Frederick Higginson
Encyclopedia
Wing Commander
Frederick "Taffy" Higginson OBE DFC
DFM
(17 February 1913 – 12 February 2003), was a fighter ace
of the Royal Air Force
during World War II
.
The Flight Sergeant was part of the deployment which went to Dunkirk in 1940, where became an ace within the first six months of the war. Awarded the DFM and commissioned as a Flight Lieutenant
, by the time he was shot down over Lille in 1941, he had reached a tally of 15 victories. After capture, escape to Vichy France, recapture, he returned to England via Monte Carlo and Spain. Returning to operations in late 1942, the air battle required that he used his knowledge in training new pilots and developing improved strategies and tactics.
-speaking family in Gorseinon
, Swansea
, on 17 February 1913. Educated at Gowerton Grammar School, he joined the RAF straight from school as an apprentice in 1929, aged 16. Assigned for training at RAF Halton
, he was allocated service number: 44630. In 1932 he was posted as a fitter-airgunner to No 7 Bomber Squadron.
equipped No. 19 Squadron RAF the following year, and then quickly moved to C Flight to form No. 66 Squadron RAF
. Selected to play rugby for the RAF from 1936, in 1937 he moved to the Gloster Gladiator
equipped No. 56 Squadron RAF
, which was then re-equipped with the brand new Hawker Hurricane
monoplane fighter.
and a He 111 of KG 54 near Cambrai. After recording four victories in the Battle of France
, he returned to England and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal
on 27 July 1940, during the Battle of Britain
. Having already destroyed at least five enemy aircraft, the citation stated:
Between 12 August and 30 September, he accounted for a further nine enemy aircraft, reaching a total of at least 15 victories destroyed or damaged.
On 16 August, after sustaining damage from return fire from a Dornier Do 17
that he had critically damaged, he crash-landed his Hurricane Mk I (P3547) near Whitstable. On 18 August 1940 his Hurricane was again damaged in combat off the Essex
coast.
One of his victories during this period was supposedly the Bf 109 of Hans Mellangrau over the Thames Estuary. Higginson recalled the fight 60 years later, when the pair met up at a Battle of Britain memorial event:
, Higginson was shot down. The cause was never established, (anti-aircraft fire or enemy fighters) although Bf 109's of JG 26 claimed 11 Hurricanes of both No.56 and No.242 Squadrons (7 were actually lost). In the resulting explosion Higginson's control column snapped at the base, his left boot was torn off and his trousers were shredded.
Higginson landed in a wood 12 miles (19.3 km) northwest of Fauquembergues
, where he was quickly rounded up by a German Army
officer and sergeant who arrived on a motorcycle and sidecar combination. Placed in the sidecar, while his captors were distracted by a low-flying Me109, Higginson managed to crash the motorcycle and sidecar into a ditch, and ran off.
Hiding that night in a wood, Higginson made his way to an occupied hut, where he gained clothes and some cash from the owner. Waking into Fauquembergues, he ordered a beer in his limited French
. Hitching a lift with a lorry driver, he was taken to a local garage whose owner had contacts with an escape line for Allied airmen. Introduced to British Army Captain Harold "Paul" Cole, a fellow survivor of the Battle of Dunkirk and local co-ordinator of the underground escape route, Cole took him to local priest Abbé Carpentier in Abbeville, who provided Higginson with false identity papers. Higginson then travelled to Paris
, where he lodged in a brothel
until July 1941.
To allow Higginson to exit via Vichy France
to Spain
, Cole escorted him on a train journey via Tours
and St Martin-le-Beau, where at the station they were questioned by German officers. Not convinced by the story that Higginson was an idiot seeking work, on searching his valise they were unable to find further evidence as its contents were smothered by chocolate
which had melted in the summer heat. They also failed to find the pistol and British passports in Cole's luggage, as it was wrapped in dirty laundry. Cole left Higginson at the Marseilles home of Greek doctor
Georges Rodocanochi and his wife, who operated a safe house for Pat O'Leary's
MI9
section.
After Cole returned to northern France, Dr Rodocanochi told Higginson that he had discovered that Cole was not in fact a British Army captain, but a sergeant who had absconded with mess funds. Later, having been captured by the German's, Cole informed on Father Carpentier, who was subsequently executed.
, where with an Australian Army
Corporal they persuaded a Catalan
to guide them to Spain. Stopped by gendarmes
and found to have false papers, Higginson struck one of them. Imprisoned for six months, he was retained in reprisal for a further period after a 5 March 1942, RAF raid on the Renault
factory at Billancourt
. Placed in Fort de la Revere above Monte Carlo
on 17 March he decided to assume the name Captain Bennett as he believed the Germans disliked airmen.
urged O'Leary to get a group of pilots including Higginson back to Britain, under the Special Operations Executive
's Operation Titania. Using Polish priest Father Myrda as a go-between, O'Leary smuggled a hacksaw
blade into the prison. On the night of 6 August during a noisy inmate-contrived concert in the forts courtyard, Higginson and four other pilots escaped through a coal shute, and out of the fort via an operational sewer
. Reaching Cap d'Ail without his supplied ID card, Higginson reached the Scottish tea house in Monte Carlo
, a safe house run by spinster Eva Trenchard.
Disguised as priests and accompanied by Father Myrda, the group reached Marseilles. Now accompanied by French underground
operatives to Canet Plage, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) due east of Perpignan
, it was chosen because the two safe houses - the Hotel du Tennis and Villa Anitawas - could accommodate the 25 man group of agents and pilots. On 17 September the group were picked up from the beach by a dingy from the Q-ship
Tarana, a Polish
fishing trawler also called the Seawolf. Transferred to the SOE fast patrol boat HMS Minna, she returned to her base in Gibraltar
, from where Higginson was flown home to RAF Greenock on 5 October 1942.
, Higginson retrained on the Hawker Typhoon
before being attached to Napier & Son
, resolving production issues on the Napier Sabre
engine installed on the Hawker Typhoon.
He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
in July 1943, the citation stating:
In mid 1944 he was posted to 83 Group Communications Squadron until 1946 when he was posted to No. 11 Group RAF
, Headquarters Fighter Command at RAF Bentley Priory
.
in 1948, on graduation he was appointed personal staff officer to the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, RAF Training Command
. In 1951 he joined the staff of the Army Staff College, Camberley
. Promoted Wing Commander
from 1952, he served on the operational requirements staff, also taking a helicopter
course.
Field Squadron. To win, a squadron must have shown exceptional leadership, outstanding professionalism and sustained endeavor on both operations and exercises. They must also have displayed support and commitment to the local community.
and Surrey
until he was 40. Appointed sales and service director of the Guided Missiles Division, he was responsible for export sales of the newly developed ground-to-air missile defence system, Bloodhound. In 1963 he joined the board of Bristol Aircraft, appointed OBE in the same year for services to industry.
Having met Kuwait
i businessman Abdullah Alireza, in 1964 he left Bristol Aircraft to launch Rezayat Services' London office, building a substantial business for the Kuwaiti's European company.
. He lived there with his wife Jenny "Shan" Jenkins, whom he had married in 1937, and his four sons. His wife predeceased him in August 2002, while Higginson died on 12 February 2003.
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
Frederick "Taffy" Higginson OBE DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
DFM
Distinguished Flying Medal
The Distinguished Flying Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and the other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active...
(17 February 1913 – 12 February 2003), was a fighter ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The Flight Sergeant was part of the deployment which went to Dunkirk in 1940, where became an ace within the first six months of the war. Awarded the DFM and commissioned as a Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
, by the time he was shot down over Lille in 1941, he had reached a tally of 15 victories. After capture, escape to Vichy France, recapture, he returned to England via Monte Carlo and Spain. Returning to operations in late 1942, the air battle required that he used his knowledge in training new pilots and developing improved strategies and tactics.
Early life
Frederick William Higginson was the son of a policeman, born into a Welsh languageWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
-speaking family in Gorseinon
Gorseinon
Gorseinon is a town in southwest Wales, near the Loughor estuary. It was a small village until the late 19th century when it grew around the coal mining and tinplate industries. It is situated in the north west of Swansea, around north west of the city centre...
, Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, on 17 February 1913. Educated at Gowerton Grammar School, he joined the RAF straight from school as an apprentice in 1929, aged 16. Assigned for training at RAF Halton
RAF Halton
RAF Halton is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom, located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire.HRH The Duchess of Cornwall is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Halton.-History:...
, he was allocated service number: 44630. In 1932 he was posted as a fitter-airgunner to No 7 Bomber Squadron.
Pre-war pilot
Accepted for pilot training in 1935, on completion of training he joined the Gloster GauntletGloster Gauntlet
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Crawford, Alex. Bristol Bulldog, Gloster Gauntlet. Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2005. ISBN 83-89450-04-6....
equipped No. 19 Squadron RAF the following year, and then quickly moved to C Flight to form No. 66 Squadron RAF
No. 66 Squadron RAF
No. 66 Squadron was a Royal Flying Corps and eventually Royal Air Force aircraft squadron.-In World War I:It was first formed at Filton on 30 June 1916 as a Training Squadron equipped with BE2c,d & e, BE12 and Avroe 504A machines. The squadron received its first Sopwith Pup on 3 February 1917,...
. Selected to play rugby for the RAF from 1936, in 1937 he moved to the Gloster Gladiator
Gloster Gladiator
The Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was rendered obsolete by newer monoplane designs even as it...
equipped No. 56 Squadron RAF
No. 56 Squadron RAF
Number 56 Squadron is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both World War I and World War II...
, which was then re-equipped with the brand new Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
monoplane fighter.
Battle of Britain
Promoted to Flight Sergeant in 1940 he was sent to Dunkirk, France with "B" Flight. He scored his first victories on 17 May, downing a Do 17 of KG 76 near DouaiDouai
-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...
and a He 111 of KG 54 near Cambrai. After recording four victories in the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, he returned to England and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal
Distinguished Flying Medal
The Distinguished Flying Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and the other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active...
on 27 July 1940, during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. Having already destroyed at least five enemy aircraft, the citation stated:
Between 12 August and 30 September, he accounted for a further nine enemy aircraft, reaching a total of at least 15 victories destroyed or damaged.
On 16 August, after sustaining damage from return fire from a Dornier Do 17
Dornier Do 17
The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
that he had critically damaged, he crash-landed his Hurricane Mk I (P3547) near Whitstable. On 18 August 1940 his Hurricane was again damaged in combat off the Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
coast.
One of his victories during this period was supposedly the Bf 109 of Hans Mellangrau over the Thames Estuary. Higginson recalled the fight 60 years later, when the pair met up at a Battle of Britain memorial event:
Shot down
On 17 June 1941, as part of the close escort for No.2 Group light bombers raiding LilleLille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, Higginson was shot down. The cause was never established, (anti-aircraft fire or enemy fighters) although Bf 109's of JG 26 claimed 11 Hurricanes of both No.56 and No.242 Squadrons (7 were actually lost). In the resulting explosion Higginson's control column snapped at the base, his left boot was torn off and his trousers were shredded.
Higginson landed in a wood 12 miles (19.3 km) northwest of Fauquembergues
Fauquembergues
Fauquembergues is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A town situated 10 miles southwest of Saint-Omer, at the junction of the D928 with two minor roads, the D92 and the D158...
, where he was quickly rounded up by a German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
officer and sergeant who arrived on a motorcycle and sidecar combination. Placed in the sidecar, while his captors were distracted by a low-flying Me109, Higginson managed to crash the motorcycle and sidecar into a ditch, and ran off.
Hiding that night in a wood, Higginson made his way to an occupied hut, where he gained clothes and some cash from the owner. Waking into Fauquembergues, he ordered a beer in his limited French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. Hitching a lift with a lorry driver, he was taken to a local garage whose owner had contacts with an escape line for Allied airmen. Introduced to British Army Captain Harold "Paul" Cole, a fellow survivor of the Battle of Dunkirk and local co-ordinator of the underground escape route, Cole took him to local priest Abbé Carpentier in Abbeville, who provided Higginson with false identity papers. Higginson then travelled to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he lodged in a brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
until July 1941.
To allow Higginson to exit via Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Cole escorted him on a train journey via Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
and St Martin-le-Beau, where at the station they were questioned by German officers. Not convinced by the story that Higginson was an idiot seeking work, on searching his valise they were unable to find further evidence as its contents were smothered by chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
which had melted in the summer heat. They also failed to find the pistol and British passports in Cole's luggage, as it was wrapped in dirty laundry. Cole left Higginson at the Marseilles home of Greek doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
Georges Rodocanochi and his wife, who operated a safe house for Pat O'Leary's
Albert Guérisse
Major-General Comte Albert-Marie Edmond Guérisse, GC, KBE, DSO was a Belgian Resistance member who organized escape routes for downed Allied pilots during World War II under the alias of Patrick Albert "Pat" O'Leary, the name of a Canadian friend...
MI9
MI9
MI9, the British Military Intelligence Section 9, was a department of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence, part of the War Office...
section.
After Cole returned to northern France, Dr Rodocanochi told Higginson that he had discovered that Cole was not in fact a British Army captain, but a sergeant who had absconded with mess funds. Later, having been captured by the German's, Cole informed on Father Carpentier, who was subsequently executed.
Recapture
Impatient at being out of the action, Higginson caught a train to PerpignanPerpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
, where with an Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
Corporal they persuaded a Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
to guide them to Spain. Stopped by gendarmes
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
and found to have false papers, Higginson struck one of them. Imprisoned for six months, he was retained in reprisal for a further period after a 5 March 1942, RAF raid on the Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
factory at Billancourt
Billancourt
Billancourt is a commune in the Somme department in northern France....
. Placed in Fort de la Revere above Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
on 17 March he decided to assume the name Captain Bennett as he believed the Germans disliked airmen.
Return home
On discovering his retention, and with the RAF short of experienced pilots, MI9MI9
MI9, the British Military Intelligence Section 9, was a department of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence, part of the War Office...
urged O'Leary to get a group of pilots including Higginson back to Britain, under the Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
's Operation Titania. Using Polish priest Father Myrda as a go-between, O'Leary smuggled a hacksaw
Hacksaw
A hacksaw is a fine-tooth saw with a blade under tension in a frame, used for cutting materials such as metal or plastics. Hand-held hacksaws consist of a metal arch with a handle, usually a pistol grip, with pins for attaching a narrow disposable blade. A screw or other mechanism is used to put...
blade into the prison. On the night of 6 August during a noisy inmate-contrived concert in the forts courtyard, Higginson and four other pilots escaped through a coal shute, and out of the fort via an operational sewer
Storm drain
A storm drain, storm sewer , stormwater drain or drainage well system or simply a drain or drain system is designed to drain excess rain and ground water from paved streets, parking lots, sidewalks, and roofs. Storm drains vary in design from small residential dry wells to large municipal systems...
. Reaching Cap d'Ail without his supplied ID card, Higginson reached the Scottish tea house in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
, a safe house run by spinster Eva Trenchard.
Disguised as priests and accompanied by Father Myrda, the group reached Marseilles. Now accompanied by French underground
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
operatives to Canet Plage, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) due east of Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
, it was chosen because the two safe houses - the Hotel du Tennis and Villa Anitawas - could accommodate the 25 man group of agents and pilots. On 17 September the group were picked up from the beach by a dingy from the Q-ship
Q-ship
Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, Decoy Vessels, Special Service Ships, or Mystery Ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them...
Tarana, a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
fishing trawler also called the Seawolf. Transferred to the SOE fast patrol boat HMS Minna, she returned to her base in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, from where Higginson was flown home to RAF Greenock on 5 October 1942.
To end of WW2
To enable him to return to No. 56 Squadron RAFNo. 56 Squadron RAF
Number 56 Squadron is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both World War I and World War II...
, Higginson retrained on the Hawker Typhoon
Hawker Typhoon
The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied...
before being attached to Napier & Son
Napier & Son
D. Napier & Son Limited was a British engine and pre-Great War automobile manufacturer and one of the most important aircraft engine manufacturers in the early to mid-20th century...
, resolving production issues on the Napier Sabre
Napier Sabre
The Napier Sabre was a British H-24-cylinder, liquid cooled, sleeve valve, piston aero engine, designed by Major Frank Halford and built by Napier & Son during WWII...
engine installed on the Hawker Typhoon.
He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
in July 1943, the citation stating:
In mid 1944 he was posted to 83 Group Communications Squadron until 1946 when he was posted to No. 11 Group RAF
No. 11 Group RAF
No. 11 Group was a group in the Royal Air Force for various periods in the 20th century, finally disbanding in 1996. Its most famous service was during 1940 when it defended London and the south-east against the attacks of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.-First World War:No. 11 Group was...
, Headquarters Fighter Command at RAF Bentley Priory
RAF Bentley Priory
RAF Bentley Priory was a non-flying Royal Air Force station near Stanmore in the London Borough of Harrow. It was famous as the headquarters of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and the Second World War. The RAF Bentley Priory site includes a Grade II* listed Officers' Mess and Italian...
.
Post war RAF career
Sent to the RAF Staff College, BracknellRAF Staff College, Bracknell
The RAF Staff College at Bracknell was a Royal Air Force staff college active for most of the second half of the 20th century. Its role was the training of staff officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of air force matters...
in 1948, on graduation he was appointed personal staff officer to the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, RAF Training Command
RAF Training Command
Training Command was the RAF's command responsible for flying and ground training from 1936 to 1940 and again from 1968 to 1977.-History:Training Command was formed from Inland Area on 1 May 1936 and absorbed into RAF Support Command on 13 June 1977...
. In 1951 he joined the staff of the Army Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
. Promoted Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
from 1952, he served on the operational requirements staff, also taking a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
course.
Higginson Trophy
During his later career, Higginson created a trophy now named after him. The Higginson Trophy is awarded annually to the outstanding RAF RegimentRAF Regiment
The Royal Air Force Regiment is a specialist airfield defence corps founded by Royal Warrant in 1942. After a 32 week trainee gunner course, its members are trained and equipped to prevent a successful enemy attack in the first instance; minimise the damage caused by a successful attack; and...
Field Squadron. To win, a squadron must have shown exceptional leadership, outstanding professionalism and sustained endeavor on both operations and exercises. They must also have displayed support and commitment to the local community.
After the RAF
In 1956 Higginson resigned from the RAF to join the newly demerged Bristol Aircraft Ltd, based in London as its military liaison officer. He played rugby for London Welsh, RichmondRichmond F.C.
Richmond Football Club is a rugby union club from Richmond, London. It is a founding member of the Rugby Football Union, and is one of the oldest football clubs...
and Surrey
Surrey Rugby Football Union
The Surrey County Rugby Football Union is the union responsible for rugby union in the county of Surrey, England and is one of the constituent bodies of the national Rugby Football Union having been formed in 1879.-Early years of County representative team:...
until he was 40. Appointed sales and service director of the Guided Missiles Division, he was responsible for export sales of the newly developed ground-to-air missile defence system, Bloodhound. In 1963 he joined the board of Bristol Aircraft, appointed OBE in the same year for services to industry.
Having met Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
i businessman Abdullah Alireza, in 1964 he left Bristol Aircraft to launch Rezayat Services' London office, building a substantial business for the Kuwaiti's European company.
Retirement
After retiring in 1969 he bought Peny-Coed, a 250-acre farm estate with a large 17th century house, in CarmarthenshireCarmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
. He lived there with his wife Jenny "Shan" Jenkins, whom he had married in 1937, and his four sons. His wife predeceased him in August 2002, while Higginson died on 12 February 2003.