Desmond James Scott | |
|---|---|
 Acting Squadron Leader Desmond Scott, in 1943 | |
| Born | 11 September 1918 Ashburton, New Zealand |
| Died | 8 October 1997 (aged 79) Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Allegiance | New Zealand United Kingdom |
| Service | Royal New Zealand Air Force (1940–46) Royal Air Force (1947–49) |
| Years of service | 1940–1949 |
| Rank | Group Captain |
| Commands | No. 123 Wing (1944–45) RAF Hawkinge (1943–44) Tangmere Fighter Wing No. 486 Squadron RNZAF (1943) |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar Mention in despatches Croix de Guerre (France) Croix de Guerre (Belgium) Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands) |
Group Captain Desmond James Scott, DSO, OBE, DFC & Bar (11 September 1918 – 8 October 1997) was a New Zealand fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War. He was credited with the destruction of at least five enemy aircraft.
Born in Ashburton, he learnt to fly privately. He joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) in March 1940. Arriving in Britain in September, he was attached to the Royal Air Force (RAF) and flew Hawker Hurricanes with No. 3 Squadron. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar for his service with the squadron, he later flew Hawker Typhoons in operations over the English Channel and Europe. In 1943, he commanded No. 486 Squadron, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, and then the Tangmere Fighter Wing. At the end of the year, he was appointed the station commander of RAF Hawkinge. While in this role, he rescued a pilot of a crashed and burning Supermarine Spitfire, and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for this feat. He commanded No. 123 Wing during Operation Overlord and subsequent campaigns in France and the Netherlands. He ended the war as a group captain, the youngest man in the RNZAF to achieve this rank. After the war, he transferred to the RAF and served with Transport Command. He returned to New Zealand with his family in 1948 and retired from the RAF in 1949. He died in 1997, aged 79.