Neville Duke
Encyclopedia
Squadron Leader
Neville Frederick Duke DSO
, OBE
, DFC & Two Bars
, AFC
, FRAeS,Czech War Cross (11 January 1922 – 7 April 2007) was a British Second World War
fighter pilot
. He was the top Allied flying ace
in the Mediterranean Theatre, having shot down at least 27 enemy aircraft, and was acknowledged as one of the world's foremost test pilot
s after the war. In 1953, he became holder of the world air speed record
when he flew a Hawker Hunter F Mk3
at 727.63 mph over Littlehampton
in the UK. He became a well-known celebrity in the Coronation year of Queen Elizabeth II, alongside footballer Stanley Matthews
, actor Dirk Bogarde
and mountaineer Edmund Hillary
.
, Kent
, and educated at the Convent of St Mary and The Judd School
in Tonbridge. One of the four houses at Judd is now named after him, following the reinstating of a house system to the school in 2008. He started working as an auctioneer and estate agent before attempting to join the Fleet Air Arm
on his 18th birthday. He was rejected and joined the RAF instead as a cadet in June 1940.
in February 1941, before being posted to 92 Squadron
at Biggin Hill
in April, flying Supermarine Spitfire
Mk Vs. Operating over occupied Europe, Duke's obvious talents as a fighter pilot meant he often flew as wingman to Biggin Hill's Wing Leader, Wing Commander Adolph "Sailor" Malan
. By August 1941, Duke had claimed two Messerschmitt Bf 109
s shot down. When the unit was withdrawn for a rest in October 1941, Duke was posted to North Africa to fly with 112 Squadron
on the Curtiss Tomahawk
.
Duke was shot down on 30 November 1941, by the high scoring German ace Oberstabsfeldwebel Otto Schulz
of Jagdgeschwader 27
. On 5 December, he was again shot down by a pilot from JG 27. However, his own tally of victories continued to mount and, after the squadron was re-equipped with the more capable Kittyhawk
, by February 1942 Duke had at least eight victories, resulting in the award of the DFC in March. These victories included a CR.42 and a Bf 109 on the 20 and 21 December.
He completed his first tour of operations the next month and then spent six months instructing at the fighter school in the Canal Zone
.
In November 1942, he rejoined 92 Squadron, which has been transferred to North Africa flying the tropicalised Spitfire Mark V
. He became a flight commander in February 1943 and received a DSO
in March. By the end of his second tour in June, Duke had amassed a further 14 victories to his total and was awarded a Bar to his DFC.
Promoted to Squadron Leader
, he was posted to No. 73 Operational Training Unit at Abu Sueir as chief flying instructor before returning to operations in March 1944 for his third tour, as CO
of 145 Squadron
in Italy, flying Spitfire Mk VIII
s. He claimed five more aircraft shot down in May, gaining a second Bar to his DFC. On 7 June, Duke was shot down by flak and bailed out into Lake Bracciano
, almost drowning when unable to release his parachute harness. He sheltered with Italian partisans until U.S. troops arrived.
Downing two Fw 190
s of Schlachtgeschwader 4 in May, Duke scored his final kills on 7 September 1944, becoming the Mediterranean Theatre's top Allied fighter ace at the age of 22. In 486 sorties and some 712 operational hours, he claimed 27 outright victories and two shared, one probable, six damaged and two shared destroyed on the ground.
in January 1945. He attended No 4 Course at the Empire Test Pilots' School
at Cranfield
in 1946 and then joined the RAF's High Speed Flight unit
, commanded by Teddy Donaldson
. It was Donaldson who set a new official World Air Speed record on 7 September 1946, later being the first official man to break the 1,000 km/h barrier. After demonstrating a Gloster Meteor
at an air display in Prague, he was presented with the Czech Military Cross for his wartime service.
Duke married Gwendoline Fellows in 1947. He was awarded the Air Force Cross
recognising his test flying from 1947-1948 at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment
at Boscombe Down, where he flew research flights to explore aircraft performance at high Mach number
s and high altitudes. Duke resigned from the RAF in August 1948, joining the Royal Auxiliary Air Force
, flying Spitfires and Meteors from Biggin Hill. He was CO of 615 Squadron
in 1950 and 1951, whose honorary Air Commodore
was Winston Churchill
.
Duke joined Hawker as an assistant chief test pilot in 1948, and became Hawker's Chief Test Pilot in 1951, following the death of "Wimpy" Wade, his predecessor. He was particularly involved in the development of the highly successful Hawker Hunter
, flying the Hawker P1067
in its trials in July 1951. He gave a display in the new fighter at the Farnborough Airshow on 6 September 1952, shortly after a prototype de Havilland DH 110
, piloted by his friend John Derry
, had broken up in flight, killing Derry and his observer Tony Richards, along with 28 spectators. "My dear Duke", the Prime Minister wrote to him the next day, "it was characteristic of you to go up yesterday after the shocking accident. Accept my salute. Yours, in grief, Winston Churchill."
Duke was awarded an OBE in January 1953 for his contribution to supersonic flight and groundbreaking achievements at Hawker. On 7 September 1953, Duke set a new world air speed record of 727.63 mi/h, flying Hunter WB188. (With this world record Neville Duke exceeded the unofficial world record set by Heini Dittmar with the Me 163 BV18) He was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air for saving his aircraft after an engine failure in August 1955. Two days later, he fractured his spine following a forced landing in a Hunter at Thorney Island
. Another heavy landing in May 1956 caused further spinal injuries; he was forced to resign in October 1956 after being immobilised for several months.
's personal pilot for most of the 1960s and 1970s. He sold the company in 1982. He Also became a test pilot for Edgley Aircraft and later Brooklands Aircraft on the Edgley Optica
and Brooklands Firemaster 65.
Duke wrote several books based on his experiences. His autobiography, Test Pilot, was published in 1953 and reprinted in 1992. His other books include The Sound Barrier (1953), The Crowded Sky (1959) and The War Diaries of Neville Duke (1995). He was awarded the Royal Aero Club
's Gold Medal, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society
in 1993. In 2002, he received the Air League
's Jeffrey Quill Medal and the Award of Honour from the Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators for "his unique and incomparable record".
Duke became one of the vice presidents of the Eagle Club, formed by the Eagle
magazine, in 1950, and many schoolboys from that era came to know of Duke through this association. It is speculated that "Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future
" may have been inspired by Duke's achievements.
Duke was honorary president of Tangmere
Military Aviation Museum, where his record-breaking Hunter is displayed.
After three burglaries, Duke sold his war medals in 2006 when the costs of insuring them became prohibitive. He denied press reports that he needed the money to pay for a hip operation for his wife Gwen. On 7 April 2007, the couple were flying their private aircraft when Duke became ill. He landed safely at Popham Airfield
, but collapsed as he left the aircraft. He was taken by ambulance to hospital in Basingstoke
where he was diagnosed as suffering from an aneurysm
. He was transferred to St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey, Surrey, and died later that same evening after an operation, at the age of 85.
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Neville Frederick Duke DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, DFC & Two Bars
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
, AFC
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
, FRAeS,Czech War Cross (11 January 1922 – 7 April 2007) was a British Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
fighter pilot
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
. He was the top Allied flying 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...
in the Mediterranean Theatre, having shot down at least 27 enemy aircraft, and was acknowledged as one of the world's foremost test pilot
Test pilot
A test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
s after the war. In 1953, he became holder of the world air speed record
Air speed record
An air speed record is the highest airspeed attained by an aircraft of a particular class. The rules for all official aviation records are defined by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale , which also ratifies any claims. Speed records are divided into multiple classes with sub-divisions...
when he flew a Hawker Hunter F Mk3
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...
at 727.63 mph over Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
in the UK. He became a well-known celebrity in the Coronation year of Queen Elizabeth II, alongside footballer Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
, actor Dirk Bogarde
Dirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...
and mountaineer Edmund Hillary
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE , was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953 at the age of 33, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest – see Timeline of climbing Mount Everest...
.
Early life
Duke was born in TonbridgeTonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and educated at the Convent of St Mary and The Judd School
The Judd School
The Judd School is a state secondary school in Tonbridge, Kent, southeast England. It was established in 1888 at Stafford House on East Street in Tonbridge, where it remained for eight years before moving to its present location on Brook Street, in the south of the town...
in Tonbridge. One of the four houses at Judd is now named after him, following the reinstating of a house system to the school in 2008. He started working as an auctioneer and estate agent before attempting to join the Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
on his 18th birthday. He was rejected and joined the RAF instead as a cadet in June 1940.
Initial combat
Duke underwent pilot training and was commissioned at 58 OTU, GrangemouthGrangemouth
Grangemouth is a town and former burgh in the council area of Falkirk, Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, east of Falkirk, west of Bo'ness and south-east of Stirling. Grangemouth had a resident population of 17,906 according to the 2001...
in February 1941, before being posted to 92 Squadron
No. 92 Squadron RAF
No. 92 Squadron, also known as No 92 Squadron, of the Royal Air Force was formed as part of the Royal Flying Corps at London Colney as a fighter squadron on 1 September 1917. It deployed to France in July 1918 and saw action for just four months, until the end of the war. During the conflict it...
at Biggin Hill
Biggin Hill
Biggin Hill is an area and electoral ward in the outskirts of the London Borough of Bromley in southeast London, United Kingdom.-History:Historically the settlement was known as Aperfield and formed part of the parish of Cudham...
in April, flying Supermarine Spitfire
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...
Mk Vs. Operating over occupied Europe, Duke's obvious talents as a fighter pilot meant he often flew as wingman to Biggin Hill's Wing Leader, Wing Commander Adolph "Sailor" Malan
Adolph Malan
Adolph Gysbert Malan DSO & Bar DFC & Bar , better known as Sailor Malan, was a famed South African World War II RAF fighter pilot who led No. 74 Squadron RAF during the height of the Battle of Britain. Malan was known for sending German bomber pilots home with dead crews as a warning to other...
. By August 1941, Duke had claimed two Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
s shot down. When the unit was withdrawn for a rest in October 1941, Duke was posted to North Africa to fly with 112 Squadron
No. 112 Squadron RAF
No. 112 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It served in both the First World War and Second World War and was active for three periods during the Cold War. It is nicknamed "The Shark Squadron", an allusion to the fact that it was the first unit from any air force to use the famous...
on the Curtiss Tomahawk
Curtiss P-40
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
.
Desert operations
Duke found flying the P-40 less agreeable than the Spitfire, and on a familiarisation flight, crashed AM390.Duke was shot down on 30 November 1941, by the high scoring German ace Oberstabsfeldwebel Otto Schulz
Otto Schulz
Oberleutnant Otto Schulz was a German World War II Luftwaffe fighter ace...
of Jagdgeschwader 27
Jagdgeschwader 27
Jagdgeschwader 27 Afrika was a World War II Luftwaffe Geschwader. It was most famous for service in the North African Campaign, supporting the Deutsches Afrikakorps.- Formation:...
. On 5 December, he was again shot down by a pilot from JG 27. However, his own tally of victories continued to mount and, after the squadron was re-equipped with the more capable Kittyhawk
Curtiss P-40
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
, by February 1942 Duke had at least eight victories, resulting in the award of the DFC in March. These victories included a CR.42 and a Bf 109 on the 20 and 21 December.
He completed his first tour of operations the next month and then spent six months instructing at the fighter school in the Canal Zone
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
.
In November 1942, he rejoined 92 Squadron, which has been transferred to North Africa flying the tropicalised Spitfire Mark V
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...
. He became a flight commander in February 1943 and received a DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in March. By the end of his second tour in June, Duke had amassed a further 14 victories to his total and was awarded a Bar to his DFC.
Promoted to Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
, he was posted to No. 73 Operational Training Unit at Abu Sueir as chief flying instructor before returning to operations in March 1944 for his third tour, as CO
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of 145 Squadron
No. 145 Squadron RAF
No. 145 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that operated during World War I, World War II and the Cold War. Its motto was Diu noctuque pugnamus .-History:...
in Italy, flying Spitfire Mk VIII
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...
s. He claimed five more aircraft shot down in May, gaining a second Bar to his DFC. On 7 June, Duke was shot down by flak and bailed out into Lake Bracciano
Lake Bracciano
Lake Bracciano is a lake of volcanic origin in the Italian region of Lazio, northwest of Rome. It is the second largest lake in the region and one of the major lakes of Italy...
, almost drowning when unable to release his parachute harness. He sheltered with Italian partisans until U.S. troops arrived.
Downing two Fw 190
Focke-Wulf Fw 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
s of Schlachtgeschwader 4 in May, Duke scored his final kills on 7 September 1944, becoming the Mediterranean Theatre's top Allied fighter ace at the age of 22. In 486 sorties and some 712 operational hours, he claimed 27 outright victories and two shared, one probable, six damaged and two shared destroyed on the ground.
Test pilot
Duke returned to the UK and took up a position as test pilot for HawkerHawker Aircraft
Hawker Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer responsible for some of the most famous products in British aviation history.-History:...
in January 1945. He attended No 4 Course at the Empire Test Pilots' School
Empire Test Pilots' School
The Empire Test Pilots' School is a British training school for test pilots and flight test engineers of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft at MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, England. It was established in 1943, the first of its type...
at Cranfield
Cranfield
Cranfield is a village and civil parish in north west Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Milton Keynes. It has a population of 4,909, and is in Central Bedfordshire District....
in 1946 and then joined the RAF's High Speed Flight unit
High Speed Flight RAF
The RAF High Speed Flight, sometimes known as 'The Flight' , was a small flight of the Royal Air Force formed for the purpose of competing in the Schneider Trophy contest for racing seaplanes during the 1920s....
, commanded by Teddy Donaldson
Edward Mortlock Donaldson
Air Commodore Edward "Teddy" Mortlock Donaldson CB, CBE, DSO, AFC & Bar was an RAF Second World War Flying ace, and former holder of the airspeed World Record.-Biography:...
. It was Donaldson who set a new official World Air Speed record on 7 September 1946, later being the first official man to break the 1,000 km/h barrier. After demonstrating a Gloster Meteor
Gloster 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...
at an air display in Prague, he was presented with the Czech Military Cross for his wartime service.
Duke married Gwendoline Fellows in 1947. He was awarded the Air Force Cross
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
recognising his test flying from 1947-1948 at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment
Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment
The Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment was a research facility for British military aviation from 1918 to 1992.-History:...
at Boscombe Down, where he flew research flights to explore aircraft performance at high Mach number
Mach number
Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure...
s and high altitudes. Duke resigned from the RAF in August 1948, joining the Royal Auxiliary Air Force
Royal Auxiliary Air Force
The Royal Auxiliary Air Force , originally the Auxiliary Air Force , is the voluntary active duty reserve element of the Royal Air Force, providing a primary reinforcement capability for the regular service...
, flying Spitfires and Meteors from Biggin Hill. He was CO of 615 Squadron
No. 615 Squadron RAF
No. 615 Squadron was a unit of the British Auxiliary Air Force and later the Royal Auxiliary Air Force between 1937 and 1957.-Formation and early years:...
in 1950 and 1951, whose honorary Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
was Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
.
Duke joined Hawker as an assistant chief test pilot in 1948, and became Hawker's Chief Test Pilot in 1951, following the death of "Wimpy" Wade, his predecessor. He was particularly involved in the development of the highly successful Hawker 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...
, flying the Hawker P1067
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...
in its trials in July 1951. He gave a display in the new fighter at the Farnborough Airshow on 6 September 1952, shortly after a prototype de Havilland DH 110
1952 Farnborough Airshow DH.110 crash
The 1952 Farnborough DH.110 crash was an air show accident that killed 29 spectators, the pilot , and the onboard flight test observer when during a manoeuvre, the aircraft broke up due to a faulty wing leading edge design...
, piloted by his friend John Derry
John Derry
John Douglas Derry DFC was a British test pilot, and was the first Briton to exceed the speed of sound...
, had broken up in flight, killing Derry and his observer Tony Richards, along with 28 spectators. "My dear Duke", the Prime Minister wrote to him the next day, "it was characteristic of you to go up yesterday after the shocking accident. Accept my salute. Yours, in grief, Winston Churchill."
Duke was awarded an OBE in January 1953 for his contribution to supersonic flight and groundbreaking achievements at Hawker. On 7 September 1953, Duke set a new world air speed record of 727.63 mi/h, flying Hunter WB188. (With this world record Neville Duke exceeded the unofficial world record set by Heini Dittmar with the Me 163 BV18) He was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air for saving his aircraft after an engine failure in August 1955. Two days later, he fractured his spine following a forced landing in a Hunter at Thorney Island
Thorney Island (West Sussex)
Thorney Island is an island that juts into Chichester Harbour in West Sussex. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel called the Great Deep. The village of West Thorney lies on the east coast of the island and has been incorporated into the military base...
. Another heavy landing in May 1956 caused further spinal injuries; he was forced to resign in October 1956 after being immobilised for several months.
Later life
Duke took up freelance aviation consultancy work until 1960, when he formed Duke Aviation Limited. He was Sir George DowtyGeorge Dowty
-Early life:Dowty was born in Pershore, Worcestershire in 1901. He was sent to the Royal Grammar School Worcester after losing his right eye at the age of 12 playing around making a firework....
's personal pilot for most of the 1960s and 1970s. He sold the company in 1982. He Also became a test pilot for Edgley Aircraft and later Brooklands Aircraft on the Edgley Optica
Edgley Optica
- See also :- External links :** *...
and Brooklands Firemaster 65.
Duke wrote several books based on his experiences. His autobiography, Test Pilot, was published in 1953 and reprinted in 1992. His other books include The Sound Barrier (1953), The Crowded Sky (1959) and The War Diaries of Neville Duke (1995). He was awarded the Royal Aero Club
Royal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...
's Gold Medal, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a multidisciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community.-Function:...
in 1993. In 2002, he received the Air League
Air League
For the Air League , see Australian Air LeagueThe Air League is an aviation society in the United Kingdom, founded in 1909.The aims and mission of the Air League are to promote the cause of British aviation by:...
's Jeffrey Quill Medal and the Award of Honour from the Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators for "his unique and incomparable record".
Duke became one of the vice presidents of the Eagle Club, formed by the Eagle
Eagle (comic)
Eagle was a seminal British children's comic, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating...
magazine, in 1950, and many schoolboys from that era came to know of Duke through this association. It is speculated that "Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future
Dan Dare
Dan Dare is a British science fiction comic hero, created by illustrator Frank Hampson who also wrote the first stories, that is, the Venus and Red Moon stories, and a complete storyline for Operation Saturn...
" may have been inspired by Duke's achievements.
Duke was honorary president of Tangmere
Tangmere
Tangmere is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. Located three miles north east of Chichester it is twinned with Hermanville-sur-Mer in Lower Normandy, France....
Military Aviation Museum, where his record-breaking Hunter is displayed.
After three burglaries, Duke sold his war medals in 2006 when the costs of insuring them became prohibitive. He denied press reports that he needed the money to pay for a hip operation for his wife Gwen. On 7 April 2007, the couple were flying their private aircraft when Duke became ill. He landed safely at Popham Airfield
Popham Airfield
Popham Airfield is an unlicensed airfield located south west of Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK. It lies alongside the A303 road.The airfield has two grass runways, designated 08/26 and 03/21. The latter has restricted operational dates...
, but collapsed as he left the aircraft. He was taken by ambulance to hospital in Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
where he was diagnosed as suffering from an aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
. He was transferred to St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey, Surrey, and died later that same evening after an operation, at the age of 85.