Donald Kingaby

Donald Ernest Kingaby DSO, AFC, DFM & Two Bars was a British flying ace of the Second World War.

He was the only RAF pilot to be awarded the DFM three times.

During an operational career of some 300 operations, Kingaby scored 21 air victories against enemy aircraft, as well as two shared kills, six probable kills and 11 damaged during the war. 14.5 of his kills came against the Messerschmitt Bf 109.

Biography
He was born in London on 7 January 1920, a clergyman's son.

Kingaby joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in April 1939 when 19 years old. In June 1940, as a Sergeant Pilot, he joined No. 266 Squadron flying the Supermarine Spitfire Mark I. During the initial stages of the Battle of Britain he damaged two Junkers Ju 88 bombers and a Bf 110 fighter before being transferred to No. 92 Squadron, in September 1940. A Bf 109 of 4./JG 26 was claimed on 30 September, while Kingaby claimed four enemy aircraft, (three Bf 109's) in the second half of October. In November he shot down six Bf 109's, four of them (including 1 'probable') in a single day on 15 November.

During 1941 RAF Fighter Command went onto the offensive with its fighter sweeps over occupied Europe. With 92 Squadron, Sgt Kingaby claimed a dozen more kills and was dubbed by the press the "109 specialist". In October 1941 he was commissioned as an officer and rested from operations.

In March 1942 he was back on operations with No. 111 Squadron. That April, Kingaby joined No. 64 Squadron, with which he shot down another couple of German fighters. Later in the year Kingaby was posted to No. 122 Squadron as flight commander and then squadron commander. On 20 January 1943 Kingaby shot down Unteroffizier Helmut Peters of 6 Staffel Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26), who was killed in action. In March 1943 he was promoted to lead the "Hornchurch Wing".

After a rest period at Fighter Command HQ he was back as a wing leader in the summer of 1944 over the invasion beaches of France. His last kill was a share in a Bf 109 on 30 June, bringing his total to 21.

Kingaby served in the RAF until September 1958, and eventually moved to the United States. Donald Kingaby died in Massachusetts on New Year's Eve 1990.