Elizabeth Harrison escaped from Nazi Germany in 1933 to Belgium but had to flee again when the Germans invaded the country in May 1940. She and her family reached France where she served in the Resistance. After settling in England in 1968 she became the secretary of the RAF Escaping Society, her services being recognised by the award of the MBE. She remained in contact with the European ‘helpers’ until here death.
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Percy Beake flew Spitfires in the latter stages of the Battle of Britain and on many escort missions and sweeps over northern France in the summer of 1941. He went on to fly Typhoons, initially with 183 Squadron and then in command of the rocket-firing 164 Squadron. He was heavily involved in operations in support of the operations for D-Day and the Normandy campaign when he was awarded the DFC.
For details see HERE
Squadron Leader Bob Cowper DFC & Bar is thought to be the last surviving Royal Australian Air Force fighter ‘ace’. He was credited with destroying at least six enemy aircraft flying initially from Malta as a Beaufighter pilot and later flying Mosquitoes of 456 (RAAF) Squadron during the period of D-Day and the Normandy campaign that followed. His various experiences entitled him to membership of three survivors ‘clubs’, the Late Arrivals, the Goldfish and the Caterpillar.
Illustration courtesy Barry Spicer
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Keith Lawrence was a New Zealander who flew Spitfires during the Battle of Britain before being badly wounded when he was shot down in November 1940. He returned to operations and flew Hurricanes at the height of the Battle of Malta with 185 Squadron. With four confirmed destroyed, two shared and numerous damage claims, he was awarded the DFC.
For the full obit click HERE
The latest aircraft to be featured in the magazine’s ‘Spotlight’ series is the Douglas Boston. In RAF service the night fighter version was known as the Havoc and the Men Behind the Boston article includes a night-fighter ‘Ace’ crew and a flight commander and his crew on a No.2 Group low-level bomber squadron, which attacked targets in France and the Low Countries.
The 2016 Edition of RAF Salute is devoted to a history of air defence in the RAF and includes two articles I wrote:
Principles of Air Fighting – Looks at the evolution of air fighting from the Dicta of German WW 1 ‘ace’ Oscar Boelcke, Key Elements for Success by Flight Commander C.R. Mackenzie RNAS, Mick Mannock’s Rules of Air Fighting to Group Captain ‘Sailor’ Malan’s Ten Commandments for Air Fighting.
Fighter Command and its Leaders – The second article looks at the careers of the wartime commanders of Fighter Command, Dowding, Douglas, Leigh-Mallory and Hill.
Flight Lieutenant Patrick Dorehill was the second pilot of a Lancaster which carried out a daring daylight attack on the MAN diesel-engine factory in Augsburg, southern Germany, earning him an immediate DFC and his captain, Squadron Leader John Nettleton, the Victoria Cross.
For the full obituary click Here
In today’s edition of the RAF News is a short article I prepared for the 75th Anniversary of the flight of Britain’s first jet aircraft. To see the full article click HERE
This morning’s Daily Telegraph carries the obituary of David Phillips who amassed the remarkable total of 31,037 flying hours. He flew transport aircraft immediately after the war before joining the airlines. He was also British aerobatic champion in 1957.
For more details see HERE
At a poignant Sunday service in the RAF’s church at St Clement Danes in London, the squadron’s Standard was laid up. It joins an earlier Standard making it the only squadron to have two in safe keeping in St Clement Danes. The current squadron commander, Wing Commander Chris Kidd, and his officers paraded the Standard for the last time with former members in attendance. Whilst a very sad day, it was one to reflect on the service and sacrifice of all those who have served on the squadron so loyally over the past 100 years.
GRAHAM PITCHFORK 