Jacobs - Group in the Battle of Britain

This book has been an absolute joy to write. My interest in the Battle of Britain goes all the way back to my childhood, when I was simply in awe of the Few. I could never have imagined that one day I would meet some of those who fought in the battle, something which has been largely due to having served on a number of fighter squadrons during my career in the Royal Air Force.

A book such as this could not have been written without help from many people. One in particular was Pat Wells, who served as a young Hurricane pilot with No. 249 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. I only knew Pat during the last seven years of his life, but even though he lived in South Africa we exchanged many letters and phone calls over the years and I was privileged to meet him during his last two visits to the UK. Indeed, as a family, we were honoured to have Pat with us on 15 September 2000, the sixtieth anniversary of the Battle of Britain. During our friendship Pat was most generous in letting me have numerous photographs and articles, as well as sharing with me his experiences of the Second World War, and in particular the Battle of Britain.

During my time as a staff officer at HQ No. 11 Group at Bentley Priory, I was also privileged to meet several other former Battle of Britain pilots during the annual Battle of Britain cocktail parties and the Fighter Command Association dinners held at Bentley Priory. My thanks go to all those who have helped contribute to my library of photos and personal accounts over the years.

Although I have studied the Battle of Britain over several years, I had not previously toured the airfields. This I found absolutely fascinating. Whilst many have been developed for commercial or civil aviation, or have disappeared altogether, it is still possible at some to sample the atmosphere of what it was like to serve there during the battle. For example, there is still evidence at airfields such as Biggin Hill and Kenley. My visit to the St Georges Chapel of Remembrance was particularly moving and my thanks go to the Reverend (Squadron Leader) Andrew Jolly, the Chairman of the Chaplaincy Council at Biggin Hill, and Lawrie Chester, one of the custodians at the Chapel. My chance meeting with Andrew was most welcome, as he had been the station padre during my flying days at RAF Coningsby. Whilst at Biggin Hill I was also grateful to my friend, Richard Black, for taking me to the site of what is known locally as the Leaves Green Dornier.

I would also like to thank the staff at No. 615 Volunteer Gliding School (VGS) at Kenley, Flight Lieutenant Andy Griffin, who is the Commanding Officer of No. 450 (Kenley) Squadron Air Training Corps, and the locals at the Wattenden Arms. Whilst books offer valuable information, sometimes there is no substitute for local knowledge!

I would also like to thank others for their help and contributions towards this book, in particular, Frank Anderson and members of the Croydon Airport Society, Jack Coppendale of the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, Alan Couchman at North Weald and both John Bulbeck and Kevin Fellingham at the Martlesham Heath Control Tower Museum. I am also particularly grateful to Peter Turner, the Curator of the Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Building at Manston, for making me so welcome and spending much of his time sharing his local knowledge of the airfield and its history during the Battle of Britain. I would like to thank David Brocklehurst, the Chairman of the Kent Battle of Britain Museum, for sharing his knowledge of Hawkinge and Lympne. For my visit to the underground bunker at Uxbridge I would like to thank Chris Wren, who not only gave a fascinating guided tour but also gave me the benefit of his knowledge of No. 11 Group during the Battle of Britain. During my visit to the site of the former airfield at Gravesend, I was grateful to Marion Crear at the Cascades Leisure Centre for letting me into the leisure centre early one Sunday morning. There are many other locals who helped me during my visits; I thank them all.

Serving in the RAF, particularly on various fighter squadrons and at Bentley Priory, has given me access to much material over the years, such as squadron diaries, combat reports and photos. However, I could not have produced this book without material from other sources. I would like to thank the staff at the Air Historical Branch, Bentley Priory, in particular my friend Graham Day for helping me with material over the years and my former RAF colleague, Mary Hudson, for help with photographs. I would also like to thank the staff at the RAF Museum, Hendon, the staff at the Imperial War Museum and the staff at the Public Records Office at Kew. Without the help and cooperation of all these people, authors and historians like myself would not be able to pursue our interest. My final thanks go to my old friend Ken Delve who, during one cold and wet day in an office at RAF Finningley, started me on this seemingly never-ending road of writing.

APPENDIX I

A SUMMARY OF EVENTS OF THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

Below is a simplified table covering the chronology of events of the Battle of Britain. The number of phases and the dates of each phase, vary according to source, and the dates used in this appendix should only be taken as a guide.

APPENDIX II

No. 11 GROUP ORDER OF BATTLE

15 July 1940

18 August 1940

15 September 1940

31 October 1940

Key: H = Hurricane

S = Spitfire

B = Blenheim

B/B = Blenheim/Beaufighter

D = Defiant