Ian Gleed

Early life

Gleed was born in Finchley, north London on to Seymour Richard and Florence Hair Gleed.

In February 1940, a Spitfire he was flying broke up in the air. Gleed was injured while falling out of the plane but regained consciousness soon enough to pull his parachute.

Battle of France

Gleed regained his full flying status on 14 May 1940, when he was posted to 87 Squadron,

About Gleed's arrival in France, British RAF pilot Roland Beamont said the following: Gleed was one of our replacement pilots and he came out from the UK to tell us exactly how to run the war – all 5ft 6ins of him! He was immediately as good as his word and tore into the enemy on every conceivable occasion with apparent delight and entire lack of concern. His spirit was exactly what was needed to bolster up the somewhat stunned survivors of the week following 10 May. That is not to say that 87 Squadron's morale was not extremely high, but The Widge somehow managed to raise it further.

Gleed's first victories came on 18 May, when he claimed two Bf 110 destroyed. The following day, he claimed one Bf 109 destroyed and an additional probable, two Do 17 bombers, and a shared He 111 bomber destroyed. At one point, converting to Spitfires was considered but abandoned after Beamont and Gleed were able to easily defeat a Spitfire pilot in a dogfight with their Hurricanes. During the air raids of The Blitz, 87 Squadron was assigned night fighter duties defending Bristol. Despite the limitations of using searchlights to direct the Hurricanes to enemy aircraft, Gleed scored two victories at night. At the time, John Strachey was serving as 87 Squadron's adjutant. He wrote the foreword to Gleed's memoir, Arise to Conquer. Reunion of Battle of Britain pilots with Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding in September 1942. Gleed is third from left.

A year later (November 1941, at the age of 25) Gleed was promoted to wing commander and was appointed wing leader at RAF Middle Wallop and later RAF Ibsley. (A wing leader is responsible for flying operations of three to five squadrons, but has no authority over administrative matters.) At Ibsley, he directed the operations of 118, 234 and 501 Squadrons, which made fighter sweeps across the English Channel and conducted bomber escorts. Gleed was posted to RAF Bentley Priory, HQ Fighter Command, where he was Wing Commander Tactics and subsequently Wing Commander Operations.

Modern sources have described Gleed as gay.

Honours His Distinguished Flying Cross was gazetted on 13 September 1940 without a citation.

Distinguished Service Order, gazetted on 22 May 1942 This officer has led his wing on 26 sorties over enemy territory. He has always displayed a fine fighting spirit which, combined with his masterly leadership and keenness, has set an inspiring example. Wing Commander Gleed has destroyed at least 12 enemy aircraft, 2 of which he shot down at night.

Memorials

Gleed was interred at Tazoghrane, but reburied at the military cemetery in Enfidaville.

Bunny Currant described Gleed as " pocket-sized man with care for others and courage beyond compare."

A wartime history of the Tunisia Campaign described him as "one of [the Desert Air Force's] greatest leaders" and a "great little pocket Hercules." Gleed was the subject of a 1978 biography, Fighter Leader, by aviation historian Norman Franks.