Spitfire hero falls prey to bug at age 95
A FORMER Spitfire pilot who inflicted losses on the enemy in the Second World War has died of flu aged 95. Wing Commander Owen Hardy achieved at least six air-to-air kills, damaged five other planes and destroyed one on the ground.
The pilot was awarded France’s top medal for valour – the Legion d’Honneur – as well as Britain’s Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar.
Mr Hardy’s daughter Debbie Elliott revealed her father, who lived near Chichester, died last week.
She said: ‘We’re all devastated. He’s not just a huge loss for us, but a huge loss for the nation. He was part of a very special generation.’
Mr Hardy was born on July 31, 1922, in New Zealand, joining the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1941, a few months before his 19th birthday.
He celebrated his 95th birthday last year by flying a modified Spitfire with a co-pilot.