Richard Hillary was born in Australia in 1919 and brought up in England. Oxford educated, he was a writer foremost who was also a fighter pilot. When World War Two came he joined 603 Sqn and became an ace in the Battle of Britain. His life changed when he was shot down in September 1940, suffering severe burns to his face and hands. During a long and painful recovery he wrote the wartime classic The Last Enemy, an outstanding literary contribution. Anxious to return to flying, he pushed himself to the limit and was killed when his Blenheim crashed in 'mysterious' circumstances on 8 January 194