IN A WARTIME combat career lived exclusively at the controls of the Hawker Typhoon, “Pinkie” Stark flew the aircraft both in its fighter and ground attack versions, with 609 Squadron and 263 Squadron.

Born in Bolton, Lawrence William Fraser Stark had joined No 609 early in 1943. At that time the Typhoon, which had proved to be a great disappointment as a high-altitude interceptor fighter, was finding a new lease of life in low-level operations, for which its robust construction ideally suited it.

When hit-and-run Focke-Wulf Fw190s began to make a nuisance of themselves over the South Coast of England, 609 was ordered to repel them, and saw a lot of action over the Channel. Stark won his first combat victory on March 12, 1943, shooting down an Fw190 over Dunkirk. In October that year he was flying a low-level sortie over Northern France, and had just destroyed an Me110 on the ground at Soissons, when he saw a Junkers Ju88 bomber above him at 500ft.

Exploiting the Typhoon’s low-level manoeuvrability, Stark gained his second victory, and he bagged another Ju88 on November 2. On January 4, 1944, he shared a Dornier Do217 and on the 27th shot down a French-built Caudron Goëland light transport. His final victim was an Fw190, bringing his tally of kills to 5½ (plus one destroyed on the ground) and qualifying him as an ace.

He was awarded the first of his two DFCs, and in February was posted to 263 Squadron, whose Typhoons were involved in ground attack operations, using 500lb bombs and rockets. Both before, during and after D-Day Stark was heavily engaged in action against trains, ammunitions dumps, gun emplacements and armoured vehicles.

In July 1944 he was shot down behind enemy lines in Brittany. But he evaded capture and was sheltered by the French Resistance who got him to the coast. There he was taken off by a motor boat and brought back to Britain.

In October that year he was awarded the second of his DFCs for his ground attack work. After a period being rested from operations, he returned to ground attack later in the war as CO of No609.

After the war Stark remained in the RAF as a test pilot and blind flying expert, until 1963. Thereafter, for the next 25 years he was manager of Rochester Airport.

His wife, Joan, predeceased him. He is survived by his brother, Roy, who flew Spitfires in the Burma campaign.

Squadron Leader “Pinkie” Stark, DFC and Bar, wartime fighter ace, was born on November 15, 1920. He died on August 1, 2004, aged 83.