Portrait of Paul Farnes

Birthday profile

Paul Farnes

Paul Farnes, British Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilot (died 2020)

Born
July 16, 1918
Died
January 28, 2020
Zodiac sign
Cancer
Birth year
1918

About Paul Farnes

Paul Caswell Powe Farnes, (16 July 1918 – 28 January 2020) was a British Royal Air Force fighter pilot, and Second World War flying ace. He flew during the Battle of Britain as one of "The Few", piloting Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire aircraft. He scored 8 kills (comprising 7 solo and 2 shared aircraft destroyed, 2 'probables', and 11 damaged). == Early life == Paul Caswell Powe Farnes was born in Boscombe, Hampshire, on 16 July 1918. He was educated at Surbiton County School and Kingston Technical College, living near Walton-on-Thames, before joining the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) in April 1938. == Second World War == After completing his training, in the RAFVR, as a pilot he joined No. 501 Squadron RAF in September 1939 and remained with the squadron when it went to France in May 1940. He claimed his first victories during the Battle of France, with 'shares' in two bombers downed and a He 111 shot down solo. During August 1940 he claimed 5 more and in October 1940 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM). By now a sergeant pilot, he was commissioned a pilot officer (on probation) on 3 December 1940.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Paul Farnes timeline

  1. During August 1940 he claimed 5 more and in October 1940 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM).
  2. Farnes's first wife was Pamela Barton who died in 1989.

The world when Paul Farnes was born

Paul Farnes was born in 1918. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1918

  • Best-selling book"The U.P. Trail" – Zane Grey

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentWorld Series played in September due to WWI
  • Top headlineWorld War I ends — Spanish Flu pandemic begins
  • Technology milestoneFirst regular airmail service
  • World population~1.78B

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderWoodrow Wilson
  • U.S. population102.0M

1918 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Paul Farnes's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19182026
Gas$0.25$3.45/gal
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population102.0M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Prabook, WikiTree, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.