I flew Hurricane just like grandad after tracing one across the world
A WOMAN has travelled from Australia to recreate a beloved wartime photograph of her grandfather, standing next to a stunning replica of his Hawker Hurricane aircraft.
Courtney Dohnt, 38, was never able to meet grandad Charles Bryce Watson, an Australian who fought with the RAF in the Second World War.
His plane, called Pegs after wife Peggy, was shot down during a raid on German-occupied Dieppe, France, in 1942.
Restored
Charles was captured and his plane sank, but his war stories lived on. And a photo of him alongside the plane had a prominent place in Courtney’s family home in Victoria, Australia.
The family heard about an old Hawker Hurricane being restored in Maidenhead, Berkshire, and got in touch to learn more.
Courtney contacted the restoration firm, Hurricane Heritage, and learned they had found an identical model to her grandfather’s. She said they chose his plane design to recreate because they loved the imagery of a boxing kangaroo and the name Pegs painted beside it. But she has no idea where they found the original photos used to copy the design.
Courtney used a trip to the UK for a friend’s wedding to have a flight in the plane, which is now used for commemorative outings.
And she replicated the photo taken during the war of Charles, who died of a heart attack in 1963.
Courtney said: “I was so excited when I heard about the plane. I jumped at the chance to see it.
“It was overwhelming to be able to see that plane, with Pegs on the side for my grandmother, just like in the photo.
“That picture was on our wall in our home as I grew up so this experience hit me like a ton of bricks.
“We were doing barrel rolls, loops and going upside down. How many people get the chance to do that?”
Charles was part of RAF Squadron No 174, based at RAF Manston, Kent.