Paul Richey
Paul Richey | |
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Second World War
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Awards | Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (France) Officer in the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Croix de Guerre (Belgium) Croix de Guerre with bronze palm (France) Royal Humane Society Bronze Medal |
Relations | Michael Richey (brother) Michael Robinson (brother-in-law) |
Paul Richey,
Born in
In the postwar period, Richey worked in the petroleum industry and then as an aviation correspondent. He returned to military service in 1948, joining the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and soon commanding No. 601 Squadron. He retired from the military in 1958. A recipient of a bravery award the following year for rescuing a woman from drowning, he spent much of the remainder of his life in France. He died in 1989, aged 72. An incomplete manuscript of his wartime experiences following the Battle of France was found among his papers and, finished by Norman Franks, was published in 1993 as Fighter Pilot's Summer.
Early life
Paul Henry Mills Richey was born on 7 May 1916 in the United Kingdom, in the London suburb of
After Richey's flight training was completed, he was posted to No. 1 Squadron in 1938.[1] At the time of his posting, the squadron was based at Tangmere and operated the Hawker Hurricane fighter.[3]
Second World War
On the outbreak of the Second World War, No. 1 Squadron was deployed to France as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force. By October it was operating from Vassincourt and patrolling the French-German border, occasionally engaging the Luftwaffe, although Richey made no claims during this time.[1][3] He was promoted to flying officer on 4 January 1940.[4] On 29 March, Richey achieved his first aerial victory, destroying a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter near Saarburg.[1]
Battle of France
When the German invasion of France commenced on 10 May, No. 1 Squadron was heavily engaged and over the following weeks began to retreat, repeatedly shifting from airfield to airfield.[3] Richey shared in the destruction of a Dornier Do 17 medium bomber over Longwy on the opening day of the invasion and this was followed on 11 May with his shooting down of a pair of Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters near Brunehamel. He had earlier in the day claimed a Do 17 as destroyed but this was not verified. Shot down the same day, he was able to quickly rejoin his squadron. He destroyed two more Bf 110s on 15 May but again was subsequently shot down later in the day. Once more making his way back to his unit, he resumed flying duties.[1]
On 19 May Richey intercepted and destroyed three Heinkel He 111 medium bombers near Château-Thierry but was wounded by the defensive armament of one or more of the bombers that he had targeted. He survived the subsequent crash-landing of his Hurricane and was repatriated to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.[1]
Once Richey had recovered from his wounds, he was posted to the RAF station at
Circus offensive
No. 609 Squadron was involved in Fighter Command's Circus offensive, regularly flying sweeps as part of the Biggin Hill wing to France to draw out Luftwaffe fighters and to escort bombers.[6] Richey's first claim with his new squadron was on 27 June, when he was credited with damaging a Bf 109 to the south of Dunkirk. Three days later he shot down a Bf 109 over Nieppe Forest and with Pilot Officer Roger Malengreau, a Belgian flying with the squadron, shared in the probable destruction of another, near Saint-Omer. He was separated from the rest of the squadron in the engagement and flew back to the United Kingdom on his own, flying low level most of the way.[1][9]
Richey was credited with damaging a pair of Bf 109s on 4 July, again near Saint-Omer, and on 10 July, damaged another Bf 109 in the same area. On this occasion, the squadron was providing cover for a group of
This officer has displayed great skill and coolness throughout the numerous operational missions in which he has participated and has destroyed at least nine enemy aircraft and damaged a further seven. As a flight commander he has invariably displayed a high sense of responsibility for the safety of his fellow pilots.
— London Gazette, No. 35241, 8 August 1941[12]
Having previously been engaged in the Circus offensive, No. 74 Squadron was based at
Later war service
By the start of 1942 Richey had wrangled a return to operations with a posting to No. 56 Squadron, as a supernumerary pilot. His new unit was in the process of converting to the newly developed Hawker Typhoon interceptor and during his brief time at Fighter Command headquarters, Richey had been involved in the decision to have the squadron receive this new type of aircraft.[1] The squadron's Typhoons had a troubled introduction to RAF service with a number of serious crashes arising from structural failures but it became operational by May, commencing patrols to detect incoming Luftwaffe raids.[19] By this time Richey held the rank of temporary squadron leader, having been promoted on 1 March.[20]
In June, Richey took command of No. 609 Squadron, his former unit.
Richey was promoted to
Richey ended the war credited with having shot down eleven German aircraft, one of which was shared with another pilot, while a further aerial victory was unconfirmed. He was also credited with the probable destruction of two aircraft, one being shared, and damaging six German aircraft.[1]
Postwar period
Richey finished his service with the RAF in 1946 and took up employment with the
In July 1948, Richey joined the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) as a flight lieutenant.[24] He served with the RAuxAF's No. 601 Squadron, which was commanded by Sir Max Aitken, his employer at the Daily Express.[1] In May 1949 he was appointed an Officer in the Belgian Order of the Crown by the Prince Regent of Belgium, "...in recognition of valuable services rendered in connection with the war".[25] Later in the year, he was promoted to squadron leader and appointed to command of the squadron.[26] Richey was transferred to the reserve in January 1952, thereby ceasing his command of No. 601 Squadron.[27] He retired from the military with effect from 20 July 1958.[28]
Later life
While in Italy in April 1959 Richey performed a rescue of a woman who had been swept into the sea. For this, he was awarded the Royal Humane Society's bronze medal.[29] Fond of France, Richey spent much of his later years there, working on a book about French-English relations. He was appointed a Chevalier (Knight) of the Legion of Honour in 1980. He died on 23 February 1989, aged 72. After his death, an unfinished followup to his book Fighter Pilot was discovered amongst his papers. Covering the balance of his wartime career, this was subsequently worked upon by military aviation historian Norman Franks and published in 1993 as Fighter Pilot's Summer.[1] Richey's original book has been republished a number of times, as recently as 2015.[15]
Some of his papers are held by the Imperial War Museum while others are held by the Georgetown University Library.[30][31] Richey was the brother of Michael Richey, who served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and wrote extensively on navigation matters as well as making a number of solo trans-Atlantic sailing voyages.[32]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Shores & Williams 1994, pp. 517–518.
- ^ "No. 34403". The London Gazette. 1 June 1937. pp. 3515–3516.
- ^ a b c Rawlings 1976, pp. 11–13.
- ^ "No. 34769". The London Gazette. 9 January 1940. p. 164.
- ^ "No. 34986". The London Gazette. 5 November 1940. p. 6393.
- ^ a b c Rawlings 1976, pp. 492–493.
- ^ Shores & Williams 1994, p. 75.
- ^ "No. 35145". The London Gazette. 25 April 1941. p. 2369.
- ^ Franks 2016, p. 74.
- ^ Franks 2016, pp. 105–106.
- ^ Franks 2016, pp. 132–134.
- ^ "No. 35241". The London Gazette. 8 August 1941. p. 4570.
- ^ Rawlings 1976, pp. 186–188.
- ^ Peene, James (23 December 2021). "Paul Richey: Fighter Pilot". Key.Aero. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ a b "King of the Dogfights: A Gripping Personal Account of the Battle against the Luftwaffe". Daily Express. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ "No. 35356". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 November 1941. p. 6770.
- ^ "Croix de Guerre 1939–45 with Bronze Palm, Belgium". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ "Croix de Guerre 1939–45, with Bronze Palm". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ Rawlings 1976, p. 140.
- ^ "No. 35503". The London Gazette. 27 March 1942. p. 1390.
- ^ Franks 1979, pp. 116–117.
- ^ Franks 1979, pp. 144–146.
- ^ Franks 1979, p. 163.
- ^ "No. 38397". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 September 1948. p. 4862.
- ^ "No. 38603". The London Gazette. 6 May 1949. p. 2235.
- ^ "No. 38760". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 November 1949. p. 5417.
- ^ "No. 39510". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 April 1952. p. 1950.
- ^ "No. 41469". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 August 1958. p. 4999.
- ^ "Royal Humane Society's Bronze Medal". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ "Private Papers of Wing Commander P H M Richey DFC*". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ "Paul Richey Papers". Georgetown University Library. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ "Navigating the War: A Centenary Exhibition of the Richey Archives". Georgetown University Library. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
References
- Franks, Norman (1979). The Greatest Air Battle: Dieppe, 19th August 1942. London: William Kimber. ISBN 0-7183-0396-2.
- Franks, Norman (2016). Fighter Command's Air War 1941: RAF Circus Operations and Fighter Sweeps Against the Luftwaffe. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-47384-722-4.
- Rawlings, John (1976). Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: MacDonald & James. ISBN 0-354-01028-X.
- Shores, Christopher; Williams, Clive (1994). Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces in WWII. London: Grub Street. ISBN 1-8-9869-7000.
External links
- Media related to Paul Richey at Wikimedia Commons