The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Battle of Britain ace Tom Neil, 97
One of the last surviving Battle of Britain aces, Tom ‘Ginger’ Neil, has died at the age of 97.
One of his sons described him as part of a “generation of heroes”.
Wing Commander Neil flew more than 140 missions and shot down 14 enemy planes during the Second World War, making him a near triple ace. The term ace is given to a pilot who has shot down five enemy aircraft.
He flew Hurricanes and Spitfires during his service between 1938 and 1964 and received multiple awards for bravery.
Wg Cdr Neil, who lived near Bungay in Suffolk, died peacefully, three days before his 98th birthday.
He outlived his wife Eileen, who died in 2014.
The pair met at Biggin Hill while she was working as a WAAF officer and they were married for more than 70 years.
They had three sons, who he leaves behind.
His middle son Patrick Neil, 69, said: “I like to bracket my father with his generation.
“I think that generation were heroes because of their instinctive notion of duty and their instinctive notion of others.
“They did things as it wasn’t just about you; it was there to be done and you did it.”
He added that his father’s generation “didn’t understand the term celebrity” and had “incredible humility”.
“I grew up without hearing stories about being in the war,” he said, explaining that his father did not share wartime stories until he was aged in his 60s. Mr Neil said this was prompted by the discovery of a trunk of letters, sent from Wg Cdr Neil to his mother during the war. Wg Cdr Neil then wrote three autobiographies.
He was once asked, while giving a school talk, what counselling he was offered after the war, Mr Neil said.
The schoolboy noted in his question that there was a high rate of attrition for pilots and a less than 50% chance of survival.
“He (Wg Cdr Neil) spluttered and said ‘Counselling? You had enough trouble with the Germans’.
“He said, ‘At 19 I never thought we weren’t going to win or I was going to get hurt’.
“That epitomises the spirit of those days,” Mr Neil added.
Wg Cdr Neil served with 249 Squadron and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar and Air Force Cross for his service.