[News] Battle of Britain Sunday

[jakarta]

Battle of Britain Sunday tomorrow, I'll be at St.Mary's Storrington for the commemoration service, especially as we have a BoB Pilot (Flt.Lt Carl Davis DFC) who flew out of Tangmere with 601 Squadron and was killed in his Hurricane on the 9th of September 1940 and is now buried here.

Not a local boy (South African) but married a Storrington girl and fathered a boy he never knew.

I'm working up a short history of 601 Squadron to go into the Church Records. They were an almost definitive Auxiliary mob, not your normal RAF regulars!

 

[jakarta]

Back home from the Service, sadly our local ATC couldn't attend, but the British Legion did, with a couple of RAF veterans.

All done very well as ever, our Lady Vicar spent a lot of her training and initial years in Bomber County (Lincolnshire) and the Church she was first with was close to the base (RAF Digby) which John Gillespie Magee served at before his death on Active Service in 1941. He did this poem which was read out before Prayers:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wales-37112718

Went outside to lay wreaths at our BoB Pilots grave and sang Jerusalem. I can't imagine a more British Occasion.

 

[AmexRuislip]

[tweet]1366336133588729857[/tweet]

Worth a visit

 

[tinycowboy]

I was at the Battle of Britain memorial at Capel-Le-Ferne (near Folkestone) last weekend. Such a peaceful place and very evocative statue of the airman, sitting and looking out to sea. Fascinating history of the BoB in the villages on the coast around there.

 

[jakarta]

I was at the Battle of Britain memorial at Capel-Le-Ferne (near Folkestone) last weekend. Such a peaceful place and very evocative statue of the airman, sitting and looking out to sea. Fascinating history of the BoB in the villages on the coast around there.

Yes it is a wonderful memorial, can I recommend the Hawkinge Battle of Britain museum just a few miles away?

Basically it houses the remains of both RAF and Luftwaffe crash sites but they have done their research and every bit of shattered and burnt debris has a pilot/crew description along with the date the crash happened.

Horribly sad that the victor of one the fights was very often dead a few days later.

This was the case for 'our' Battle of Britain pilot who was killed the day before 601 Squadron was pulled out of line to rest & recover in a quieter sector.

 

[Dave the OAP]

At the golf club, we had two comps this weekend…Victory Cup and Battle of Britain Cup…we had lots of military people over the years at Brighton and Hove GC and the roll of honour reads like a who’s who of military top brass.

We had two Lancaster pilots from the dam busters squadron and ex fighter pilots and I think today’s comp was started in homage of them.

If you ever are in the area, pop into the club house and check out the boards on the wall….it’s actually fascinating and indicates that the club used to be very much for the wealthy players ( certainly not like that …even I was let in)

 

[tinycowboy]

Yes it is a wonderful memorial, can I recommend the Hawkinge Battle of Britain museum just a few miles away?

Basically it houses the remains of both RAF and Luftwaffe crash sites but they have done their research and every bit of shattered and burnt debris has a pilot/crew description along with the date the crash happened.

Horribly sad that the victor of one the fights was very often dead a few days later.

This was the case for 'our' Battle of Britain pilot who was killed the day before 601 Squadron was pulled out of line to rest & recover in a quieter sector.

Thanks - I'll pay it a visit.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Battle of Britain Sunday tomorrow, I'll be at St.Mary's Storrington for the commemoration service, especially as we have a BoB Pilot (Flt.Lt Carl Davis DFC) who flew out of Tangmere with 601 Squadron and was killed in his Hurricane on the 9th of September 1940 and is now buried here.

Not a local boy (South African) but married a Storrington girl and fathered a boy he never knew.

I'm working up a short history of 601 Squadron to go into the Church Records. They were an almost definitive Auxiliary mob, not your normal RAF regulars!

A history l'd be very interested in reading once you complete writing it.

We have our own war hero in Cowfold, Squadron Leader Bill Lucas DFC & Bar, who passed away in 2017 at the grand age of 103. A pilot in Bomber Command, a veteran of two tours, (flying Wellingtons and Stirlings), before transferring to a Pathfinder squadron later in the war.

A man l was blessed to meet on many occasions, and when congratulating him on his skills in managing to survive all those sorties over enemy territory, he replied, don't be stupid, there was no skill involved, just pure luck!

Marvellous men all of them, heroes every one. Lest we forget.