1. John Freeborn's father Harold was a branch manager with the Yorkshire Penny Bank, and he was something of a disciplinarian at home.
26 Facts About John Freeborn
1. 2.
John Freeborn had five siblings, two sisters and three brothers.
3.
John Freeborn described the irony of having the masters who, only a few years earlier, had berated and beaten him telling a new crop of pupils what a shining example he was.
4.
John Freeborn joined the RAF on a short service commission in January 1938.
5.
In July 1939 John Freeborn was one of the 74 Squadron pilots to fly Spitfires to France to celebrate Bastille Day with the French Air Force.
6.
On 6 September 1939, John Freeborn took part in an action later called the Battle of Barking Creek, in which two No 56 Squadron Hurricanes were intercepted and shot down by aircraft from No 74 Squadron, thereby becoming the first aircraft destroyed by a Spitfire.
7.
John Freeborn shot down the aircraft killing Pilot Officer Montague Hulton-Harrop.
8.
John Freeborn felt that his commanding officer, Sailor Malan, tried to evade responsibility for the incident.
9.
At the ensuing court martial, Malan testified for the prosecution against his own pilots, stating that John Freeborn had been irresponsible, impetuous, and had not taken proper heed of vital communications.
10.
On Malan's departure in March 1941, John Freeborn was not given command.
11.
John Freeborn fought throughout the Battle of Britain as part of 74 Squadron.
12.
On 11 August 1940, the squadron flew into battle four times in eight hours, destroying 23 enemy aircraft, three by John Freeborn and damaging 14 more.
13.
John Freeborn's accomplished flying made him an ace during the Battle of Britain, with seven confirmed kills and he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 13 August 1940 and promoted to command a flight on 28 August.
14.
John Freeborn's portrait was drawn by war artist Cuthbert Orde in August 1940 and on 3 September he was promoted to flying officer.
15.
John Freeborn received a Bar to his DFC in February 1941.
16.
John Freeborn has destroyed at least twelve enemy aircraft and damaged many more.
17.
John Freeborn trained pilots at bases in Alabama, then moved on to test piloting new aircraft, including the P-47 Thunderbolt, the P-51 Mustang, P-38 Lightning, B-17 Flying Fortress and A-20 Havoc.
18.
John Freeborn flew escort operations to bombers attacking German shipping and installations on the French and Dutch coasts.
19.
In June 1944 John Freeborn was promoted to become the RAF's youngest flying wing commander, commanding 286 Wing based at Grottaglie in southern Italy.
20.
John Freeborn was always an outspoken and forthright man, and never held back from expressing his opinion even when it was as iconoclastic as disliking Sailor Malan.
21.
John Freeborn remained in the reserves for another two years, receiving a substantive promotion to flight lieutenant on 1 November 1947.
22.
John Freeborn had flown 42 different aircraft during his years of service.
23.
John Freeborn took early retirement and moved to Spain in the early 1980s, but later returned to the UK.
24.
John Freeborn relented to talk at length to military historian Bob Cossey, which led to the biography of his military career, A Tiger's Tale, in 2002.
25.
John Freeborn died in Southport and Formby Hospital on 28 August 2010.
26.
John Freeborn married his second wife, Margaret Ena Thomas, in 1983.