Thomas Wallace (RAF officer)

In November 1939, Wallace went to No. 6 Flying Training School at Little Rissington. After he finished his training in June 1940, he was posted to No. 610 Squadron.^[1] The squadron was based at Gravesend and operated the Supermarine Spitfire fighter.^[4] A few days after his arrival at the squadron, he went to Uxbridge for some short course training. During his time at Uxbridge, he was absent without leave for two days. Wallace was court-martialled and his commission in the RAF was terminated with effect from 1 July.^[1][5] Wallace promptly joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) with the rank of sergeant before later in July being posted to No. 111 Squadron.^[1] Equipped with Hawker Hurricane fighters and flying from Croydon; the squadron was training replacement pilots following a period of service over France.^[6]

Soon after Wallace's arrival, No. 111 Squadron returned to operations, patrolling south-east England as the Battle of Britain increased in intensity.^[6] On 15 August Wallace shot down two Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters and damaged two more; the next day he claimed a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter destroyed and probably shot down a Dornier Do 17 medium bomber. On 18 August, he destroyed a Do 17 and damaged two others. He damaged a Bf 109 on 24 August and then two days later shared in the destruction of a Do 17. On the final day of August, he shot down a Bf 110, damaged a second and claimed a Do 17 as a probable. On 4 September, he shot down a Bf 109 and damaged three others. Three days later, Wallace's Hurricane was damaged over the English Channel but he managed to get back to land before bailing out. His success in the previous three weeks saw him awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) in October.^[1][7]

The published citation for his DFM read

In a period of three weeks, Sergeant Wallace has destroyed seven enemy aircraft and probably another four. On one occasion he became separated from his squadron and, single-handed, pursued a formation of enemy bombers back to the French coast. While in mid-channel he was attacked by six enemy fighters, and although his aircraft was severely damaged in the resulting battle, he shot down one enemy aircraft and damaged another. Sergeant Wallace has displayed conspicuous courage and fighting ability.

— London Gazette, No. 34978, 25 October 1940.^[8]

By the time of his DFM award, No. 111 Squadron had been transferred to Scotland, for a period of light duties following its intensive involvement in the Battle of Britain.^[6]

Wallace shared in the damage of a Heinkel He 111 medium bomber while flying east of Peterhead on 3 November but this was his final aerial victory as he was then moved to a non-operational posting. Promoted to warrant officer, he was again commissioned in March 1943 as a pilot officer and six months later received a further promotion to flying officer. In September 1944, Wallace was given command of No. 609 Squadron.^[1][7] The squadron was flying Hawker Typhoon fighters in France as part of the Second Tactical Air Force, attacking German transports and supporting the Allied ground forces as they advanced into Belgium.^[9] Wallace was killed by flak on 11 November 1944 while flying over Dunkirk.^[1][7]

Wallace was buried at Pihen-les-Guines War Cemetery in the Pas-de-Calais, France.^[2] He is credited with having shot down six aircraft, with a share in one more destroyed. He also claimed two aircraft as probably destroyed and ten aircraft damaged, one of which was shared with other pilots. Two of the aircraft reported as damaged were identified as probables in his DFM citation.^[7]

• Rawlings, John (1976). Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: MacDonald & James. ISBN 0-354-01028-X.
• Shores, Christopher; Williams, Clive (1994). Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces in WWII. London: Grub Street. ISBN 1-898697-00-0.
• Wynn, Kenneth G. (2015). Men of the Battle of Britain: A Biographical Directory of the Few. Barnsley: Frontline Books. ISBN 978-1-39901-465-6.