KITS 08/2021

EN473, S/Ldr Donald E. Kingaby, No. 122 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, United Kingdom, April 1943

Donald „Don“ Ernest Kingaby was one of the top British aces of WWII, as he scored 21 aerial victories plus six probable, two

shared and 11 damaged. He was born on January 7, 1920, as a son of a vicar and joined RAFVR (Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve) in April 1939. After being called in, he underwent training with No. 5 OTU and joined No. 266 Sqn as a sergeant. He moved

to No. 92 Sqn in September, where he gained himself nickname “The 190 Specialist“ for his success with fighting German fighters. He was awarded DFM on December 6, 1940 and was the only man to achieve two Bars to this medal. He was posted to No.

58 OTU in November 1941 and started his second tour with No. 111 Sqn in March 1942. After a short spell with No. 64 Sqn, he was

finally posted to No. 122 Sqn becoming commanding officer of the unit in November and Wing Leader of the Hornchurch Wing

in May 1943. After that Kingaby became staff member of the Fighter Command HQ but managed to fly several sorties during the

invasion to Normandy. He spent the rest of the war as an instructor at the AGS at Catfoss, post war he commanded No. 72 Sqn

from February 1949 until April 1952. „Don“ Kingaby retired in September 1958 after service at the Air Ministry and moved to USA,

where he passed away on December 31, 1990. His EN473 Spitfire was the aircraft used when he achieved his last solo victory

on March 8, 1943. The aircraft was decorated with squadron´s emblem, the white leopard on the yellow five-pointed star. Due to

some reason, there are 22 kill marks on his Spitfire, one more than officially recorded.

EN500, F/O Irving F. Kennedy, No. 249 Squadron, Qrendi, Malta, July 1943

Irving Farmer Kennedy, an ace with 10 aerial victories complemented with five shared and one probable, was born in Cumberland, Ontario on February 4, 1922. He joined RCAF in October 1940 and on completion of training he was posted to the UK as

a sergeant in August 1941. After training with No. 55 OTU he became member of No. 263 Sqn flying with Whirlwinds. On June

14 he was posted to No. 421 Sqn but left for Malta on October 22, 1942. He joined No. 249 Squadron there on December 15, 1942.

His first victim was Ju 52/3m shot down on February 7, 1943. He continued with shooting down Ju 88s and Ju 52/3ms. His first

victory over enemy fighter came on June 10, 1943, when he shot down Bf 109G and shared one Mc.202. He was posted to the No.

111 Sqn on July 30, 1943, based in Sicily. “Hap” Kennedy´s first operating tour ended in January 1944, second started on June 15,

1944, when he was posted to No. 401 Sqn. He became commanding officer there on July 3 and achieving his last two victories,

as he was shot down by Flak near Dreux on July 28. He bailed out, escaped, and reached Allied lines on August 24 but he did not

return to combat. Instead, he went back to Canada, where he joined No. 124 Sqn RCAF. He was discharged in February 1945 to

resume his education. He graduated in medicine and practiced for 37 years. He remembered his experiences in the autobiography “Black Crosses off my Wingtip”. “Hap” Kennedy passed away on January 6, 2011. His Spitfire EN500 was one of those finished

in Dark Mediterranean Blue and Medium Sea Grey colors which better suited the fighting over the sea.

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INFO Eduard - August 2021