William Mead Lindsley Fiske

Pilot Officer William Meade Lindsley ‘Billy’ Fiske was a wealthy young American and a celebrated sportsman — a double Olympic gold medallist who had driven the United States bobsled team to victory at the 1928 and 1932 Winter Games. When war came he made his way to Britain and joined the Royal Air Force, and in July 1940 was posted to No. 601 Squadron, the ‘Millionaires’ Squadron’, flying Hurricanes from Tangmere. On 16 August 1940 his aircraft was hit and set alight during an engagement with Junkers Ju 87 dive-bombers; badly burned, he nursed the crippled fighter back to the airfield rather than bail out, but died of his injuries the following day. He is buried at Boxgrove Priory in Sussex and is widely remembered as the first American citizen killed in action flying for the RAF.