Ian “Widge” Gleed occupies a particular place in RAF history. He was not merely a successful fighter pilot, nor simply a capable commander promoted young. His flying career meant he was involved in almost every phase of the RAF fighter war including the chaos of France in 1940, the Battle of Britain, night intruder work, offensive sweeps over occupied Europe, and finally the Mediterranean air war during the destruction of Axis forces in Tunisia.
Tragically Gleed did not live out the war to see the Allied victory he contributed to. When he was killed in action in April 1943, he left behind a record that combined combat success, leadership, and an unusually reflective written account of air fighting.
Ian Richard Gleed
Early life and the road to the RAF
Ian Richard Gleed was born on 3 July 1916 in Finchley, north London. He went to Tenterden Preparatory School and later at Epsom College. Like many young men of his generation, he grew up in the shadow of the First World War and tale of aviation bravery could be what drew him to flight.
He learned to fly privately before joining the Royal Air Force, making his first solo flight in November 1935 at Hatfield. This matters because he joined the RAF not as an untested volunteer but as a man already comfortable in the air.
He joined the RAF on a short service commission in March 1936. After training, he was posted on Christmas Day 1936 to No. 46 Squadron, then flying the Gloster Gauntlet. These were the RAF’s last biplane fighters, already obsolescent by European standards, but the squadron provided Gleed with something more valuable than speed: time. He learned his trade in a peacetime air force that emphasised formation discipline, navigation, and the unglamorous routines of service flying.
The move to Spitfires and a narrow escape
In September 1939, shortly after the outbreak of war, pilot Ian Gleed was posted as a flight commander to No. 266 Squadron, which was reforming at RAF Sutton Bridge to fly the new Supermarine Spitfire. It should have been a straightforward progression, but in February 1940 he came close to being killed before ever facing the enemy.
On 18 February 1940, while testing a Spitfire, the aircraft broke up in mid-air. Gleed was thrown clear, lost consciousness, then recovered just in time to pull his parachute ripcord. He survived but was grounded for several weeks and initially restricted to dual flying only. For many pilots, such an accident ended a flying career. Ian Gleed returned to operations.
France 1940: baptism of fire
On 14 May 1940, just days into the German offensive in the west, Gleed regained full flying status and was posted to No. 87 Squadron in France as commander of “A” Flight. The situation was already deteriorating. RAF fighter squadrons were flying multiple sorties a day, often from airfields under attack, against a Luftwaffe that enjoyed numerical and tactical advantages.
In the space of three days, between 18 and 20 May, pilot Ian Gleed was credited with multiple victories against German fighters and bombers. These claims must be read in the context of the time. Air combat was fast, confused, and often fought at low altitude. Confirmation standards were uneven. What matters is not the exact arithmetic but the pattern. Gleed arrived in a battered squadron and quickly established himself as an effective combat leader.
No. 87 Squadron was withdrawn to Britain shortly afterwards. France was lost, but for Ian Gleed the experience proved formative. He had seen what modern air war looked like when things went wrong, and he had learned quickly.
The Battle of Britain and Hurricane operations
During the Battle of Britain, No. 87 Squadron operated primarily from airfields in the west and south-west of England, including RAF Exeter. This was 10 Group’s war, different in character from the better-known fighting over Kent and Sussex. Interceptions were often rushed, warning times short, and formations scattered by geography and weather.
Gleed flew the Hawker Hurricane, the RAF’s workhorse fighter of 1940. He became closely associated with one particular aircraft marked with a cartoon of “Figaro the Cat” on the fuselage, an image that has since become inseparable from his story. In fact, one of the most iconic photos of him features this Hurricane with him sat in the cockpit at RAF Ibsley. Such personal markings were not trivial. They signalled ownership, pride, and a bond between pilot and groundcrew.
As the daylight battle merged into the Blitz, Ian Gleed also took part in night fighting and intruder operations. This was among the most demanding work a fighter pilot could do in 1940 and 1941. Aircraft lacked airborne radar, navigation aids were basic, and interception relied on searchlights, ground control, and a good deal of luck. Gleed scored victories at night during this period, a testament not only to skill but to nerve.
On 13 September 1940 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation language was typical of the time, but the award reflected both courage and sustained operational effort during the most dangerous phase of the air war over Britain.
Squadron command and offensive operations
On Christmas Eve 1940, Gleed took command of No. 87 Squadron. He was just 24 years old. Youthful squadron commanders were not unknown in wartime, but the appointment still spoke to confidence in his judgement and temperament.
Under his command the squadron undertook a mixture of defensive patrols, night intruder sorties, and offensive operations over occupied Europe. These included attacks on enemy airfields in northern France, where aircraft could be destroyed on the ground. Such missions were hazardous and often unpopular, particularly at night, but they reflected a growing RAF emphasis on taking the fight back across the Channel.
Gleed continued to fly operationally as commanding officer. He was not a desk-bound leader. This mattered to the men he commanded, especially in a period when fatigue and loss were constant companions.
Wing leader and tactical influence
In November 1941 Gleed was promoted to wing commander and appointed wing leader, first at RAF Middle Wallop and later at RAF Ibsley. This marked a shift in his role. As wing leader, he was responsible not just for his own flying but for coordinating multiple squadrons, often flying Spitfires on fighter sweeps and bomber escort missions over northern France.
This was the era of offensive operations, when Fighter Command sought to draw the Luftwaffe into combat and maintain pressure over occupied territory. It was also a period when discipline mattered as much as aggression. Ian Gleed was known for emphasising the importance of staying with escorted bombers rather than breaking formation to pursue enemy fighters. It was sound advice, though not always popular with pilots eager for combat.
For his leadership and fighting spirit he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1942. By then, he was recognised not just as an accomplished pilot but as a thinker about air combat, someone capable of shaping how others fought.
Writing the war: Arise to Conquer
In 1942 Gleed published ‘Arise to Conquer’, a personal account of his experiences as a fighter pilot. It stands out among wartime memoirs for its clarity and restraint. Gleed wrote about fear, responsibility, and the mental strain of combat without sliding into melodrama. He did not pretend that air fighting was glamorous, nor did he reduce it to statistics.
The book was written under wartime constraints, both official and social. Like many public figures of the period, aspects of his private life were shaped for public consumption. Even so, the work remains valuable because it captures how a thoughtful, experienced pilot understood his job while the war was still being fought.
Headquarters work and the pull of operations
By mid-1942, Gleed was posted to headquarters roles at Fighter Command, serving as Wing Commander Tactics and later Wing Commander Operations. It was the sort of appointment often given to men expected to influence doctrine and training. For someone of his experience, it made sense.
It did not satisfy him for long. Like many combat leaders, Gleed wanted to return to operations. When the opportunity arose to serve in the Middle East, he took it.
The Mediterranean and 244 Wing
Gleed arrived in the Middle East on 1 January 1943. After a short period gaining desert operational experience with No. 145 Squadron, he was appointed wing leader of 244 Wing on 31 January. The context was very different from the air war over Britain.
By early 1943, Axis forces in North Africa were being squeezed into Tunisia. Air fighting focused increasingly on disrupting evacuation efforts and transport routes, particularly around the Cape Bon peninsula. Gleed flew Supermarine Spitfire Mk VBs, leading his wing on patrols and interception missions against German and Italian aircraft attempting to withdraw men and supplies.
This phase of the war was fast-moving and unforgiving. The Luftwaffe, though weakened, still fought hard, and losses continued on both sides.
Death over Cape Bon
On 16 April 1943, while leading a patrol over the Cape Bon area, Ian Gleed was shot down and killed. He had attempted to reach the coast, but his Spitfire crashed on sand dunes near the sea.
He was initially buried at Tazoghrane and later reburied at Enfidaville War Cemetery. He was 26 years old.
As with many air combat losses, the precise circumstances are difficult to establish beyond doubt. Attribution of his loss to a specific enemy pilot has been suggested but remains uncertain. What is clear is that he was killed while leading operations at the height of his powers.
Achievements and assessment
Pilot Ian Gleed is generally credited with 13 confirmed aerial victories, along with additional probable and damaged enemy aircraft. As with all such tallies, the number should be treated as indicative rather than absolute. His success is better measured by its consistency across different theatres and roles.
He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), and held the rank of wing commander by the age of 25. He commanded both a squadron and a wing, wrote a significant wartime memoir, and influenced tactics at Fighter Command level.
Legacy
Gleed’s grave lies at Enfidaville War Cemetery in Tunisia. His headstone bears a line that reflects both resilience and humility:
“One who held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, sleep to wake.”
Beyond the formal record, his legacy rests in three places. First, in the memory of those who flew with him and under him, who saw him as a leader willing to share risk.
Second, in ‘Arise to Conquer’, which remains one of the more thoughtful personal accounts of the RAF fighter war.
Third, in the enduring image of a Hurricane with a cartoon cat on its side, a reminder that behind the ranks and statistics were individuals with humour, fear, and resolve.
