William Vernon Crawford-Compton | |
|---|---|
 Crawford-Compton in the cockpit of his Spitfire, 1942 | |
| Born | 2 March 1915 Invercargill, New Zealand |
| Died | 2 January 1988 (aged 72) England |
| Allegiance | New Zealand, United Kingdom |
| Service/ | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1939–68 |
| Rank | Air Vice-Marshal |
| Commands held | No. 22 Group RAF (1966–68) RAF Gamil (1956–59) RAF Bruggen (1953–56) No. 145 Wing RAF (1944–45) No. 64 Squadron RAF (1942–43) |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order & Bar Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar Silver Star (United States) Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (France) |
Air Vice-Marshal William Vernon Crawford-Compton, CB, CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar (2 March 1915 – 2 January 1988) was a New Zealand flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was officially credited with destroying at least 20 German aircraft.
Born in Invercargill, Crawford-Compton joined the RAF in 1939. He qualified as a pilot the following year and was posted to No. 603 Squadron. In March 1941, he was transferred to a newly formed unit, No. 485 Squadron. He flew numerous operations, including during the Channel Dash, and was credited with the shooting down of a number of aircraft. After recovering from injuries received in a crash landing, he served as a flight commander in No. 611 Squadron. He was given command of No. 64 Squadron at the end of 1942 and led it for the early part of the following year. After a period of staff duties, he became wing leader of the Hornchurch fighter wing in mid-1943, and led it until the end of the year. He spent three months in the United States giving lectures on RAF operations before returning to active duty as commander of No. 145 Wing. He led the wing in offensive operations in France in the run up to and after Operation Overlord. After the war, he held a series of senior appointments in the RAF, including command of an airfield in Egypt during the Suez Crisis. His final posting before his retirement in late 1968 was commander of No. 22 Group. He died in January 1988 at the age of 72.