The Battle of Britain

The courage and gallantry of the pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain more than seventy years ago spared this country from being invaded and subjugated. Those months, from June to October 1940, were undeniably pivotal in our country’s history. The pilots of Fighter Command’s defence of our country allowed us to go on to another historic event in our country’s history: D-Day.

Hitler’s command on July 16, 1940, to start preparing an invasion of the United Kingdom by the middle of August was to be preceded by the annihilation of the Royal Air Force. If the few had not prevailed, the residents of this country would have been subjected to the same atrocities as the rest of Europe. It is not difficult to imagine how bleak our lives would be if the Nazi philosophy of the ‘Master Race’ was applied to the rule of the United Kingdom. The facts show that these young men – or, more appropriately, boys – freed us from slavery.

These Brave aviators from our island?

• Peter E. Drew.      Sqd/Ldr and Commanding Officer of 236 Sqn. K I A. 1 August. 1940. Flying Blenheim MK 1V. Buried at Bivell churchyard, France. He came from Seaview. His father was Air Commodore Drew, who is buried at St Helen’s.
• John A J Davey.   P/O. 1 Sqn.   Hurricane Mk1.           K I A.    11 August. 1940. Buried at Sandown. He came from Leamington Spa.
• Frank Kinnersley Webster. P/O. 610 Sqn.   Spitfire.     K I A.     12 August 1940.  He came from Lake and is buried at Sandown.
• John V Wadham. Sgt. 145 Sqn.        Hurricane.            K I A.      12 October 1940. He came from Newport and is buried at Mount Joy.
• Edmund E Shepherd. Sgt. 152 Sqn. Spitfire.                K I A.       18 October 1940. He came from Binstead and is buried there.

 Battle of Britain Surviving Pilots Who Were Later Killed In Action

• Dorian G Gribble. DFC. Flt/ Lt.   Lost at sea. 4 June 1941.   Was a P/O with 54 Sqn.   Spitfire.   Fought in France before the B of B. He came from Ryde and has no known grave.
• Anthony T J Kindersley. Lt. RN. On loan to the RAF during the B of B. flew with 808 Sqn FAA. K I A. 25 July 1941. Lost in the Mediterranean. No known grave. He came from Shalfleet and is recorded on the Lee on the Solent Memorial.
• C W W Darwin.      Flt/Lt    Fought in France with 87 Sqn and then the B of B. Middle east Airforce with 274 Sqn.  KIA 7/8/42. He came from Freshwater and is on the Freshwater Memorial.

Those That Lost Their Lives Over The Island, Or Off Our Shores

• Eric S Bann.   Sgt.   238 Sqn.  Hurricane.   Brading Marshes.
• A Lyall.   P/O.   602 Sqn.  Spitfire.  Whitley Bank.
• John K Haire   Sgt.  145 Sqn.  Arreton.
• Francis Smith.  Sub Lt (FAA). 145 Sqn. In the sea.
• Ernest C J Wakeham.  P/O.   145 Sqn. In the sea.
• Lionel A Sears.    P/O.  145 Sqn.   In the sea.
• John H Harrison. P/O.  145 Sqn. In the sea.
• Alexis R Jottard. (Belg)  P/O.  145 Sqn.  In the sea.
• Archibold N C Weir. P/O.  145 Sqn.  In the sea. ( Off Ventnor Pier).
• John Dundas.  P/O.  609 Sqn. Spitfire.  In the sea. ( Freshwater Bay).

       There are three more Island men who gave their lives. They are not B of B pilots. However, two of them were very close to being classed as B of B.

• Eric George Hayward.    Sgt.   103 Sqn.    K I A. 25 May 1940. Age 25.

He is buried in the Ucimont Cemetery in Belgium. Hector and Annie Hayward, of 2 Woodbine Villas, St. John’s Road, Newport, were his parents. He lived at 21 Terrace Rd prior to his wedding. Edith Hayward was his wife. He was mistakenly reported as a prisoner of war by German officials. It took the Red Cross until February 1941 to verify his death on May 26, 1940. Mrs. Hayward’s maiden name will be remembered in Newport. In Node Hill, she ran a women’s clothes boutique.

Sgt Hayward’s granddaughter alerted her father while on vacation that she couldn’t find her grandfather’s name on the memorial at St Thomas’s Square, so he called me. Not all of individuals who died during the conflict are included on the Commonwealth Conflict Graves Commission’s website. It is preferable to contact their enquiries section. Sgt. Hayward’s name has been put to the memorial, which I am delighted to announce. Wight Masonary deserves my gratitude for sacrificing their time. As you go along St. John’s Road, keep an eye out for the cross atop St. John’s Church. It is a tribute to him, according to his relatives.

• Reginald Tyrrell George.   F/O         64Sqn.         KIA     29 May 1940.   Age 20. The son of Reginald and Margaret George, of Newport. He is recorded on the Runnymeade Memorial as well as Newport Memorial.
• Harold Ernest Barton.         Sgt.        602 Sqn.     KIFA. 22 May 1942.   Age 28. He is buried in Kingston-Upon-Thames Cemetery. He was the son of Ernest Walter Barton and Annie Barton (nee Hayward). He lived and worked in New Malden, Surrey. His wife, who he had married only the previous October, came from there. The Bartons also lived in St John’s Road, Newport. One of the many members of his Sqn at his funeral was Sqn/Ldr Paddy Finucane. I’m glad to say that Sgt Barton’s name is on the memorial, as is Sgt Wadham’s.
• Sgt Leslie Roy Cox. RAFVR, 44Sqn, of Newport. 16th Sept 1941. Age 20. Carisbrooke Cemetery.
• AC2 James Robert Henry Fairweather. RAFVR of Newport. Trainee pilot. KIFA. 29 April 1942. Age 21. Buried in St Paul’s cemetery, Newport.
• Charles Arthur Cox F/Sgt RAFVR 5TH October1943 Age 23. Buried Parkhurst M C.
• Sgt Colin Edward Rashley RAFVR of Newport. KIA 7TH Aug.1943.Age 21. Buried Pont-du-Cens. France.
• F/Sgt John Allen McLean. RAFVR. 622Sqn. of Newport. KIA. 31 March 1944. Age 21.Buried Rheinberg War Cemetery.
• P/O John Sutton.RAFVR 622Sqn. of lake. KIA 31st March 1944. Age 21. Buried Rheinberg War Cemetery.

Note: All of 145 Sqn were hurricane pilots. FAA = Fleet Air Arm.   KIA = Killed in Action. KIFA = Killed in flying accident.

Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane, another historic British fighter, is owned by the Russell Group. The hurricane, like the P-40, was inferior to the most advanced German fighters, yet it served from the beginning until the end of the war. The hurricane is said to have engaged in more battles than any other British fighter and shot down more German planes during the Battle of Britain than all other British planes and air defences combined. The storm pictured here is equipped solely with machine guns, with up to twelve 0.303 guns in the wings, as was customary for these aircraft in the early phases of the war.

Mk IX Spitfire

Cannons installed on the wings of a Mk IX Spitfire. The spitfire, like early hurricanes, was initially armed with eight.303 calibre machine guns, but these were shortly upgraded with canon to match or surpass the lethality of similarly armed German aircraft.

Although it debuted about the same time as the hurricane, the spitfire’s performance was much greater, therefore it fought German fighters during the Battle of Britain while the hurricanes chased bombers.