Some of the 67 ‘Welsh few’ who
THE Battle of Britain was a major air campaign fought in the skies over Britain in 1940.
Airmen and airfields of Carmarthenshire made a significant and gallant contribution to eventual victory in the conflict which is marking its 80th anniversary.
It was the first decisive battle in history fought entirely in the air.
The German objective was to destroy the Royal Air Force to obtain air superiority in advance of an invasion.
In this fight for survival, 67 Welsh aircrew served with distinction, a number of whom won gallantry awards for bravery and for the destruction of enemy aircraft.
Among those aircrew were a number from Carmarthenshire.
Sergeant Lewis Reginald Isaac was a pilot from Llanelli. He joined the RAF Reserve in May 1939, completing his pilot training in July 1940, joining
No.64 Squadron at RAF Kenley flying Spitfires.
Isaac was shot down and killed on August 5, 1940 on his first operational sortie.
He had been flying at the rear of nine Spitfires, when Me109 fighters made a surprise attack over the Channel. He crashed into the sea and has no known grave. He is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial.
He was 24 years old. Abandoning his studies at Cardiff University where he was reading Economics, Loughor-born Hubert Allen joined the RAF just before the outbreak of war and joined 66 Sqn flying Spitfires at Duxford on 10 May.
On September 9, he shared in the destruction of a He111 bomber, having already helped shoot down three enemy aircraft earlier in the summer.
On August 30, Pilot Officer Allen helped destroy a Do17 bomber and on September 9 he shared a He111, on the 15th he shot down a
He111 and damaged a Do17 and on the 18th he destroyed a Me109.
In October, after being appointed Flight Commander, Allen scored a probable victory on an Me109 fighter and on 14 November he destroyed a Ju87 dive-bomber and damaged another.
His nickname was “Dizzy”, reflecting his ability to escape a tight situation by executing an aerobatic flat-spin. After the battle he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and was praised for “displaying great determination in combat and destroying at least six hostile aircraft”.
During the Battle of Britain, St Clears-born Welsh flying ace of the First World War, Wing Commander Ira Jones, was in charge of the Bombing and Gunnery School at RAF Stormy Down near Porthcawl.
On July 10, as German