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Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen
Yes the American Eagle Squadron pilots always have a special place in the literature, as do the Commonwealth nations' fliers - Canadians, Aussies, New Zealanders, South Africans and others. They're still digging bits of their aircraft out of the ground down home
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The Hawker Hurricane and Spitfire Pilots were a special group of People.
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader was another special Spitfire Pilot. Doug Bader was an Ace despite having lost the lower portions of both legs prior to being commissioned in the RAF. The RAF Bomber Pilots that flew the Vickers Wellington's, Avro Lancasters, De Haviland Mosquito's and other Bombers were just as brave and selfless.
Quote. Bader campaigned for disabled people and in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1976 was appointed a
Knight Bachelor "for services to disabled people".
[7] He continued to fly until ill health forced him to stop in 1979. Bader died, aged 72, on 5 September 1982, after a heart attack. Sir Douglas Bader. Douglas never stopped serving others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Bader
That generation of which your father was part were a special breed. They served their Country as little more than boys and in the most ugly circumstances of War, became men. Just as in the U.S, the boys / men in England gave it their all for family and Country. John Hemingway was an exceptional man as well.