Adrian Francis Laws, DFM (10 August 1912 – 30 September 1940) was a Royal Air Force pilot and flying ace during the Battle of Britain.

He learned to shoot using a .410 shotgun to hunt rabbits in the fields around Wells-next-the-sea with his classmate Allan Tuck, who named his first son Adrian Francis in memory of his friend.

Aged 19, Laws enlisted with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1931 as an aircrafthand and trained as a storekeeper.

While two other Spitfires arrived to take shots at what was now a wallowing enemy, Laws emptied his guns and watched the bomber settle on the water.

His reluctance to leave his first kill is evident as he describes circling the plane and seeing the crew inflating their dinghy.

MacDonell, official head of the Glengarry clan, was to say about his squadron's pilots "...it's like holding a team of wild horses when there are Germans near".

The formation consisted of more than 30 fighters and the German plan was to draw the RAF interceptors away from bombing raids going into Weymouth and Portland.

Bomber attacks were directed towards British airfields on this day but a combination of fighter resistance and thick clouds served to foil them.

The enemy, set on a north-easterly course, needed no more persuasion than the sight of Spitfires to turn and run for home.

The German, with his rear gunner disabled from the initial attack, may have believed he had done enough to lose his Law's Spitfire and straightened up to dive for cloud.

The squadron combat report well conveys the swift and dangerous environment of the ensuing battle that raged back across the Channel towards the French coast.

Laws bagged his second confirmed Bf 109 with a beam attack as the enemy slowed slightly at the top of a turn.

Laws and Flight Sergeant Gilbert seem to have administered a coup de grace to an unfortunate bomber and added insult to the injury by claiming an He 111.

Laws went on from the engagement with the Heinkel to save an unknown Hurricane pilot by shooting down a Messerschmitt Bf 110 from his tail.

The King has been graciously pleased to approve the under-mentioned award, in recognition of gallantry displayed in flying operations against the enemy:- Awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal – 514143 Flight Sergeant Adrian Francis Laws – This Airman has taken part in numerous operational flights since May, 1940.

– A Yankee in a Spitfire noted: I rejoined my squadron several days before my leave expired...I learned that the heroism of some of the boys hadn't gone unrecognised.

He had just been awarded a commission as pilot officer but wasn't living in the officers' mess yet because he hadn't yet purchased his uniform.Later, Donahue writes: Next morning Andy (Laws) had to give a group of new pilots some practise flying before we went to the target range; so as I was badly in need of some practise too I went for a little cross-country jaunt in my machine, familiarising myself with our present sector of operations.

I didn't pay much attention to what was being said, but I noticed that when I was returning to the airdrome Control seemed to be calling "Yellow One" and having difficulty in getting a reply.

After half an hour's dumb sad waiting around the telephone in our pilots' hut we heard the story.

Shortly after, the under surface of the starboard mainplane of K9805 struck the top of the rear portion of the fuselage of P9564 and severed it.

Spitfire K9805 (Vinyard) went into a dive, but the pilot managed to gain control and land safely at Driffield airfield.Exactly how the accident happened is unknown.

Frederick Fenton Vinyard was on an operational section patrol with two other Spitfires of 64 Squadron in the vicinity of Flamborough Head.