Born in Finchley, Middlesex on July 3^rd 1916, Ian Richard Gleed was the son of Doctor Seymour Richard Gleed and Florence Hair Gleed. He was educated at Tenterden Preparatory School, Kent, and at Epsom College, Surrey. 

He was given the nickname 'Widge' – short for 'Wizard Midget', apparently due to his tendency to call things 'Wizard' and his short stature (he was 5 feet 6 inches tall).

After serving as Wing Commander Operations at HQ Fighter Command, Gleed was posted to the Middle East in January 1943. He was attached briefly to No. 145 Squadron RAF for operational experience, then led 244 Wing through the fighting in Libya and into Tunisia.  

 

On April 16^th 1943, while leading a patrol to attack a formation of enemy transport aircraft over Cape Bon, Ian was shot down, probably by Ernst-Wilhelm Leutnant Reinert  of JG77. After his Spitfire (AB502) had been hit, Ian then headed for the Tunisian coast. His aircraft was found on sand dunes near the sea on the western coastline of Cap Bon. His final victory score was 16 enemy aircraft destroyed.

Although Ian’s body was not at Cap Bon, it was known that he had been buried at Tazoghrane, and after being recovered later he was reburied, with military honours befitting his rank, at the Military Cemetery at Enfidaville, Tunisia on April 25^th 1944.

 

AB502

Ordered as part of a batch of 500 Mk. I aircraft in July 1940 AB502 was built at Castle Bromwich as a Mk. Vb.

 

Delivered to the RAF in January 1942 AB502 was shipped to Takoradi were it was fitted with an 'Aboukir' filter before being delivered to 244 Wing. It became Wing Commander Gleed's personal 'mount' in March 1943. Many Vb(trop)s were modified by 103 MU at Aboukir, Egypt by replacing the Vokes filter with locally manufactured "Aboukir" filters, which were lighter and more streamlined. Mk Vb aircraft were usually fitted with the wide blade Rotol propeller and often featured clipped wings. However, the ‘clipped’ wingtips fitted by 103MU were a different shape to the ‘official’ version and had no navigation lamps.

 

 

(Pencil on 12" x  9" Cartridge Paper)

 

Commissioned by Mrs. Anna Edwards-Fowler