Public affection for the iconic Spitfire endures; indeed, if anything, it increases as more of these incredible aircraft are restored to airworthy condition. The Spitfire story, however, is one of people, designers, engineers, pilots, groundcrew, and more, whose lives were touched in some way by this extraordinary machine ? and such stories are the inspiration for this book. Spitfire Mk.IA R6644 was built by Supermarine at Woolston, and test-flown by the famous test pilot Jeffrey Quill on 30 May 1940. Thereafter, the aircraft was taken on charge by 5 Operational Training Unit at Aston Down. While there, it was flown by a number of The Few, new replacement pilots converting to type. It is likely, for example, that R6644 was flown by Pilot Officer Richard Hillary, who, shot down and badly burned, became a member of the Guinea Pig Club. In his classic memoir The Last Enemy, Hillary described how 5 OTU's young pilots would fly beneath the arches of the great railway bridge spanning the Severn estuary. This inspired the famous scene in the 1980s TV series Piece of Cake, when Ray Hanna flew Spitfire MH434 beneath a bridge for the cameras. Amongst the other pilots known to have flown R6644 at Aston Down are at least two aces. On 26 February 1941, R6644 was handed on to 65 Squadron. One of the latter's pilots who flew in R6644 was the great ace Flying Officer Brendan 'Paddy' Finucane DFC. In April, R6644 was taken on charge by the recently formed 308 (Polish) Squadron. On 11 May 1941, Pilot Officer Franciszek Surma was flying R6644 to investigate an unidentified radar plot, which transpired to be a friendly Blenheim, but was forced to abandon the Spitfire near Malvern, Worcestershire, owing to an engine fire. Surma, again one of The Few, descended safely by parachute; he was reported missing off Dunkirk during Circus 110 on 8 November 1941. This book not only explores the men who flew R6674 throughout its wartime service, but also brings the story up to date by detailing the excavation of the Spitfire's crash site in 1987. AUTHOR: Having studied the Battle of Britain for a lifetime, Dilip Sarkar is a globally recognised subject expert and prolific author. Dedicated to recording and sharing history on a personal level, he enjoyed a privileged relationship with The Few and innumerable other wartime survivors. Made an MBE for services to aviation history in 2003, in 2006 he was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society, and in 2024 to that of the Royal Aeronautical Society, becoming a member of the prestigious RAF Club the same year. In 2025, in recognition of his achievement in completing this one-million word, eight volume, official history, Dilip was made Honorary Vice-President of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust CIO. For more information, please see www.dilipsarkarauthor.com 100 b/w illustrations
