William Clyde DFC (26 July 1912 – 25 March 1985) was a British flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War.

[1][2] Encouraged by his friend Max Aitken, the son of the Baron Beaverbrook, Clyde joined the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF) in 1935.

601 Squadron was put on notice to prepare for hostilities just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War and Roger Bushell, one of its members, messaged Clyde, still in the United States, to warn him.

Clyde made passage to the United Kingdom aboard the RMS Aquitania, arriving on 5 September.

601 Squadron was based at Biggin Hill and operated the Bristol Blenheim, a twin-engined heavy fighter that Clyde had no experience on.

[1] The citation, published in The London Gazette, read: This officer was posted to France in early May 1940 and has led his flight on many occasions with great skill and has set a high standard of morale and leadership.Returning to Tangmere, the squadron recovered from its involvement in the Battle of France and engaged in convoy patrols along the English Channel.

Clyde shot down a Dornier Do 17 medium bomber that was heading to Bournemouth on a reconnaissance sortie 15 miles (24 km) from Cherbourg on 6 June.

The squadron then became drawn into the Battle of Britain as the Luftwaffe commenced its campaign against British shipping traversing these waters.

[4][2][7] On 13 August, the opening day of the Luftwaffe's campaign to destroy the RAF, Clyde flew multiple scrambles; he claimed the probable destruction of a Junkers Ju 88 medium bomber near Arundel on his first, shot down a Bf 110 to the west of Swanage and damaged another on his second, and destroyed a pair of Bf 110s over Winchester on his third.

The next day, 16 August, he shot down a Junkers Ju 87 dive bomber off Selsey Bill, and shared in damaging a second.

601 Squadron began to fly on fighter sweeps to German-occupied France as part of the RAF's Circus offensive.

On recovery, he was posted to the United States to serve in Washington, D.C. as the Deputy Director (Air) for the Combined Chiefs of Staff.

He resumed work after receiving treatment but retired the following year after being advised that his condition could be fatal if he continued to overexert himself.

[1] Planning to settle in Sri Lanka, Clyde instead moved to Acapulco in Mexico on advice from friends.