FORGOTTEN ACE
Graham Hulse was most successful RAF pilot of the Korean War, but as Andrew Thomas relates, his war record was far greater than officially acknowledged
Summer 1945, and 25-year-old Flight Lieutenant Graham Hulse had a decision to make. Having flown single-seat fighters with some success during World War Two, he elected to remain in the RAF.
Initially serving on aerial policing duties in Palestine, he later trained as a flying instructor. However, following the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, Hulse volunteered for service and went on attachment to the US Air Force.
Known as ‘Ginger’, Hulse was born in Cheshire on April 11, 1920. He joined the RAF as a ‘Halton apprentice’ in January 1936, graduating two years later. He was selected for pilot training and in summer 1942 began flying operations in Spitfires with 122 Squadron as a sergeant pilot.
Forward to the middle of 1952, and Hulse became one of just 49 RAF and one Fleet Air Arm pilots seconded for service in Korea while on attachment to the USAF. Thirty of these men would go on to fly the F-86 Sabre with either the 4th or 51st Fighter Interceptor Wings, others flew Meteors on attachment to the RAAF.
Arriving in the Far East…
