The Airmen's Stories - P/O V A Ricketts

Victor Anthony Ricketts was the pre-war Air Correspondent for the Daily Express. In December 1937 he approached AE Clouston (who later flew operationally in the Battle) with a proposition that he would arrange backing for a record-breaking attempt to fly to Australia and back in a Comet aircraft if Clouston would take him as second pilot. This was arranged and they took off at 4am on February 2nd 1938 but came to grief in Turkey, damaging the port undercarriage leg as they took off.

They returned to England and a second attempt was planned on a revised route. They took off from Gravesend during the night of March 15th 1938 and landed back at Croydon 10 days, 21 hours and 22 minutes later, having established eleven records, including the first direct round trip England-New Zealand-England.

Ricketts was a member of the RAFVR and after passing out as a Sergeant-pilot he was commissioned in February 1940 and joined 248 Squadron, which was formed as a night-fighter squadron but transferred to Coastal Command soon after Ricketts arrival. The squadron served with Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain.

In 1942 Ricketts was with No 1 PRU. On March 4th he was detailed to photograph the Renault works near Paris which had been attacked the previous night. Despite bad weather, low cloud and poor visibility he succeeded in obtaining valuable photographs. For this operation he was awarded the DFC (gazetted 2nd June 1942).

Ricketts failed to return from a photographic sortie to Strasbourg and Ingolstadt on July 12th 1942.

He was 29 and is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery near Calais.