Their finest hour

The Battle of Britain was one of this nation's proudest hours. South-east England provided the backdrop for the bitterest dogfights, but Yorkshire, too, played its part in this decisive struggle.

According to official records, the Battle of Britain ran from August 8-October 31, 1940. But there can be no doubt that the fight for our skies came to a climax in September, 1940.

Many historians point to September 15 as the most crucial day of this campaign. Then RAF Fighter Command withstood everything the Luftwaffe threw at them. Our pilots chased the Germans back across the Channel, leaving the Home Counties littered with the husks of burning enemy aircraft.

But near the beginning of The Battle of Britain, Yorkshire discovered what German air minister Hermann Goering was planning. His aim was to bomb RAF airfields into submission to prepare for Hitler's "Operation Sealion" - the invasion of Britain.

At lunchtime on August 15, radar operators near Scarborough picked up signals from a fleet of German aircraft heading over the North Sea.

Twelve Spitfires from RAF Leconfield and six from Church Fenton were scrambled in response. More Spitfires from Catterick were also engaged in attacking 20 more of the Luftwaffe's finest as part of the same operation. Their presence came as a surprise to the German pilots, who had been led to believe that all the RAF's fighters were stationed down south.

Soon the British airmen from Church Fenton and Catterick saw what they were dealing with - 50 Junker 88s heading inland. Their target was the airfield at Driffield, home of two Whitley squadrons.

"Reports of how many of the raiders made it to Driffield are confused, ranging from 12 to 40," wrote Patrick Otter in his book Yorkshire Airfields in the Second World War. "What was certain was their efficiency.

"Within a few short minutes they devastated the airfield. Four of the five big brick-built hangars were badly damaged, many ancillary buildings were left on fire, 12 Whitleys were destroyed and 13 people were killed and numerous others injured...

"It proved to be the heaviest raid of the entire war on an RAF bomber station in England and was to put Driffield out of action for several months."

Yorkshire was home to many airfields in the war. Most of these, including Elvington, Full Sutton, Breighton, Linton-on-Ouse and Leeming, were under RAF Bomber Command.

But it also hosted a number of fighter airfields, notably Church Fenton, Leconfield and Catterick, ready to protect northern cities and provide cover for North Sea convoys.

Before the Driffield raid, three crews from 249 Squadron at RAF Church Fenton, between Tadcaster and Selby, had already intercepted and shot down a Junker 88 in July 1940.

Yorkshire's airfields played another critical role: hosting numerous Fighter Command squadrons on a rotating basis. This gave them chance to rest and re-equip.

Yorkshire also provided some of many the heroes of the Battle of Britain. Among them was Flight Lieutenant James Brindley Nicolson, of Tadcaster, the only Battle of Britain pilot to be awarded the Victoria Cross.

In his first engagement with the enemy, he found himself in a dogfight with a Messerschmitt 110 over Hampshire.

The German fighter pumped cannon shells into Fl Lt Nicolson's aircraft, wounding him in the eye and foot. His Hurricane caught fire, and soon flames were spreading into the cockpit.

The 23-year-old airman was about to bale out when he saw his attacker overshoot and fly on in front of him.

Nicolson slid back into his seat. By now up to his waist in flames, his hands blistered on the controls. He opened fire on the Messerschmitt, sending it spiralling down into the sea.

That, however, was not the end of the story. Nicolson baled out at the same time as another pilot and they found themselves parachuting down close together. A gunnery officer on the ground mistook them for Germans and ordered his men to open fire.

The other pilot was killed instantly and Nicolson, with severe burns to his hands, face, neck and legs, was also hit. When he landed he passed out.

He recovered from his serious injuries to fly again, being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross while fighting the Japanese in Burma. Nicolson became a Wing Commander and was killed in 1945 in a Liberator bomber which crashed on the Bay of Bengal after developing engine trouble.

Nicolson never felt he should have been singled out for the VC. He did not like to wear the ribbon and was once reprimanded for being improperly dressed without it.

In 1983 his widow Muriel Nicholson sold the medal to highlight the plight of older war widows who did not qualify for a full pension like the widows of later conflicts. The sale raised £110,000 and the medal went to the RAF Battle of Britain Museum in Hendon.

One of the top-scoring pilots in the Battle of Britain was James "Ginger" Lacey, from Wetherby. He had 15 confirmed victories, although it is believed his real tally was higher.

Charlton Haw was another of "the Few" to whom we all owe a great debt. He lived in Fifth Avenue, York, and after leaving Tang Hall Elementary School, he became an apprentice at York printing firm William Sessions. Much of his spare time was spent with the RAF Volunteer Reserve at Brough, near Hull, where he learned to fly.

During the Battle of Britain he was a sergeant with 504 Squadron flying Hurricanes from Hornchurch. One of his fellow pilots was the legendary Douglas Bader.

Mr Haw, nicknamed Wag, survived the war. He died, aged 73, in 1993.

Ten years ago he told of his experiences as a Battle of Britain pilot who shot down three enemy planes. Dogfights would only last a few seconds, he said: "One minute the sky was full of aeroplanes and the next minute everyone had gone home."

Did you play a role in the Battle of Britain? Or do you have a special memory of that remarkable time? We would like to hear from you. Write to Chris Titley, The Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN, or telephone (01904) 653051 ext 337.

PICTURE: The famous poster of the Battle of Britain bearing Winston Churchill's inspiring words