30 Facts About Neville Duke

Neville Duke was credited with the destruction of 27 enemy aircraft.

Neville Duke was born in Tonbridge, Kent, and educated at the Convent of St Mary and The Judd School in Tonbridge.

Neville Duke started working as an auctioneer and estate agent before attempting to join the Fleet Air Arm on his 18th birthday.

Neville Duke was rejected but in June 1940 he joined the RAF as a cadet.

Neville Duke found flying the P-40 less agreeable than the Spitfire, and on a familiarisation flight crashed AM390.

On 30 November 1941, Neville Duke was shot down by the high scoring German ace Oberfeldwebel Otto Schulz from Jagdgeschwader 27.

Neville Duke managed to crash-land near Tobruk and was sent back to Cairo in a Blenheim for a rest.

However, his own tally of victories continued to mount and, after the squadron was re-equipped with the more capable Curtiss Kittyhawk, by February 1942, Neville Duke had at least eight victories, resulting in the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross in March.

Neville Duke completed his first tour of operations the next month and then spent six months instructing at the fighter school in the Canal Zone.

In November 1942, Duke rejoined 92 Squadron, which has been transferred to North Africa flying the tropicalised Spitfire Mark V He became a flight commander in February 1943 and received a Distinguished Service Order in March.

Neville Duke sheltered with Italian partisans until US troops arrived.

Neville Duke returned to the UK and took up a position as test pilot for Hawker in January 1945.

Neville Duke attended No 4 Course at the Empire Test Pilots' School at Cranfield in 1946 and then joined the RAF's High Speed Flight unit, commanded by Teddy Donaldson.

Neville Duke was awarded the Air Force Cross recognising his test flying from 1947 to 1948 at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down, where he flew research flights to explore aircraft performance at high Mach numbers and high altitudes.

Neville Duke resigned from the RAF in August 1948, joining the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, flying Spitfires and Meteors from Biggin Hill.

Neville Duke joined Hawker as an assistant chief test pilot in 1948, and became Hawker's chief test pilot in 1951, following the death of "Wimpy" Wade, his predecessor.

Neville Duke was particularly involved in the development of the highly successful Hawker Hunter, flying the Hawker P1067 in its trials in July 1951.

Neville Duke gave a display in the new fighter at the Farnborough Airshow on 6 September 1952, shortly after a prototype de Havilland DH 110, piloted by his friend John Derry, had broken up in flight, killing Derry and his observer Tony Richards, along with 28 spectators.

Neville Duke was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in January 1953 for his contribution to supersonic flight and ground breaking achievements at Hawker.

Neville Duke was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air for saving his aircraft after an engine failure in August 1955.

Neville Duke took up freelance aviation consultancy work until 1960, when he formed Neville Duke Aviation Limited.

Neville Duke was Sir George Dowty's personal pilot for most of the 1960s and 1970s.

Neville Duke became a test pilot for Edgley Aircraft and later Brooklands Aircraft on the Edgley Optica and Brooklands Firemaster 65.

Neville Duke was awarded the Royal Aero Club's gold medal and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1993.

Neville Duke became one of the vice presidents of the Eagle Club, formed by the Eagle magazine, in 1950, and many schoolboys from that era came to know of Neville Duke through this association.

Neville Duke was honorary president of Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, where his record-breaking Hunter is displayed.

Neville Duke denied press reports that he needed the money to pay for a hip operation for his wife Gwen.

Neville Duke landed safely at Popham Airfield, but collapsed as he left the aircraft.

Neville Duke was taken by ambulance to hospital in Basingstoke where he was diagnosed as suffering from an aneurysm.

Neville Duke was transferred to St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey, Surrey, and died later that same evening after an operation, at the age of 85.