A chapter finally ends

[topkit]

So today was a pretty special day for myself and a few others, It has been around 47 years since my late grandfather told me about the morning of September 30th 1940 when he was outside watching a massive dogfight involving Hurricanes, Spitfires and a group of around 50 ME109s Here in Kent it was a regular sight, One plane went down deep into the ground in the woods the pilot managing to bail out and finally touch down a few miles away! The second plane a Hurricane circled around and eventually after avoiding a small factory came down into the field opposite and burst into flames, My grandfather and some other locals raced over to rescue the pilot but were beaten back by flames and unspent bullets going off there was nothing they could do. This has lived with me all of these years and I have been desperate to find out more info, Then by chance I am speaking to a WW2 plane historian and plane recovery specialist who reels off without hesitation the pilots name to me wow! From then on I go on the internet and find more info and finally have contact with a family member of the pilot. Without going into lots more details and boring you all today with my thanks to the Shoreham aircraft museum we unveiled a memorial with full honours and a Hurricane fly past to Malcolm so he will now never be forgotten to the people of Ightham village.

 

[Lancs Lad]

So today was a pretty special day for myself and a few others, It has been around 47 years since my late grandfather told me about the morning of September 30th 1940 when he was outside watching a massive dogfight involving Hurricanes, Spitfires and a group of around 50 ME109s Here in Kent it was a regular sight, One plane went down deep into the ground in the woods the pilot managing to bail out and finally touch down a few miles away! The second plane a Hurricane circled around and eventually after avoiding a small factory came down into the field opposite and burst into flames, My grandfather and some other locals raced over to rescue the pilot but were beaten back by flames and unspent bullets going off there was nothing they could do. This has lived with me all of these years and I have been desperate to find out more info, Then by chance I am speaking to a WW2 plane historian and plane recovery specialist who reel off without hesitation the pilots name to me wow! From then on I go on the internet and find more info and finally have contact with a family member of the pilot. Without going into lots more details and boring you all today with my thanks to the Shoreham aircraft museum we unveiled a memorial with full honours and a Hurricane fly past to Malcolm so he will now never be forgotten to the people of Ightham village.View attachment 37156

Brilliant . Well done all involved.
"Never was so much owed by so many to so few"

 

[6feetdown]

So today was a pretty special day for myself and a few others, It has been around 47 years since my late grandfather told me about the morning of September 30th 1940 when he was outside watching a massive dogfight involving Hurricanes, Spitfires and a group of around 50 ME109s Here in Kent it was a regular sight, One plane went down deep into the ground in the woods the pilot managing to bail out and finally touch down a few miles away! The second plane a Hurricane circled around and eventually after avoiding a small factory came down into the field opposite and burst into flames, My grandfather and some other locals raced over to rescue the pilot but were beaten back by flames and unspent bullets going off there was nothing they could do. This has lived with me all of these years and I have been desperate to find out more info, Then by chance I am speaking to a WW2 plane historian and plane recovery specialist who reels off without hesitation the pilots name to me wow! From then on I go on the internet and find more info and finally have contact with a family member of the pilot. Without going into lots more details and boring you all today with my thanks to the Shoreham aircraft museum we unveiled a memorial with full honours and a Hurricane fly past to Malcolm so he will now never be forgotten to the people of Ightham village.View attachment 37156

Awesome