12 September 2020
THE ROYAL NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR. Tea-time in one of the 16 inch gun turrets on board HMS RODNEY. The gun captain and some of his crew are ready to drop their tea and […]
7 September 2020
![“From left, standing: P/Os HC Upton, AEA van den Hove d’Éstsenrijk (Belgium), and David Gorrie; seated, from left, P/Os Frank Carey (adjutant) [Signatory 27], F/L J.I. Kilmartin [Signatory 35], S/L George Lott [Signatory 11] [who lost an eye in combat on 9 July 1940], F/L RC Reynell and S/L CB Hull DFC (South African).” Just three hours after this photograph of eight Hurricane pilots from 43 Squadron, ‘relaxing’ outside the Officer’s Mess at RAF Tangmere, was taken, on 7 September 1940 – seven days before Battle of Britain Day – two of them, the Australian Richard Reynell and the South African Caesar Hull – were killed in action. Van Den Hove was in turn lost on the Battle of Britain day itself, and David Gorrie the following April.](https://www.thealanpollocksproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Tangmere-Chris-Heaton-filter-960x720.jpg)
7 September, 1940. 80 years ago, this photo was taken, at around 1 pm, outside the Officer’s Mess at Tangmere Station. They’re Hurricane pilots from 43 (F) Squadron, “the Fighting Cocks”, and they don’t know, but […]