Richard Grace, who was a skillful pilot of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft has sadly died. His death have left so many hearts wounded beyond measures and completely shattered. His funeral arrangements and obituary will be announced by his family. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
“We are profoundly sad to announce that on the evening of October 15th 2024 Richard Grace lost his stoic battle with ongoing illness. Richard leaves behind his wife Daisy, their two children Allegra and Stirling, and his sisters Olivia and Nicola. More information will be given when appropriate. His immediate family, and his wider family at Air Leasing and Ultimate Warbirds Flights, would like to request your respect in giving them the space and privacy they need to grieve this terrible loss.” _The Grace Spitfire’s made this announcement on their Facebook page that Richard Grace, of Air Leasing at Sywell, has passed away.
About the Grace Spitfire
The Spitfire used by Grace, The ML407 was initially constructed at Castle Bromwich in the early months of 1944 as a single-seater Mark IX fighter. It was deployed to the front lines of combat throughout the final twelve months of World War II with six different allied squadrons of the Royal Air Force’s 2nd Tactical Air Force. A total of 176 operational combat sorties were completed by the ML407, which resulted in an impressive total of 319 hours of combattime. ML407 was delivered to 485 New Zealand Squadron on the 29th April 1944 by Jackie Moggridge, one of the top lady pilots of the Air Transport Auxilllary (ATA), where it became the ‘mount’ of Flying Officer Johnnie Houlton DFC who was accredited, whilst flying ML407, with the first enemy aircraft shot down over the Normandy beachhead on 6th June D-Day.
