Background
Wright was born in Devon on 12 February 1920. His father had been in the Royal Flying Corps from 1916 and retired from the Royal Air Force in 1943.
Wright was born in Devon on 12 February 1920. His father had been in the Royal Flying Corps from 1916 and retired from the Royal Air Force in 1943.
Royal Air Force College Cranwell.
Wright scored 11 kills, three shared kills, five probable kills and seven damaged against the German Luftwaffe, and was one of the last surviving airmen called The Few who served in the Battle of Britain. Wright entered Royal Air Force College Cranwell as a flight cadet in April 1938. After training Wright was posted to Number.
92 Squadron Royal Air Force at Royal Air Force Tangmere on 29 October flying Bristol Blenheim night fighters.
On 8 March 1940, the squadron converted to Spitfires. Wright flew his first combat mission on 23 May 1940 over Dunkirk and claimed a probable Messerschmitt Bf 110 destroyed and two damaged.
The following day Wright added one confirmed Maine 110 and one "probable" Maine 110 and on 2 June a Messerschmitt Bf 109. During the Battle of Britain he shared a Heinkel He 111 destroyed on 14 August, a Heinkel He 111 of Kampfgeschwader 27 (Knight of the Order of the Garter 27) at night over Bristol on 29 August, a Heinkel He 111 and Messerschmitt Bf 109 "probable" on 11 September, a Messerschmitt Bf 109 damaged on the 14th, a Messerschmitt Bf 109 "probable" on the 15th, a Junkers Ju 88 "probable" on the 19th, a Dornier Do 17 on the 26th, a Junkers Ju 88 on the 27th, and two Messerschmitt Bf 109"s on the 30th.
On 30 September he was shot down and wounded near Brighton by a Messerschmitt Bf 109 of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27) and hospitalised.
The award of the (Distinguished Flying Cross) was made on 22 October 1940. On 6 December 1940 he destroyed a Messerschmitt Bf 109. By July 1941 Wright had received a Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was posted to 59 OTU (Operational Training Unit) Royal Air Force in July 1941.
Service with Royal Air Force Fighter Command Headquarters and as an instructor followed until being posted to Number.
29 Squadron Royal Air Force at Royal Air Force West Malling in March 1943, where as a night fighter he had his last confirmed kill – a Junkers Ju 88 on 3 April. Foreign the remainder of the war, Wright worked on training and fighter tactics.
He became chief instructor at the Pilot Gunnery Instructor Wing of the Central Gunner School, and later commanded the Air Fighting Developing Unit (AFDU) at Royal Air Force Wittering. In early 1945, Wright was transferred to Royal Air Force El Bellah in Egypt where commanded the fighter wing of the Middle East Advanced Bombing and Gunnery School.
Remaining in the Royal Air Force post-war, he retired as a group captain on 12 February 1967.