Anyone with an interest in World War Two aviators will be familiar with Ginger Lacey, less commonly known by his full name, James Harry Lacey who is credited with 18 kills during the Battle of Britain; one less than Archie McKellar and two shy of Eric Lock, who some claim were the top-scoring pilots between July 10 and October 31, 1940.
Whilst there is some debate as to who was the actual top-scoring pilot in the Battle of Britain – the 1962 Pan Edition of Ginger Lacey – Fighter Pilot, declares it to be Lacey, “the modest sergeant pilot who for many years was almost unknown outside of the RAF”, the back cover of our edition also asks: “Who destroyed the Heinkel III which bombed Buckingham Palace? Who was told by his mother to take down the DFM? Who took on 12 Me 109s single-handed? Who ordered a beer for George VI? Ginger Lacey, a shy, young daredevil with grey-blue eyes known to the general public at the time only as ‘A Sergeant Pilot.’”
