Midland Battle of Britain pilot died at 101
Tributes to one of the last Few
THE Few – those brave Battle of Britain pilots who saw off the Luftwaffe – number only three following the death of Maurice Mounsdon.
The hero, who flew Hurricanes, died last Friday, aged 101.
Mr Mounsdon, from Lichfield, was a member of 56 Squadron and flew his last mission from RAF North Weald, Essex, on August 31, 1940.
He was badly wounded while piloting one of 12 Hurricanes that attacked a formation of Nazi fighters and bombers.
The former Lichfield Grammar School pupil managed to bale out, despite suffering severe burns and bullet wounds to his legs.
Mr Mounsdon recalled that harrowing incident in a 2015 interview. He said: “I was on fire. There was only one thing to do and that was to get out as fast as possible.
“I was badly burned, but I rolled the aircraft over and came down by parachute from 14,000ft. I was conscious all the time. It was the first time I’d used a parachute. I think I was jolly lucky, in a way.”
Mr Mounsdon’s death leaves just three surviving members of the men then-PM Sir Winston Churchill famously dubbed ‘ The Few’ in the Battle of Britain in 1940.
Fellow Hurricane pilot Wing Commander Paul Farnes, aged 101, was a member of Gloucestershire based 501 Squadron. He is credited with eight “kills”.
Flying Officer John Hemingway, aged 100, served with 85 Squadron in France. Flying Hurricanes, he was shot down twice, on one occasion parachuting into the sea 12 miles east of Clacton.
Flight Lieutenant William Clark, also 100, was an air gunner with 219 Squadron of Catterick, North Yorkshire. William shot down seven enemy craft.
He added: “I was picked up by some local people. First a young girl arrived, aged ten or 12, and she had her younger sister with her. I think I said ‘hello’. Then some men came and took me away by motor car. I wasn’t in pain at the time, I was in acute discomfort. The pain comes later. Burns are rather uncomfortable.”
The man typically understated the extent of his injuries.
Mr Mounsdon was taken to Black Notley Hospital, which pioneered plastic surgery, and underwent skin grafts at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead. The surgeon who carried out the operations was Archibald McIndoe, founder of The Guinea Pig Club, a collection of disfigured airmen who underwent pioneering plastic surgery.
While in hospital, Mr Mounsdon married childhood sweetheart Mary Allen. They tied the knot on May, 1941, at St Mary’s, Lichfield.
When he had recovered, he returned to North Weald, then RAF Cambridge. After the war, Maurice became a Tiger Moth flyiing instructor at Marshalls Airport, Cambridge.
This week, nephew Adrian Mounsdon paid tribute to Mr Mounsdon. He said: “He was a great man and will be missed by his nephews and nieces.”
In his twilight years, Mr Mounsdon and his wife lived on the Spanish island of Menorca, their home since the 1970s. Mary died in 1993. as a pilot, being particularly successful at his training college.
“Since the intensification of air warfare, he has been engaged in many thrilling air battles over the English and French coasts. The Hurricane squadron of which he was a member has accounted for many enemy fighters and bombers, while his own personal record is one Junkers bomber and five Messerschmitt fighters - a total of six.
“At the time of his accident, his squadron of 12 Hurricanes tackled a formation of over 100 Nazi fighters and bombers. They accounted for several enemy machines and broke up the formation over the Essex coast before three Nazi fighters made a concerted attack on his plane.
“Pilot Officer Mounsdon, despite severe burns, shock and bullet wounds in his legs was able to bale out and make a successful parachute landing. Villagers rushed to his assistance and, through cheering crowds who had witnessed the fight, he was taken to an Essex hospital. His condition was at first very grave, but he is now making excellent progress.”