Percy Lucas

Percy Belgrave Lucas

Lucas as Commanding Officer of No. 616 Squadron RAF during the Second World War
Nickname(s) "Laddie"
Born 2 September 1915
Sandwich Bay, Kent
Died 20 March 1998 (aged 82)
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  Royal Air Force
Years of service 1940–1945
Rank Wing Commander
Unit No. 66 Squadron RAF, No. 249 Squadron RAF, No. 616 Squadron RAF, No. 613 Squadron RAF
Commands held No. 249 Squadron RAF, No. 616 Squadron RAF, No. 613 Squadron RAF
Awards CBE, DSO and Bar, DFC
Other work Member of Parliament

Percy Belgrave "Laddie" Lucas, CBE, DSO and Bar, DFC, (2 September 1915 – 20 March 1998), was a Royal Air Force Officer, left-handed golfer, author and Member of Parliament (MP).

Early and family life

Lucas was the son of Percy Montagu Lucas co-founder of Prince's Golf Club, Sandwich[1] He was born on 2 September 1915 in the old clubhouse at Prince's Sandwich Bay, Kent. His father died when he was aged 11.

Lucas was educated at Stowe School, and Pembroke College, Cambridge where he read Economics. While at Cambridge, he captained the golf team, was the top amateur golfer in the 1935 Open Championship and at 19 found himself hailed as the finest left-handed player in the world.[2]

Lucas was married in 1946 to Jill Addison, the sister of Thelma Bader, wife of his fellow flying ace Douglas Bader, of whom he wrote a best-selling biography. The couple had five grandchildren.

Early career

After graduating from Cambridge, Lucas was interviewed by Lord Beaverbrook for a post on the Sunday Express. He impressed Beaverbrook sufficiently that the newspaper boss took him to supper that night and later hired him as a sports writer. He remained with the Sunday Express until the outbreak of war when he volunteered for the RAF.

Royal Air Force

Lucas joined the RAF in June 1940 and went to Canada to undertake flying training at the Flying Training School as part of the Empire Training. On completion of his training, he was assigned to 66 Squadron in August 1941, with whom he flew combat missions until the end of 1942.

In July 1942, Lucas was awarded the DFC for his actions.[3] The citation read:

Acting Squadron Leader Percy Belgrave LUCAS (100626), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 249 Squadron
In July, 1942, Squadron Leader Lucas displayed great courage in an engagement against 3 bombers escorted by 14 fighters. He unhesitatingly led his squadron through the enemy's fighter escort and, diving down, they destroyed all 3 bombers, 2 of them falling in flames. Squadron Leader Lucas has destroyed 3 hostile aircraft and damaged 7 others.

In the autumn of 1942 Lucas was assigned as Aide-de-camp to the Prince George, Duke of Kent, but he felt that his friend Michael Strutt, who already knew the Duke, would be more suited to the post. Strutt took it up the post and just two weeks later, on 25 August 1942, both were killed in an air crash when the Short Sunderland flying boat in which he was a passenger crashed into a hillside near Dunbeath, Caithness, in bad weather. This event haunted Lucas for many years.[4]

During the Battle of Malta he commanded 249 Squadron. In 1943, he moved to command 616 Squadron; later, he commanded the Spitfire wing at RAF Coltishall.

After an imposed rest period on ground duties, "flying a desk" as it was jocularly termed, in December 1944 Lucas asked to be given charge of an operational squadron again. After re-training on the two-crew Mosquito,[5] Lucas took over command of 613 Squadron (City of Manchester)[6] equipped with Mosquitos and based at Cambrai-Épinoy in the Ardennes. He immediately resumed his practice of "leading from the front", which gained the respect of the highly experienced 613 Squadron air crews. The squadron was involved in low-level tactical support missions and strikes.

Between 1944 and 1945 he served with RAF Second Tactical Air Force in North-West Europe.

Lucas was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in January 1944. The citation read:[7]

Acting Wing Commander Percy Belgrave LUCAS, DFC (100626), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Within the past few months this officer has led his fighter squadron a large number of varied sorties including escorts to bomber formations which have attacked enemy shipping with much success. In all these operations, 13 enemy air-craft [sic] have been destroyed and several others damaged. Much of the success can be attributed to this officer's great skill and gallant leadership. He has rendered most valuable service.

He was awarded a bar to his DSO in October 1945 for making numerous attacks on enemy communications, often in appalling weather conditions.[8]

He resigned his commission in 1945.

Postwar career

After the war he was encouraged to fight the 1945 general election as a Conservative and stood for Fulham West, where he lost to the sitting MP Edith Summerskill, one of Labour's most prominent women in government following their landslide. At the 1950 general election, he was elected as Conservative MP for Brentford and Chiswick.[9] He held the seat at the next two elections, but retired at the 1959 general election.

He wrote a popular column for the Sunday Express, and was the author of several books on golf and airmen around the world, as well as an idiosyncratic but much-admired history of the World War II Siege of Malta.

Lucas captained the 1947 and 1949 Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team.[10] After the war he was an administrator on the Sports Council. Although an amateur, he was influential in the founding of the professional tour in Europe in the early 1970s. At the time of his death he was serving as a vice-president of both the Golf Foundation and the Association of Golf Writers.

He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1981.

In April 1984, Eamonn Andrews surprised Lucas with his The Is Your Life, where fellow Battle of Britain pilot Paddy Barthropp reminisced.[11]

Lucas died at home in Chelsea on 20 March 1998.[12]

Memorials

There is a commemorative plaque at Prince's Golf Club, Sandwich by the 4th tee on the Himalayas course which marks the spot where Lucas used his local knowledge of the course to make an emergency landing after his Spitfire was crippled over northern France during the War. A golf tournament for boys and girls aged 8–13 years, the "Laddie Lucas Spoon", is held annually at Prince's.[13]

Publications

Team appearances

Amateur

References

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Francis Noel-Baker		 Member of Parliament for Brentford and Chiswick
1950–1959 		Succeeded by
Dudley Smith