Wing Commander Hugh John Sherard "Beazle" Beazley, DFC (18 July 1916 – 13 June 2011) was a Royal Air Force fighter pilot during the Second World War.
On 27 September 1940, while attacking a Messerschmitt Bf 110, Beazley was badly wounded in the foot but managed to nurse his aircraft back to RAF North Weald.
[3] After being wounded in action, Beazley spent five months in hospital before rejoining the squadron in March 1941 in time to sail for Malta on the carrier HMS Ark Royal.
On 19 January 1942 his Hurricane was hit by ground fire during an attack on the Italian airfield at Comiso and he was forced to crash land on his return to Malta.
249 Squadron's commanding officer but, in February 1942, after 10 months of continuous action and 215 combat sorties during the Battle of Britain and over Malta, he was rested.
In March 1944 he was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for "displaying the highest standard of courage and leadership" and appointed to command the operational airfield at Minneriya in Ceylon.
[6] In the final stages of the war Beazley was offered further promotion, but since this meant he would have to stop flying, he transferred to Transport Command and flew Dakotas with No.
He loved Nigeria and its people and remained lifelong friends with his Nigerian colleague, Simeon Adebo – later United Nations Under-Secretary General.