Crelin Bodie, DFC (April 1920 – 24 February 1942) was a British flying ace who served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War.

He flew Supermarine Spitfire fighters extensively during the squadron's operations in the Battle of Britain, achieving several aerial victories.

Crelin Arthur Walford, the son of Henry and Elsie Bodie, was born in April 1920 at Kirton in the county of Suffolk in the United Kingdom.

[1] At the time Bodie joined the unit, it was based at Duxford and, equipped with Supermarine Spitfire fighters, was involved in providing aerial cover for the British Expeditionary Force as it was evacuated from the beaches at Dunkirk.

66 Squadron reverted to patrolling over the North Sea from Coltishall and being scrambled to intercept incoming raids.

Flying closer to Lowestoft the following day, he and five other pilots combined to shoot down a Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter.

[5] Bodie's successes in the fighting over southeast England were subsequently recognised with an award of the Distinguished Flying Cross.

[5] The citation for the DFC was published in The London Gazette and read: One day in September, 1940, Pilot Officer Bodie was engaged on an offensive patrol with his squadron when a large formation of enemy bombers was encountered.

Pressing home his attack on the hostile aircraft in turn, he eventually caused them to crash into the sea.

[5] At the suggestion of his squadron commander, Athol Forbes, Bodie wrote an account of his experiences during the Battle of Britain, and this was subsequently edited and published in 1942 as a chapter in the book 'Ten Fighter Boys'.

However, on 20 December, Bodie, flying with Flight Lieutenant G. Christie, made one of Fighter Command's earliest hit-and-run sorties to France, successfully attacking an airfield at Le Touquet.

[1] His new unit, the flying personnel being mostly Czechs who had escaped the German occupation of their country, was equipped with the Hawker Hurricane fighter Mk IIa fighter and flew occasional offensive sorties to France and patrols along the east coast of England.

Early in 1942, the squadron moved to Northern Ireland, patrolling over the Irish Sea from Eglinton near County Londonderry.