The Luftwaffe had nearly 3,000 aircraft at its disposal.
Bert by now a fighter pilot, was with 32 Squadron and then onto 257 Squadron where
his Flight
Commander was Pete Brothers, later Air Commodore Peter Brothers C'BE, DSO DFC and
Bar.
In October Bert was seconded into 46 Squadron. He transferred to allow two Polish
pilots, who were close friends, to remain together.
On October 29, at around noon, four Hurricane squadrons attacked a Luftwaffe force
over Deal in Kent at 22,000 feet. Bert and his fellow pilots attacked the bombers
so exposing themselves to the covering German fighters, Messerschmidt BF 109s.
The German bombers suffered heavy losses and fled for home but not before Bert was
intercepted and badly strafed by a BF 109. Most of Bert's leg had been gored and
the cockpit was a mass of flames.
From over 20,000 feet the blazing Hurricane spiraled into a death dive. Bert eventually
freed the jammed hood and baled out, happy to see his parachute open.
Although in terrible pain he was aware of two Hurricanes covering his desceint to
prevent enemy
aircraft from machine gunning him.
Gwen raced to Ashford Hospital in Kent to find her husband with severe burns and
serious injuries.
On November 9, 1940, on the 10th midnight of Gwen’s vigil, and during the 55th air
raid since
she had been there, Bert died
He is buried at St. Deny's Church. We believe he is the only pilot killed during
the Battle of Britain to be buried in Leicestershire.
Bert and Gwen were married for just five months.
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