David Coke

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David Arthur Coke, DFC (1915–1941) was a British pilot.

The son of Thomas Coke, 4th Earl of Leicester of Holkham, he was a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force Reserve during the Second World War, and is considered a flying ace. A graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge,[1] he flew a Hawker Hurricane with 257 Squadron during the Battle of Britain as a Pilot Officer. After being promoted to the rank of Flying Officer,[2] he went on to fight in the Balkans Campaign and the Syrian campaign with 80 Squadron. During this period, he became great friends with famed author Roald Dahl, as detailed in Dahl's autobiography Going Solo. (In the book, Dahl mentions that Coke was in line to be the Earl of Leicester, but Coke was in fact the Earl's second son.[3]) While serving in Libya, Coke was awarded the DFC for his work in an attack on enemy transport and for his leadership as a Flight Lieutenant.[4] He was killed in action in December 1941.

[edit] References

Roald Dahl Going Solo ISBN:0141303107

  1. ^ Burke's Peerage, 1939, "Leicester."
  2. ^ London Gazette, 5 November 1940, p. 6399.
  3. ^ Burke's Peerage, 1939, "Leicester."
  4. ^ Supplement to the London Gazette, 26 December 1941, p. 7298.
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