James O'Meara

James Joseph "Orange" O'Meara, (20 February 1919 – 5 July 1974) was a Royal Air Force officer and fighter pilot of the Second World War. He became a flying ace during the Battle of Britain while flying the Supermarine Spitfire, and by war's end was credited with 11 kills, two shared victories, one unconfirmed destroyed, four probables, 11 damaged and one shared damaged. Early life O'Meara was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, on 20 February 1919. He had an early passion for aviation and worked as a bank clerk in Norwich, Norfolk to earn money to afford flying lessons. He gained a pilot's license No. 15093 at Norfolk & Norwich Aero Club on 19 June 1937 and entered the Royal Air Force on short commission in April 1938 aged 19. actually being commissioned pilot officer on 4 June 1938 and was confirmed as a pilot officer on 4 April 1939. On 18 June he was posted to 9 FTS, RAF Hullavington. Wartime service O'Meara's first operational posting was to No. 64 Squadron based at RAF Hornchurch, with which he obtained his first 'kill' while over Dunkirk on 31 May 1940 when he brought down a Bf 109. He had already damaged a Ju 88 off Calais on 21 May. His next claim was a Bf 109 of JG 51, shot down in flames over the English Channel on 19 July and ten days later, while intercepting a raid over Dover, claimed two Ju 87s. On 11 August he claimed 2 Bf 109 'probables' and on the following day destroyed one more. He claimed a Bf 109 down on 13 August, and on the 15th he damaged three Heinkel He 111 bombers. On 18 August O'Meara claimed shared destruction of a Ju 88 and a He 111 destroyed. O'Meara was shortly afterwards posted to No. 72 Squadron at Biggin Hill. He was promoted flying officer on 3 September 1940, before damaging a Do 17 on 27 September. He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 24 September 1940. His citation in the London Gazette read: