While in England, Reynell met Marjorie Watts-Allan. They married and had a son, John, who died in a helicopter accident in 1973. In August 1940, Reynell rejoined No. 43 Squadron to assess the

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 b ...

in combat conditions. In two weeks of combat he shot down one aircraft and scored several probables. On 7 September, Reynell was called back to Hawker to replace a pilot who had been killed. He elected to complete the day's flying operations. This was the day of the Luftwaffe's first large scale raids against

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

and his squadron of 12 aircraft attacked 100 German planes. Reynell's plane was shot down near Blackheath and broke apart. Reynell bailed out but his parachute did not open. Reynell survived bailing out with serious injuries but died at the scene. He is buried at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey.

References

1912 births 1940 deaths Australian test pilots Australian World War II pilots The Few Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II People educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide People from Adelaide Royal Air Force officers Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford {{Australia-bio-stub