| Sgt. Basil H.Quelch flew in Blenheim's with No 235 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant and, after the war became a marketing director for a brewery. |
| Jeffrey
Kindersley Quillwas born in 1913. In 1931 he served with the R.A.F.
on a short service commission. He was appointed the test pilot for Supermarine
and in 1938 became the senior test pilot. He joined
No
65 Squadron on the 5th of August
1940 during the Battle of Britain to see how to improve the Spitfire
in combat conditions. He was a very active member of the Squadron and took
part in all the sorties he could. At around 13:30hrs on the 18th
of August he helped to shoot down a He
111 flown by R.Ahrens from I Gruppe of Kg 1. His orders to leave the
the Squadron arrived on the 24th of
August 1940 and go back to the Supermarine works. He later flew a captured
Bf
109 and commented in his book (Spitfire
a Test Pilots Story) that had he flown one sooner, he would not have had
so much respect for them. J.K.Qill went on to help develop the
Spitfire
in all the marks and some jets after the war.
Read his book, SPITFIRE A TEST PILOTS STORY it is superb. After the war he became sales manager of the British Aircraft Corporation. |