Richard John Cork Richard John ( Dickie ) Cork DSO , DSC ( 4 April 1917 – 14 April 1944 ) was a fighter ace in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War . Cork , a naval officer , served in the Battle of Britain as the wingman for Douglas Bader in No . 242 Squadron Royal Air Force . In October 1940 , he was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross , which at the insistence of the Admiralty was exchanged for a Distinguished Service Cross . When he returned to the Fleet Air Arm , Cork served with 880 Naval Air Squadron in the Arctic , Mediterranean and Indian Ocean . It was during Operation Pedestal in 1942 that he became the only Royal Navy pilot to shoot down five aircraft in one day , and was the leading naval ace using the Hawker Hurricane . He was given command of the 15th Naval Fighter Wing aboard before being killed in a flying accident over Ceylon in 1944 . Early life . Richard John Cork was born in London , England on 4 April 1917 . He was the son of Harold James Cork and Ethel Mary Cork , of Burnham in Buckinghamshire . In the months prior to the war the Royal Navy encouraged school leavers to enlist by offering them short - service commissions . Cork was one of those that signed up in 1939 . Successfully passing an interview and medical , he joined the air branch and was promoted to Acting Sub - Lieutenant in May . Second World War . Cork was promoted Sub - Lieutenant in March 1940 . A shortage of fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain led to the Fleet Air Arm asking for volunteers to serve with the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) . On 1 July 1940 , Cork and two other naval pilots joined the Hawker Hurricane equipped No . 242 Squadron under the command of Squadron Leader Douglas Bader ; Cork was assigned to become Bader ' s wingman . On 30 August , he was involved in his first combat action with No . 242 Squadron . The unit claimed 12 aircraft destroyed , and Cork was credited with a Messerschmitt Bf 110 destroyed and a share in a second . By 13 September he had shot down five aircraft and became a fighter ace . For his exploits he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross ( DFC ) on 18 October , which at the insistence of the Admiralty was exchanged for a Distinguished Service Cross ( DSC ) . Out of the 58 Fleet Air Arm pilots seconded to the RAF during the Battle of Britain , 12 of them shot down at least one aircraft , five became aces , seven were killed and two wounded . Cork returned to the Fleet Air Arm after the battle and was posted to 880 Naval Air Squadron . The unit was equipped with the Grumman Martlet , which were exchanged for Hawker Sea Hurricane s by mid - 1941 . The squadron then joined for attacks on Petsamo and Kirkenes in Arctic Norway . Cork flew two missions but did not come into contact with the German defenders . After this attack , 880 Squadron joined the newly built fleet carrier in October 1941 , and Cork was promoted to Lieutenant the following month . One of the squadron ' s first operations with " Indomitable " involved the attack on Vichy French gun positions during the landings at Diego Suarez , Madagascar on 6 May 1942 . During these operations Cork claimed three Morane - Saulnier M . S . 406 s and four Potez 63 s , all destroyed on the ground . On 12 August 1942 , during Operation Pedestal , he became the only Royal Navy pilot to shoot down five aircraft in one day , for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order ( DSO ) . Flying a Sea Hurricane , his first success was at 12 : 30 hours when he shot down a Savoia - Marchetti SM . 79 over the convoy . Then , flying off the coast of Tunisia , he shot down a Junkers Ju 88 and shared in the destruction of another . Later in the day he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 110 and another Savoia - Marchetti SM . 79 . The squadron leader , Lieutenant - Commander Judd , was killed during these battles and Cork as the senior pilot was given command of 880 Squadron . In September 1942 he was promoted to Acting Lieutenant - Commander . In 1944 , Cork was given command of the 15th Naval Fighter Wing , comprising three squadrons of Vought F4U Corsair s , on board . The carrier sailed for the Indian Ocean to join the British Pacific Fleet . After arriving Cork was killed in a flying accident over China Bay , Ceylon on 14 August 1944 . His final score was nine destroyed , two shared , one probable , four damaged and seven destroyed on the ground . He was fifth on the table of Royal Navy Second World War aces . He was buried in Tincomolee War Cemetery .