Francis Dawson - Paul Francis Dawson - Paul ( 1916 – 1940 ) was a fighter ace in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War . He was seconded to the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain serving with No . 64 Squadron RAF . Between the 1 and 25 July he shot down seven and a half German aircraft and was then shot down himself over the English Channel . Taken prisoner by the crew of a German E - boat he died of his wounds five days later . In those 24 days of combat he became the first naval air ace of the battle and the highest scoring naval ace on the Supermarine Spitfire , a record which still stood by the end of the war . History . Francis Dawson - Paul was born on 18 February 1916 in Chelsea London , the son of Joseph Dawson Paul and Flavie Leonie Paul . In 1934 he gained a commission in the Reserve of Air Force Officers and reached the rank of Flight Lieutenant before having to resign due to ill health on 5 May 1937 . Second World War . Dawson - Paul enlisted in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy when war was declared and commissioned Sub - Lieutenant on 26 September 1939 . He then commenced training with 758 Naval Air Squadron at HMS Raven at Eastleigh . A shortage of fighter pilots just prior to the Battle of Britain led to the Fleet Air Arm asking for volunteers to serve with the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) Fighter Command . Dawson - Paul was one of 23 naval aviators who volunteered to be seconded to the Royal Air Force . Sub - Lieutenant Francis Dawson - Paul was posted to the 7 OTU ( Operational Training Unit ) at Hawarden , North Wales , for a conversion course to the Supermarine Spitfire on 23 June . After the course he was posted to No . 64 Squadron RAF which at the time was based at RAF Kenley located to the south of London . The squadron had been issued with the Supermarine Spitfire in April 1940 , a type of plane not yet in use with the Fleet Air Arm . Before Dawson - Paul joined them they had been working over the beaches of Dunkirk providing air cover for Operation Dynamo the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force . Dawson - Paul arrived at RAF Kenley on 1 July , he was involved in operations from the first day assisting in the destruction of a Dornier Do 17 , the first of the naval pilots seconded to the RAF to put in a claim . He later described the action in detail : As Blue 2 I was ordered to scramble with Blue section at 1830 hours to patrol base at . I first reported a streak of white smoke , which I identified was condensing exhaust gases coming from what I thought was the enemy aircraft . This streak was about ahead and to the starboard of me - I was about behind Blue 1 , as my engine was not giving full power . Crossing the coast I passed a section of Hurricanes and as I drew nearer I saw another section in line astern preparing to attack . I concluded that the enemy aircraft must have sighted the Hurricanes and Blue 1 , as it started to take evasive action and lost height in a steep spiral . I followed down drawing towards it and after the Hurricanes and Blue 1 had delivered their attacks , I overhauled it and opened fire at approximately s , closing up to about as I gave it three bursts . I saw my bullets enter the rear portion of the enemy aircraft . I broke away to port , gained height and delivered another attack from the rear . This time the enemy aircraft turned to port and I broke to starboard and I was just positioning myself for another attack when I saw the enemy aircraft strike the water and sink almost at once . My aircraft was hit four times , twice in the starboard main plane and twice underneath the rudder . I returned to Kenly at approximately 1955 hours . Dawson - Paul ' s first outright victory was four days later on 5 July when he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 over Rouen ; on his way home he made a forced landing at RAF Hawkinge . His next victim was a Messerschmitt Bf 110 on 7 July , followed by two more Messerschmitt Bf 110s shot down on 13 July and a third claimed as probably shot down . He shot down his second Dornier Do 17 on 24 July . His final victory was a Messerschmitt Bf 109 of JG 26 on 25 July , unfortunately he was also shot down himself later the same day . Severely wounded , he was picked up from the English Channel by a German E - boat , becoming a prisoner of war . He died of his wounds five days later on 30 July 1940 and was buried in the Hardinghen churchyard in France . Legacy . Sub - Lieutenant Francis Dawson - Paul was the first naval ace of the Second World War . His seven and a half confirmed victories and one probable places him eighth on the list of Royal Navy aces during the conflict . If the list did not include shared victories he would be second . All his victories were achieved during 25 days in July 1940 , but by the end of the war he was still the leading naval ace on the Supermarine Spitfire . To recognise his achievements in May 2010 , the Falkland Islands included him on a postage stamp issued to commemorate the seventieth Anniversary of the Battle of Britain .