Their Finest Hour by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)

Situated on the south eastern tip of Kent, RAF Hawkinge was the most forward airfield in Fighter Command. It was not surprising therefore that when Reichmarshal Goering began his fierce attacks on airfields - part of his softening up campaign in preparation for Hitlers Adler Tag (Eagle Day) - Hawkinge would be among the first in his sights. The Luftwaffe were putting up massive raids - over 1700 aircraft crossed the coast on August 16th - and RAF bases in the south-east were taking a pounding. Hawkinge, a satellite of Biggin Hill sector station, and vital to front line defences, lay right in the path of the raiding Luftwaffe hordes. When on August 12th it was bombed for the first time, its effect was only to harden the resolve of its pilots and groundstaff. MkI Spitfires of No.610 County of Chester Squadron are seen scrambling out of RAF Hawkinge in late August 1940. refuelled and re-armed, with scarlet patches covering the gunports, all serviceable aircraft roar off the grass strip and head back to the fray. With aerial battles raging all the way from 2000 to 20,000 feet, within minutes they will be back in the action. Ground crews in the foreground work frantically to get more Spitfires airworthy. In the background Hurricanes from No.32 Squadron are at readiness, and will be called into action as the primitive radar picks up the next incoming raid

Only 2 now available.

Signed by Squadron Leader Cyril Bam Bamberger (deceased),
Squadron Leader Ben Bennions DFC (deceased),
Wing Commander George Grumpy Unwin, DSO, DFM* (deceased),
Tony Pickering AFC,
Flight Lieutenant Richard L Jones (deceased),
Vivian Snell (deceased),
Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum DFC,
Squadron Leader Basil Stapleton DFC (deceased),
Group Captain Tom Dalton Morgan DSO, DFC*, OBE (deceased),
Wing Commander Ken W MacKenzie (deceased),
Wing Commander Wilfred M Sizer DFC* (deceased),
Wing Commander George W Swanwick (deceased),
Squadron Leader Jocelyn G P Millard (deceased)
and
Air Commodore Paul Webb CBE DFC AE (deceased).

Limited edition of 50 publisher proofs.

Paper size 31 inches x 23 inches (78cm x 58cm)