Joseph Kayll

Who was Joseph Kayll?

Joseph Robert Kayll DSO, OBE, DFC, AE, DL was a British flying ace who served in the Royal Air Force in the Second World War.

Kayall joined the Auxiliary Air Force in 1934, serving with No. 607 Squadron rising to become a flight lieutenant. Following the outbreak of the war he volunteered for full-time service and fought in France in early 1940 before taking part in the Battle of Britain, commanding No. 615 Squadron as an acting squadron leader. During the Battle of Britain Kayll was credited with shooting down seven German aircraft with one shared and six unconfirmed destroyed, along with six damaged. For these efforts he was awarded the DSO and DFC personally by King George VI. In 1941, he was promoted to wing commander and given command of The Hornchurch wing of three Spitfire squadrons.

In 1941 he was mentioned in despatches before being shot down over France in July. He was subsequently captured by the Germans and became a prisoner of war. He became Senior British officer at Oflag IX until moved to Warburg in October 1941.