Hugh Kennard

Kennard joined the Royal Air Force on a short-service commission in January 1938 as an acting pilot officer.

After converting from Hurricanes to Supermarine Spitfires, Kennard led the American squadron on missions across the English Channel.

The station commander at the time purchased a five-gallon tin of peanut butter from Harrods in order to make the American personnel feel more at home.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war by the United States, Kennard is reputed to have proposed a toast with the words "You're all in it now, Yanks!"

He was made squadron commander in early 1942 and was shot down and wounded in July while participating in a bomber-escort mission.

[2] Having flown 58 missions since taking command, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for a combat operation in May 1942 in which he engaged eight enemy aircraft, shooting down two, with a third claimed as probable and a fourth damaged.

[13] After relinquishing command of 121 Squadron, Kennard was assigned to the Directorate of Fighter Operations in the Air Ministry and then to a role overseeing troop movements.

[2] In 1949, Kennard was to have taken part in a Royal Auxiliary Air Force Race based at RAF Elmdon.

He was due to fly a Meteor 3,[17] but the aircraft was unable to participate in the race because of the weather at its base,[18] RAF West Malling.

He founded or became director of, several airlines and aviation-related companies, including Air Kruise, which ran Ramsgate Airport, and Silver City Airways.

[26] In 1948 Kennard formed Skyfotos, which specialised in the commercial aerial photography of shipping passing through the English Channel and was based at Lympne and Ramsgate.

[40] In February 1976, the assets of Invicta were bought by Universal Air Transport Sales, which Kennard had set up.

[41] Invicta was sold in 1980, Kennard left the company and established a business at Canterbury restoring classic cars.