John Connell Freeborn, DFC & Bar (1 December 1919 – 28 August 2010) was a fighter pilot and flying ace in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War.

[2] He later attended Leeds Grammar School and, although a bright and confident pupil, his dislike of petty authority made him glad to leave as soon as possible.

[3] Later, during the war, he borrowed a Gloster Gauntlet and flew up to revisit his alma mater, giving an aerobatic display before landing on the school cricket pitch.

Freeborn described the irony of having the masters who, only a few years earlier, had berated and beaten him telling a new crop of pupils what a shining example he was.

In July 1939 Freeborn was one of the 74 Squadron pilots to fly Spitfires to France to celebrate Bastille Day with the French Air Force.

[citation needed] Freeborn felt that his commanding officer, Sailor Malan, tried to evade responsibility for the incident.

[8] At the ensuing court martial, Malan testified for the prosecution against his own pilots, stating that Freeborn had been irresponsible, impetuous, and had not taken proper heed of vital communications.

[citation needed] Confirmed in his rank of pilot officer on 17 January 1940,[12] his first taste of enemy action was over Dunkirk covering the British Expeditionary Force's escape.

Evading the advancing German troops, at one point pinned down by machine-gun fire hiding in a cemetery, he walked for several days to Calais,[14] where a Blenheim took him back to England.

His DFC citation said:[18] This officer has taken part in nearly all offensive patrols carried out by his squadron since the commencement of the war, including operations over the Low Countries and Dunkirk, and, more recently, engagements over the Channel and southeastern England.

He flew escort operations to bombers attacking German shipping and installations on the French and Dutch coasts.

Freeborn was always an outspoken and forthright man, and never held back from expressing his opinion even when it was as iconoclastic as disliking Sailor Malan.

[33] He remained in the reserves for another two years, receiving a substantive promotion to flight lieutenant on 1 November 1947 (seniority from 1 September 1945).

[35] In civilian life, Freeborn qualified as a driving instructor, but soon joined Tetley Walker to serve as a regional director for their Minster Minerals soft drinks brand.

This, in turn, gave rise to Tiger Cub, Freeborn's own account of his time in 74 Squadron, which he co-authored with Christopher Yeoman and published in 2009.

[42] An additional 3.3 unconfirmed kills are attributed to him: (Source for all combat record: Aces High – A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces in World War II)