as Deere believed it should have happened the previous month. It would play no further role in the Battle of Britain. Since the beginning of 1940, its pilots had accounted for the destruction of at least 92 enemy aircraft. Shortly after the squadron's return to Yorkshire, Deere's award of a bar to his DFC was announced. The published citation read: No. 54 Squadron remained in Yorkshire for the remainder of 1940, classified as a training unit. Deere was an instructor, involved in practice flights with new pilots and bringing them up to speed with combat tactics. On one such flight in December 1940, he collided with a trainee's aircraft, his Spitfire losing most of its tail and going into a spin. Bailing out with some difficulty due to the centrifugal forces of the spinning aircraft, he became trapped against the remnants of the tailplane. He was finally able to break free as the Spitfire approached the ground but his parachute, which had been damaged, failed to fully open. Deere landed in a pool of farm sewerage that broke much of his fall. As a result of this incident he was rested from active flying. Squadron leader In January 1941 Deere was promoted to acting squadron leader and tasked as an operations room controller at Catterick. Due to weather conditions, flying was limited and No. 54 Squadron shifted back to Hornchurch in February. The squadron's role was now to conduct offensive sweeps, codenamed Rhubarbs, over France. Deere soon tired of his controller duties and sought a return to flying operations. In May 1941, he was posted to No. 602 Squadron, which operated Spitfires from Ayr, in Scotland, as one of its flight commanders. This move saw him return to the rank of flight lieutenant. When Deere arrived at No. 602 Squadron, he was already well known as a fighter ace and for his narrow escapes. On an early practice flight over the North Sea with the squadron, his Spitfire developed engine trouble. He only just made the Scottish coast and crash landed in a potato field, flipping his aircraft onto its back, temporarily trapping him. He was able to wriggle free and make his way back to Ayr. In May 1941, the squadron provided air cover for the battleship HMS Prince of Wales, which was returning to Scotland after its involvement in the Battle of the Denmark Strait. In July, No.