Air Vice Marshal Harold Arthur Cooper "Birdie" Bird-Wilson, (20 November 1919 – 27 December 2000) was a senior Royal Air Force officer, and a flying ace of the Second World War. Early life Bird-Wilson was born in Prestatyn, North Wales, on 20 November 1919. His father was a tea-planter in Bengal, and his parents remained in India, sending Bird-Wilson to boarding school. He later went to Liverpool College. Military career On 30 November 1937, having had a few weeks initial officer training, he was granted a short-service commission in the RAF. In August 1938 he was assigned to No. 17 Squadron, learning the rudiments of being a fighter pilot in Gloster Gauntlets. The Squadron was re-equipped with Hawker Hurricanes in June 1939. Ten weeks later, he was flying a BA Swallow out of RAF Cranwell when he crashed in bad weather. His passenger was killed, and Bird-Wilson was left without a nose. He was treated by pioneering plastic surgeon Archibald McIndoe, who offered Bird-Wilson the nose of his choice, and went on to treat many disfigured RAF pilots during the war. Bird-Wilson subsequently became a member of the Guinea Pig Club, composed of McIndoe's former patients. Second World War In April 1940 Bird-Wilson was back on active service, in time to fly Hurricanes for the British retreat from France in the following weeks. As an already accomplished pilot, he was one of the elite selected for one of Cuthbert Orde's iconic charcoal portraits, which was drawn on 11 September 1940. On the morning of 24 September, flying Hurricane P3878 near Chatham, he became the 40th kill of Luftwaffe ace Adolf Galland of JG 26. Baling out on fire, he landed in the Thames and was picked up by a navy boat. Yet again he was hospitalised. In 1941 he went back into service as an instructor at No. 56 Operational Training Unit (OTU) before seeing action flying Spitfires with No. 234 Squadron RAF, participating in raids over northern France. He returned for a spell commanding a unit at No. 56 OTU later in the year. In 1942 he commanded No. 152 Squadron RAF and No. 66 Squadron RAF as they led fighter escorts for bombing raids to the northern European coast, moving on to lead Wings in 1943. In 1944 he attended command training in the US at Fort Leavenworth, before returning to action over the Normandy Invasion. He ended