Geoffrey D. Stephenson
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Dalton Stephenson, was a Royal Air Force
Air Commodore
, and former commandant of the Royal Air Force
Central Fighter Establishment
, who was killed in an air crash on 8 November 1954 while on a tour of the United States.
s, Venom
s, Hunter
s and Swift
s, as well as USAF F-86
s. He was considered one of the most experienced and capable fighter pilots in the RAF. Commodore Stephenson was married and father of three children.
Prior to World War II, Stephenson had been a member of the Royal Air Force aerobatic team, and in the 1930s had been the first person to fly a glider across the English Channel
. As squadron leader of 19 Squadron based at RAF Duxford, he was shot down on Sunday, 26 May 1940, in Spitfire I
, N3200, coded 'QV', while covering the evacuation of the Dunkirk beaches during Operation Dynamo
, landing his fighter on the sands at the shoreline, and made a prisoner of war. Multiple escape attempts led to his transfer to Oflag IV-C
at Colditz Castle
where he would participate in the creation of the never-flown Colditz Cock
glider. Following the war, Stephenson served as the personal pilot for King George VI.
, Florida, home of the Air Proving Ground Center, on an exchange tour.
On 8 November 1954, Commodore Stephenson was flying a USAF F-100A-10-NA Super Sabre
, 53-1534, near Auxiliary Field 2 of Eglin Air Force Base
, Florida. He was flying at 13,000 feet as he joined formation with another F-100, flown by Capt. Lonnie R. Moore, jet ace
of the Korean campaign, when his fighter dropped into a steep spiral, impacting at ~1414 hrs. in a pine forest on the Eglin Reservation, one mile NE of the runway of Pierce Field, Auxiliary Fld. 2.
, and attended by Air Vice Marshall R. L. R. Atcherley
, chief of the Chief Joint British Services Mission to the United States, who arrived from Washington on the night of 9 November; Major General Patrick W Timberlake
, commander of the Air Proving Ground Command; Brig. Gen. Daniel S. Campbell, deputy commander of the APGC; six Royal Air Force officers who were touring the U.S. with the commodore; and key staff officers of the APGC. At 1200 hrs., the party of Air Commodore Stephenson, accompanied by 30 RAF and USAF officers, flew to Maxwell Air Force Base
, Montgomery, Alabama
, for interment at the Royal Air Force plot there. British armed forces traditionally bury their dead where they fall. There has been an RAF squad at Maxwell since World War II.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
, and former commandant of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Central Fighter Establishment
Central Fighter Establishment
The Central Fighter Establishment was a Royal Air Force formation that dealt with the development Fighter aircraft tactics. It also tested new fighter aircraft and equipment. It also dealt with the training of squadron and flight commanders. It was formed on 1 October 1944 as part of No. 12 Group...
, who was killed in an air crash on 8 November 1954 while on a tour of the United States.
Background
The 44-year-old pilot had flown several thousand hours in fighter aircraft, both conventional and jet, during his 20-year RAF career. He had piloted virtually every type of British jet fighter including MeteorGloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...
s, Venom
De Havilland Venom
The de Havilland DH 112 Venom was a British postwar single-engined jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Vampire. It served with the Royal Air Force as a single-seat fighter-bomber and two-seat night fighter....
s, Hunter
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
s and Swift
Supermarine Swift
The Supermarine Swift was a British single-seat jet fighter of the Royal Air Force , built by Supermarine during the 1950s. After a protracted development period, the Swift entered service as an interceptor, but, due to a spate of accidents, its service life was short...
s, as well as USAF F-86
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
s. He was considered one of the most experienced and capable fighter pilots in the RAF. Commodore Stephenson was married and father of three children.
Prior to World War II, Stephenson had been a member of the Royal Air Force aerobatic team, and in the 1930s had been the first person to fly a glider across the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. As squadron leader of 19 Squadron based at RAF Duxford, he was shot down on Sunday, 26 May 1940, in Spitfire I
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
, N3200, coded 'QV', while covering the evacuation of the Dunkirk beaches during Operation Dynamo
Operation Dynamo
The Dunkirk evacuation, commonly known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, code-named Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and the early hours of 3 June 1940, because the British, French and Belgian troops were...
, landing his fighter on the sands at the shoreline, and made a prisoner of war. Multiple escape attempts led to his transfer to Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C, often referred to as Colditz Castle because of its location, was one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II; Oflag is a shortening of Offizierslager, meaning "officers camp"...
at Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle is a Renaissance castle in the town of Colditz near Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz in the state of Saxony in Germany. Used as a workhouse for the indigent and a mental institution for over 100 years, it gained international fame as a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II for...
where he would participate in the creation of the never-flown Colditz Cock
Colditz Cock
|-See also:-External links:*****...
glider. Following the war, Stephenson served as the personal pilot for King George VI.
The crash
Air Commodore Stephenson headed a six-man team from the central fighter establishment, RAF, whose headquarters are at West Raynham-Near-Fakenham. They were at Eglin Air Force BaseEglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County....
, Florida, home of the Air Proving Ground Center, on an exchange tour.
On 8 November 1954, Commodore Stephenson was flying a USAF F-100A-10-NA Super Sabre
F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
, 53-1534, near Auxiliary Field 2 of Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County....
, Florida. He was flying at 13,000 feet as he joined formation with another F-100, flown by Capt. Lonnie R. Moore, jet ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
of the Korean campaign, when his fighter dropped into a steep spiral, impacting at ~1414 hrs. in a pine forest on the Eglin Reservation, one mile NE of the runway of Pierce Field, Auxiliary Fld. 2.
Funeral
Memorial services were held at 0900 hrs. at the Eglin Base chapel on 10 November 1954, conducted by the Rev. Johnson H. Pace of St. Simons on the Sound church, Fort Walton Beach, FloridaFort Walton Beach, Florida
Fort Walton Beach is a city in southern Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. As of 2005, the population estimate for Fort Walton Beach was 19,992, and as of 2010, the population estimate for Fort Walton Beach is 19,507 recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau...
, and attended by Air Vice Marshall R. L. R. Atcherley
Richard Atcherley
Air Marshal Sir Richard Llewellyn Roger Atcherley KBE, CB, AFC & Bar was a senior commander in the RAF who also served as chief of Air Staff for the Royal Pakistan Air Force.-Early life:...
, chief of the Chief Joint British Services Mission to the United States, who arrived from Washington on the night of 9 November; Major General Patrick W Timberlake
Patrick W Timberlake
Patrick W Timberlake was a General in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, serving in both the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters of operation....
, commander of the Air Proving Ground Command; Brig. Gen. Daniel S. Campbell, deputy commander of the APGC; six Royal Air Force officers who were touring the U.S. with the commodore; and key staff officers of the APGC. At 1200 hrs., the party of Air Commodore Stephenson, accompanied by 30 RAF and USAF officers, flew to Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command . The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C...
, Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, for interment at the Royal Air Force plot there. British armed forces traditionally bury their dead where they fall. There has been an RAF squad at Maxwell since World War II.