Ricardo Adriani de Mancha was born on 23rd May 1917 in St Pancras, London. His father, Ricardo Arturo de Mancha, was a merchant who died in 1923. The father of Ricardo Arturo had come to Britain from Seville, Spain and become a naturalised British subject.

Ricardo Arturo was widowed in 1911 and, in 1913, married Emma Charlotte McLavy, whose occupation was given in the 1911 census as companion. Ricardo Adriani was one of their two children.

He joined the RAFVR about July 1938 as an Airman u/t Pilot.

Called up on 1st September 1939, he completed his training at 11 FTS Shawbury on No. 17 Course, which ran from 20th November 1939 to 1st June 1940.

He arrived at 6 OTU Sutton Bridge on 8th June, converted to Hurricanes, and then joined 43 Squadron at Tangmere on 6th July. He shared in the destruction of He111s on 12th and 13th July. In a combat ten miles south of the Needles on the 21st, de Mancha collided with a Me109 flown by Leutnant Kroker of 7/JG 27. DeMancha was 23 years old. He is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial, panel 8.

Above image courtesy of Dean Sumner

A notice in the Daily Telegraph on 31st March 1941 recorded that de Mancha was now officially presumed killed in action. It described him as 'dearly loved only son of Mrs de Mancha ..... brother of Marigold and beloved fiancé of Suzanne'.

Photos and text courtesy of Battle of Britain Monument website