Keith Donald Hugh 'Fanny' Barton is a long standing member of Hornet Squadron.
Early Life[]
Born and raised in New Zealand,[N 1] Barton's father was keen on cricket, and hoped his son would one day play for the national team.[3]
RAF Service[]
A Piece of Cake[]
As senior flight commander, Barton takes command of Hornet Squadron following Hector Ramsay's accidental death, assigning Stickwell to take over A Flight. Many of the pilots, especially 'Flip' Moran, resent his promotion. He led the squadron in the Battle of Southend Sands, apparently a successful interception of German bomber over the Thames estuary; the squadron later learns that the bomber they shot down was a Bristol Blenheim. Barton takes responsibility and faces a board of inquiry.
He later rejoind the squadron at Chateau St Pierre in France, where he resumed leadership of 'A' Flight. During the Battle of France he stood by Squadron Leader Rex, despite his misgivings about the obsolete tactics Rex insisted on using.
When the squadron is reconstituted months later, following Rex's death, and the withdrawal back to England, Barton receives an official promotion to Squadron Leader. He forges a strong relationship with Christopher Hart, who he promotes to flight leader, and together they try to overcome the inadequacies of RAF training and equipment.
At the end of the novel, in the middle of the largest Luftwaffe daylight raid on London, Barton is last seen attacking the German bomber formations alongside Hart.[4]
Post Battle of Britain[]
Following the Battle of Britain, Hornet Squadron re-equipped with Spitfires, and carried out missions over occupied France. Returning from one such sortie, Barton was forced to crash his aircraft into a barn near Dover, resulting in a four month stay in hospital. This was followed by two months as an instructor in an Operational Training Unit, before he was granted permission to resume command of Hornet Squadron.[5]
A Good Clean Fight[]
By April 1942 Hornet Squadron has re-equipped with Curtiss Tomahawks and deployed to North Africa, and Fanny Barton is still the commanding officer. After almost three years of war, Barton is much more bloodthirsty than he was during the Battle of Britain. He hatches a plan to lure the Luftwaffe into the air by repeatedly strafing targets on the ground. This once again puts him in conflict with Skull Skelton, the intelligence officer, and leads to the squadron's eventual dissolution.
He is eventually promoted to Wing Commander, and placed in charge of a Flying Training School in Rhodesia.[6]
Notes[]
- ↑ This was changed to Australia for the miniseries.