Painter and flyer, born in Amritsar, India. He always carried his childhood nickname Bunny, so-called because at birth he was covered with fluffy black hair. Stone was educated at Broadstairs and Charterhouse, spent a year at the College of Aero-Engineering in Chelsea and then went up to Cambridge where he learned to fly with the University Air Squadron, joining the Royal Air Force on a short-service commission in 1937. As a Hurricane pilot in 3 Squadron Stone destroyed three enemy aircraft before the Dunkirk evacuation, gaining the Distinguished Flying Cross. During the Battle of Britain Stone fought with 249 and 254 Squadrons, in late 1940 moving to 607; he was given command of 17 Squadron, which fought courageous actions in Burma, about to be overrun by the Japanese (Stone’s logbook sketches are in the Air Force Museum at Hendon); commanded Squadron 135; and was with 222 Group in Ceylon in 1944.