John Kilmartin (RAF officer)

John Kilmartin, OBE, DFC (8 July 1913–1 October 1998) was an Irish flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War and the postwar period. He is credited with the destruction of at least fourteen aircraft.

From Dundalk, Kilmartin joined the RAF in 1936 and once his training was completed, he was posted to No. 43 Squadron. After the outbreak of the Second World War, Kilmartin joined No. 1 Squadron and was sent to France. Flying Hawker Hurricane fighters, he claimed several aerial victories during the Battle of France. After the campaign in France, he briefly served as an instructor before rejoining No. 43 Squadron and flying in the Battle of Britain. He achieved further victories in the fighting over England. In the later years of the war he held a series of squadron commands, and then was a wing leader. He was serving as a staff officer at the end of the war. Remaining in the RAF during the postwar period, he commanded No. 249 Squadron for a time before being appointed to staff roles for much of the remainder of his RAF career. Returning to civilian life in 1958, he became a chicken farmer. He retired to Devon and died there in 1998, aged 85.