| Noel Callan Sharp | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 February 1922 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Died | 20 February 1942 (aged 20)[1] |
| Allegiance | New Zealand |
| Service/branch | Royal New Zealand Air Force |
| Rank | Flying Officer |
| Unit | No. 488 Squadron RNZAF No. 243 Squadron RAF No. 605 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Malaya Dutch East Indies campaign |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
Flying Officer Noel Callan Sharp, DFC (9 February 1922 – 20 February 1942) was a New Zealand pilot of No. 488 Squadron RNZAF. Born in Auckland,[2] New Zealand, Sharp worked as a bank clerk.[3] He flew a Brewster Buffalo aircraft, recognizable by his personal emblem, a dragon-like nose art painted on the fuselage under the cockpit windshield.
Sharp is credited with three kills during the Battle of Malaya. He claimed an unknown Japanese fighter on January 12, a Nakajima Ki-43 the next day, an A6M Zero on January 18 and damaged two bombers on January 20.[4]
He was shot down on 17 January 1942, but survived. Engineers were able to repair his aircraft, replacing the front section of the engine cowling with that of another plane.[5] Sharp was evacuated from Singapore before its capitulation, along with his Buffalo. It was flown to Palembang in South Sumatra on 7 February 1942, where it was written off.[6]
He was killed in action on 20 February 1942,[1] while flying a Hawker Hurricane with No. 605 Squadron RAF.[7] He was 20 years old. Sharp was buried in the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore.[8] He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 26 December 1946.[9]