The press dubbed Frank Carey “Cockney,” a term generally referring to a native of London. However, Big Ben’s bells are unlikely to be heard in Brixton, his actual birthplace, suggesting the journalists erred in this instance. From September 1936, Carey served as a sergeant in the 43rd Squadron.
Before the war, Carey was part of a little-known aerobatic display team, alongside figures such as Peter Townsend (who later achieved 9 victories) and Caesar Hull (with 4 victories). Townsend regarded Carey as a pilot capable of overcoming the most difficult situations.
Early Engagements and the Battle of France
In the first three months of 1940, Carey participated in three interceptions of German Heinkel He-111 bombers off England’s northeast coast. In the last of these engagements, he was one of four 43rd Squadron pilots who attacked and set a “Heinkel” ablaze. As the burning aircraft turned back, attempting to reach the Scottish coast, the British escorted it.
Carey later explained that he was very concerned for the survival of the helpless German crew members. In April 1940, he was transferred to the 3rd Squadron, also equipped with “Hurricanes.” This unit was sent to France at the very beginning of the Blitzkrieg, where Carey quickly became a bomber specialist, crediting 12 heavy aircraft and only one fighter.
Within five days, he dealt with four bombers, although their destruction was unconfirmed. This was not pre-planned; it simply happened because Carey mostly encountered heavy aircraft. The misconception persists that shooting down a bomber was easy in the early war years, but this was not the case. Slow and unwieldy aircraft could only be destroyed relatively easily if the pilot could avoid the heavy defensive fire from these leviathans during an attack.
Inflicting heavy damage on a bomber with rifle-calibre machine guns was no simple task, which further highlights Frank Carey’s actions. Sometimes, unusual situations would arise.
A Unique Encounter and First Wounding
Carey himself described one such moment: “I got on the tail of a Ju-88 and pressed the trigger. To my amazement, pieces of its skin flew off – the effect of the hit was simply stunning! However, our .303-inch machine guns could not cause such damage. Then I noticed tracers above my head. It turned out that at that very moment, a ‘one-hundred-nine’ was attacking me, but shot too high, and we both put a burst into that damn Ju-88! The poor fellow plummeted down like a stone.”
However, success often comes at a price. On May 14th, Carey attacked a Dornier Do 17, which rolled onto its wing and went almost vertically towards the ground. Not realizing the enemy was shot down and fearing it would escape, the British pilot dived after it, closing in too near. At that instant, his aircraft was hit by machine-gun fire from the enemy tail gunner, and Carey was wounded in the leg.
After a forced landing in Belgium, he was evacuated to England, where he unexpectedly found that he had been reported missing in action.
Burma and Final Victories
Frank Carey returned to the 43rd Squadron during the Battle of Britain, scoring several more victories. However, on August 18th, in a fierce air battle off the south coast of England, after sending yet another Ju-87 down, Carey was wounded in the knee by a stray bullet, forcing another emergency landing. These were his last victories over Europe.
In 1942, Carey was posted to Mingaladon in Burma, where he continued to fly a “Hurricane.” During February 1942, he was credited with seven Japanese aircraft, five of which were slow and lightly armed Nakajima Ki-27 fighters. Subsequently, the British ace primarily engaged in ground attack missions.
Frank Carey fought his last air battle on October 25th in the Chittagong area, when several Ki-43 “Oscar” fighters attacked him during takeoff. The desperate struggle took place almost at ground level and ended with one of the “Oscars” crashing into a mountain, a victory deemed “unproven” by command. In total, Frank Carey is estimated to have shot down 44 German and Japanese aircraft, of which 18 German and seven Japanese machines were fully destroyed.