Ronald Cuthbert Hay
Ronald Cuthbert Hay | |
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Second World War
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Awards | Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Service Cross & Bar |
Ronald Cuthbert Hay,
In 1944 Hay became
Early life
Ronald Cuthbert Hay was born on 4 October 1916, in Perth, Scotland, one of five children (three girls and two boys) of Captain Cuthbert Joseph Hay and Letitia Griffith Fausset.[3] He was educated at Ampleforth College in Yorkshire.[4]
Second World War
Too old for a cadetship in the
We ran into a Heinkel He 111 bomber, Lieutenant Bill Church attacked from astern and the bomber dived to sea level. They exchanged fire, and when Bill pulled upwards to break off the attack, his aircraft was struck in the belly and crashed into the sea without any survivors. I had learned my first lesson in air fighting with a vengeance-never break away upwards. I therefore sat on the tail of the bomber and fired short bursts until it crashed into the sea.[5]
On 31 May 801 Squadron joined 806 Naval Air Squadron at Detling to cover the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from the beaches at Dunkirk. They mainly used the Skua in its dive bomber role, which was no match for the German Messerschmitt Bf 109s.[6] After one mission Hay's plane was only one of four that returned to base, the rest having been shot down. The squadron remained in Kent until 27 June. Hay was next transferred to the Fairey Fulmar equipped 808 Naval Air Squadron based at Wick, West Sussex. The squadron was one of only two Fleet Air Arm fighter squadrons that fought in the Battle of Britain under RAF Fighter Command control.[7]
In October 1940, 808 Squadron and Hay rejoined the Ark Royal en route to the
Promoted to acting
Far East
In August 1944 Hay took over command of the 47th Naval Fighter Wing, which was composed of two squadrons of Vought F4U Corsairs aboard HMS Victorious.[nb 1] Their first operation was against the Nicobar Islands in October 1944.
He was promoted acting lieutenant colonel in December 1944. That month the four fleet carriers, Victorious, Illustrious, Indomitable and Indefatigable, were designated the 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron, under Admiral Philip Vian.
On 4 January 1945, Hay led
At the end of January, Hay's wing was again involved in operations to destroy the Sumatran oilfields. Hay claimed another victory on 29 January, when acting as the strike co-ordinator he shared in shooting down a
Later life
After the war, Hay continued flying but was injured in an accident while landing a
Hay retired from the Navy in 1966, and spent the next dozen years working in the Mediterranean chartering boats. He also spent time renovating an old mill at Amesbury, near Stonehenge. He appeared in several television documentaries about the Second World War.[citation needed]
Hay died in Wiltshire on 22 November 2001, aged 85, and was survived by his four children.[4][10]
Legacy
In May 2010 the Falkland Islands' Philatelic Bureau issued a set of stamps to commemorate the Battle of Britain. Lieutenant Hay's Fairey Fulmar was depicted to represent British aircraft that took part in the battle.[14]
References
- ^ Thomas (2007), p. 87.
- ^ a b 'Aces High' Shores & Williams, 1994, page 318
- ^ "Captain Cuthbert Joseph Hay". The Peerage. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Obituary, Cdr Ronnie Hay". The Daily Telegraph. London. 24 December 2001. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- ^ a b Thomas (2007), pp. 10–12
- ^ Thomas (2007), p. 17
- ^ "Squadrons of Fighter Command in the Battle of Britain". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- ^ Thomas (2007), p.30.
- ^ "No. 35357". The London Gazette. 21 November 1941. p. 6771.
- ^ a b c d "Royal Marine (RM) Officers 1939–1945". World War II Unit Histories and Officers. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
- ^ Tillman (2002), pp. 95–97
- ^ a b Tillman (2002), p. 98
- ^ Styling (1995), p. 73
- ^ "The Few". Falkland Islands Philatelic Bureau. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
Bibliography
- Cocker, Maurice (2008). Aircraft-Carrying Ships of the Royal Navy. Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-4633-2.
- Styling, Mark (1995). Corsair Aces of World War 2. Osprey Aircraft of the Aces, Volume 8. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-530-2.
- Tillamn, Barrett (2002). Corsair: The F4U in World War II and Korea. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-994-8.
- Thomas, Andrew (27 March 2007). Royal Navy Aces of World War 2. London: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-84603-178-6.