colin falkland gray spitfire 1 r6709

Colin Falkland Gray, DSO, DFC & Two Bars (9 November 1914 – 1 August 1995) was a Royal Air Force officer and the top New Zealand fighter ace of the Second World War.

Born in Christchurch, Gray joined the RAF in 1939. He flew with No. 54 Squadron during the Battle of France. He flew extensively for the majority of the Battle of Britain and by September 1940, he had shot down 14 enemy aircraft. Gray commanded No. 616 Squadron on the Channel Front before being sent to the Mediterranean theatre of operations to lead No. 64 Squadron. By 1943 he flew a number of operations in the North African and Italian Campaigns. By the end of the year he had destroyed at least a further 13 enemy aircraft. A return to Europe followed and in September 1944, he commanded a wing supporting the airborne operations of the Battle of Arnhem. He finished the war with a confirmed 27 victories.