Wilfrid William Loxton (20 January 1909 – 2 November 1992), known as Bill Loxton, was a British
Royal Air Force pilot during the
Battle of Britain.
Loxton was born in
Gretton, Gloucestershire, the son of Ernest Robert Loxton and Mary Ann Loxton (née Minett). After training as a carpenter, he joined the
RAF on 30 April 1930.
Following several promotions, he became Squadron Leader of
No 25 Blenheim Squadron (Feriens Tego – Striking I defend). No 25 Squadron was formed at
RAF Montrose, on 25 September 1915, as a Fighter/Bomber Squadron equipped with
F.E.2b
Between 1911 and 1914, the Royal Aircraft Factory used the F.E.2 (Farman Experimental 2) designation for three quite different aircraft that shared only a common "Farman" pusher biplane layout.
The third "F.E.2" type was operated as a day and ...
s. The Squadron became a nightfighter unit in 1938; it was re-equipped with
Blenheim IFs that year, and also acquired Blenheim Vs equipped with
A1 radar. In September 1940
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is a British multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort ...
s became available to the Squadron; these were operational on 10 October 1940. The Squadron took part in the
Battle of Britain and its pilots joined the ranks of '
the few'.
As a member of 'the few' Loxton is commemorated by name on the
Battle of Britain Memorial which was unveiled by
Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
and the
Duchess of Cornwall on 18 September 2005.
BBC News – Battle of Britain Memorial unveiled
/ref>
He remained in the RAF until retirement, attaining the rank of Wing Commander. He married Binkie Pattullo on 6 August 1938 and had two sons, Peter and David, who became a well known producer in America. Peter married Heather Loxton; daughter of Archie Forbes
Archibald Peter Sturrock Forbes CBE (5 May 1913 – 27 January 1999) was a Scottish colonial officer who was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative Development in Tanganyika (now Tanzania).
Biography
Forbes ...
.
Loxton is buried, next to his son Peter, in Bere Regis churchyard, Dorset.
External links
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loxton, Bill
Royal Air Force pilots of World War II
Royal Air Force officers
The Few
1909 births
1992 deaths
Royal Air Force airmen
Military personnel from Gloucestershire