WW2 Spitfire flying ace Sqn Ldr Allan Scott dies at 99

Sqn Ldr Allan Scott took part in a Spitfire flight at his old Biggin Hill base in 2018

One of the last Spitfire aces of World War Two has died aged 99.

Sqn Ldr Allan Scott took a flight in one of the iconic planes to mark the centenary of the RAF in 2018, and had hoped to do so again to celebrate his own 100th birthday.

Air Vice-Marshal Chris Elliot, chief executive of the RAF Benevolent Fund, described him as a "remarkable man".

He joined the RAF in 1940 and took part in aerial combat in Malta. After the war he became a test pilot.

Air Vice-Marshal Elliot said Sqn Ldr Scott, from Witney, Oxfordshire, was "one of a kind" whose "love of flying was evident in his determination to return to the cockpit of a Spitfire".

She added: "The news of his passing comes at a time when we are turning our thoughts to the brave men who defended our skies during the Battle of Britain, 80 years ago.

"He shared the selflessness and sense of duty of all of those quiet heroes who to them were 'just doing their job' and risking it all for our futures."

He received the Distinguished Flying Medal from King George VI

Sqn Ldr Scott, who died on Tuesday, was posted to Biggin Hill in November 1940, and later saw action in the battle for Malta, including victory in Operation Pedestal.

He also flew Mustang fighters to escort heavy-bomber raids into Germany.

He flew more than 80 different aircraft types in subsequent test flights, and survived a Tiger Moth crash in 1953.

In his retirement he became a supporter of the RAF Benevolent Fund, and was "indefatigable in his championing of RAF veterans and their sacrifices", Air Vice-Marshal Elliot said.

He met the Queen twice, once in 1943 when he was receiving his Distinguished Flying Medal from her father King George VI.

He recalled how he was spotted by the then 16-year-old princess smoking and she politely admonished him.

He met her again in 2015 on a visit to the headquarters of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force's (RAuxAF) 603 Squadron in Edinburgh.