Awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal and commissioned as a flight lieutenant, by the time he was shot down over Lille in 1941, he had reached a tally of 15 victories.
Frederick William Higginson was the son of a policeman, born into a Welsh language-speaking family in Gorseinon, Swansea, on 17 February 1913.
By this time his incendiaries had set my engine on fire and I actually crash-landed alongside himOn 17 June 1941, as part of the close escort for No.2 Group light bombers raiding Lille, Higginson was shot down.
[5] Higginson landed in a wood 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Fauquembergues, where he was quickly rounded up by a German Army officer and sergeant who arrived on a motorcycle and sidecar combination.
[5] To allow Higginson to exit via Vichy France to Spain, Cole escorted him on a train journey via Tours and St Martin-le-Beau, where at the station they were questioned by German officers.
Not convinced by the story that Higginson was an idiot seeking work, on searching his valise they were unable to find further evidence as its contents were smothered by chocolate which had melted in the summer heat.
Cole left Higginson at the Marseilles home of Greek doctor Georges Rodocanochi and his wife, who operated a safe house for Pat O'Leary's MI9 section.
[5][8] Impatient at being out of the action, Higginson caught a train to Perpignan, where with an Australian Army Corporal they persuaded a Catalan to guide them to Spain.
Placed in Fort de la Revere above Monte Carlo on 17 March he decided to assume the name Captain Bennett as he believed the Germans disliked airmen.
Now accompanied by French underground operatives to Canet Plage, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) due east of Perpignan, it was chosen because the two safe houses – the Hotel du Tennis and Villa Anitawas – could accommodate the 25 man group of agents and pilots.
Transferred to the SOE fast patrol boat HMS Minna,[5] she returned to her base in Gibraltar, from where Higginson was flown home to RAF Greenock on 5 October 1942.
[5] In 1956 Higginson resigned from the RAF to join the newly demerged Bristol Aircraft Ltd, based in London as its military liaison officer.
In 1963 he joined the board of Bristol Aircraft then in the New Year Honours 1964 Higginson was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to industry.