I am still only half way through Juliet Gardiner's Wartime Britain 1939-1945. She has previously discussed the perceived threat of invasion by German parachutists and is discussing "friendly fire" incidents and I thought you might all be interested in the following tragedy:- In August 1940 "the pilot of an RAF Hurricane on fire after a dogfight with some German fighter planes near Southampton bailed out, only to be shot at by Home Guards under the mistaken impression that he was an enemy parachutist. The pilot officer was killed and the badly burned flight lieutenant sustained further serious injuries from rifle fire." How tragic to have almost made it back. Would information like this have been released to the families (or indeed the general public) at the time?
Hi Nana firstly, that sounds like it was two pilots, the Hurricane being a single-crew aircraft and both a P/O and a F/L are mentioned. Does it give anymore info? And no, details like that wouldn't have been released to the family officially - however, they may have found out through someone in the squadron - either in communication soon after, or after the war. I know of a numebr of incidents where the Home Guard, or farmers, shot at or attcked bailed out pilots - and the risk to exiled European aircrews were greater because of their accents.
No Kyt she briefly mentions this and eight other incidents and I have quoted all of the information that she gave.
Found it! "Their finest hour": Inside the Battle of Britain | Flight Journal | Find Articles at BNET First four paragraphs
Thanks so much Kyt. I knew that if anybody could find anything out it would be you. I personally hope that the family are still unaware.
I think the fact that Nicolson won the VC for the actions means that the circumstances will have been well discussed and made public. And I can't believe that I had forgotten about these circumstances when you first posted the query - the only Fighter Command VC of the war, and my mind was a blank :behindsofa:
