Thomas Peter Higgs was born in Oldham, Lancashire on 9th February 1917. He was educated at the Royal Masonic School and then at Merton College, Oxford, where he read Modern History. He was a member of the University Air Squadron and joined the RAF with a direct-entry commission as a University Entrant in October 1939. Higgs joined 111 Squadron at Croydon on 24th May 1940 on the completion of his training.
On the 10th July, F/O Tom Higgs became the first RAF fighter pilot to be lost in active combat during the Battle of Britain. When scrambled in his 111 Squadron Hurricane to protect a convoy off Folkestone, he attacked a Do17 bomber. During his attack Higgs was forced to take evasive action from an Me109E flown by Oblt. Oesau but, as he did so, he collided with another Do17 at 6,000ft. His Hurricane lost a wing and although the Do17 crashed near Dungeness Buoy, Higgs' own aircraft also plummeted to earth. Higgs managed to bale out but was drowned after a rescue launch was unable to find him - the first of many
pilots lost due to a lack of sufficient air/sea rescue facilities.
Higgs was only 23. His body was washed ashore at Noordwijk on 15th August. He is buried
in Noordwijk General Cemetery, Netherlands in a joint grave with Sgt. FJ Keen. Keen was
killed whilst flying in Wellington III, X3669 SR-H of 101 Squadron which came down in the
North Sea off the Dutch coast on a raid to Emden.
NB It could be argued that the first official RAF casualty in the Battle of Britain was actually
Sgt Ian C.Clenshaw. Sgt Clenshaw of 253 Squadron was flying his Hurricane on a dawn
patrol but lost control in bad visibility and crashed on the Humber coast. He was killed in this accident and his aircraft was a write-off. He was 22 years old.
If you would like to hear more about fighter pilots like Tom Higgs and Ian Clenshaw on
whole day tour in East Kent, please get in touch now.
If you would like to hear more about fighter pilots like Tom Huggs and Ian Clenshaw, please contact Dr Anthony Medhurst on info@thebattleofbritaintours.co.uk or 07852 765901.
Photos and text courtesy of the Battle of Britain monument.
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