Denis Shipwright Denis Ewart Bernard Kingston Shipwright FRSA ( 20 May 1898 – 13 September 1984 ) was a British soldier and Royal Air Force officer who served throughout both world wars . In his youth he became a motor racing driver ; after a brief political career , he found it difficult to find work but eventually went into the film industry . His later life was spent working as a civil servant but he kept up his hobbies and developed an interest in Unidentified Flying Object s . Early life and wartime service . Shipwright was born in London , the second son of Thomas Johnson Shipwright ; his mother was the classical pianist and composer Adelina de Lara . At the age of 16 in 1914 he enlisted in the Army as a Private . He initially fought in the First World War as a Despatch Rider with the 2 / 1st Kent Cyclist Battalion ( attached to the Queen ' s Own Royal West Kent Regiment ) , and then became a Pilot for the Royal Flying Corps . Pilot . Shipwright as a pilot was noted for his sense of humour and was said to have a " devil - may - care attitude " . He was wounded and crashed while flying a mission around the Somme . He was promoted from the ranks , becoming a temporary Second Lieutenant in the RFC on 5 July 1917 , and a Captain in the Royal Air Force in 1918 . He was also a Lieutenant in the 96th Devon Yeomanry Brigade , and after the end of the war became an acting Captain in the Royal 1st Devon Yeomanry in 1920 . He was appointed to the administrative branch of the Royal Air Force , relinquishing his appointment in March 1921 on appointment to the Territorial forces but retaining the rank of Captain . His father died young ; in 1918 Shipwright became engaged to Kate Hain , daughter of Sir Edward Hain ( former Liberal Member of Parliament for St Ives ) . and they married on 20 March of that year . He also continued his education at Lille University and University College , Oxford . In 1920 he was admitted to the Middle Temple although still only an Oxford undergraduate . Motor racing . In August 1920 Shipwright had bought a 30 hp racing car from Armstrong Siddeley which over the winter he tuned up and modified to improve its performance ; he also fitted an airspeed indicator and altimeter . In 1921 he won the 24th running of the " 100 mph Long Handicap " at Brooklands having been given a favourable handicap . Shipwright also wrote to " The Autocar " explaining how he had driven his car from Hyde Park Corner in London to St Ives in Cornwall and made a good average speed and without the car breaking down . The letter prompted a reply from Lord Curzon who objected that publicising his activities would encourage the police to set more speed traps for motorists . Shipwright kept up his interest in motor racing and in April 1930 bought another Armstrong Siddeley car . He competed in other speed trials and hill climbs . Politics . On 17 December 1921 Shipwright was adopted as Conservative candidate for Penryn and Falmouth , succeeding the retiring Conservative MP Sir Edward Nicholl . Shipwright was only 23 years old but his record of serving throughout the war was noted . He had begun a business career as a Director of Porthia China Clays Ltd . During his election campaign Shipwright ' s election address pledged him to a strong Navy , and a foreign policy which aimed at securing an honourable peace with a just settlement of reparations and war debts . In domestic policy he sought economy without decreasing safety and efficiency . The Liberal Party ' s national split was mirrored in Penryn and Falmouth with Sir Courtenay Mansel fighting as the official candidate but opposed by George Hay Morgan who was a former MP for Truro ; there was also a Labour Party candidate . Shipwright won the election with 11 , 566 votes and a majority of 2 , 687 over Mansel . To celebrate his election , the ex - servicemen of Falmouth ceremoniously dragged his motor car up hill to the station when he caught the train to London to take his seat . Parliament . Shipwright made his maiden speech in a debate on unemployment on 8 March 1923 . He attributed part of the blame for the state of unemployment to the miners ' strike of 1921 , and pointed out that every tin mine in Cornwall had closed down after that strike and had not reopened . He gave praise to the Conservative government for reducing the numbers of unemployed people and appealed for more faith , good will and confidence . His speech was received with cheers . This proved to be his only speech before the short 1922 Parliament was dissolved and Shipwright was forced to face re - election . Unlike the previous election , the Liberal reunification meant he faced a straight fight with Sir Courtenay Mansel . Government proposals for the China clay industry , where mines in the constituency had been going through tough economic times , were thought to be a major issue . Shipwright lost his seat , polling 10 , 429 votes to Mansel ' s 17 , 015 . Employment troubles . Initially Shipwright went back to the armed services where he was promoted within the 26th Anti - Aircraft Battalion of the Territorial Royal Engineers in 1924 . Shipwright ' s first marriage ended in divorce in 1926 . He found it difficult to find work after his Parliamentary career ended , and in September 1927 had to resort to advertising in " The Times " : He did find work in the film industry , being assistant director on " Love ' s Option " ( 1928 ) and production manager on " Auld Lang Syne " in 1929 for Welsh - Pearson - Elder . He worked as a Director of the Cinephonic Music Co . Ltd and later in production and administration for the Gaumont British Picture Corporation and for its sister company Gainsborough Pictures . As such in 1935 he became a representative of the Film Producers Group on the Federation of British Industries , a member of the Kinematograph Advisory Committee and an adviser to the British Films Advancement Council . Return to RAF . On 16 May 1939 , Shipwright was granted a commission as a Pilot Officer ( on probation ) in the Royal Air Force , and resigned his commission in the Reserve of Officers for the Royal Engineers . Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War , on 9 September 1939 Shipwright was confirmed in his appointment and promoted to Flying Officer . Passing out of RAF Training College in 1940 , Shipwright served in France in 1940 , being mentioned in despatches . In 1941 , while serving in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve , Shipwright was made bankrupt on a petition by his creditors , but this move did not interrupt his career . He undertook a special mission to Gibraltar in 1942 , and was promoted to temporary Squadron Leader on 1 September 1942 . In 1944 he was awarded the Air Efficiency Award and remained serving with the RAF until 1945 . In 1954 he relinquished his commission in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve , retaining his rank of Squadron Leader . Civilian life . After the end of the war Shipwright went to work for the General Post Office . He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts in 1946 . In 1950 Shipwright joined the Surrey Special Constabulary , and in 1953 he was made a Major in the 11th ( HG ) Battalion of the Queen ’ s Royal Regiment . When discharged from the RAF in 1954 he became a civil servant as an officer with the Ministry of Agriculture , Fisheries and Food in Guildford . Keeping up his interest in motoring , Shipwright became a member of the Civil Service Motoring Association , and of the Brooklands Society ; he was also a member of the Company of Veteran Motorists and the Order of Knights of the Road . His aviation interests were pursued through membership of the De Havilland Moth Club and of Fairoaks Flight Centre . Despite being in his 80s Shipwright obtained a flight certificate from Europa Airships Operations in 1982 . He also became interested in Unidentified flying object s , becoming a member of the British UFO Research Association and chairman of the North East Surrey Group of the Contact UFO Research Investigation Association . He was additionally a member of the British Society for the Turin Shroud . Shipwright also became interested in Scottish culture and was a member of the Sir Harry Lauder Society of Portobello from 1979 , and also of the Edinburgh International Festival Society and Guild . His entry in " Who ' s Who " notes that he was a voluntary driver for Surrey County Council Hospitals Car and Ambulance Service and a Governor of the Royal Hospital and Home for Incurables ; it records that he was made a Knight of the Order of St John of Jerusalem .