Lady Jane, Peter Hillwood, No. 127 Squadron, 1944 flew this Spitfire MK.I.
The Battle of Britain proved the turning point in WWII and we are reminded of the tremendous importance of the beautifully designed and superb capabilities of the most famous aircraft of them all , the Spitfire, with its pivotal role throughout WWII. This model is the Mk.IX e as flown by Flt Lt Peter Hillwood of 127 Squadron over the Netherlands in December 1944. Having spent most of its wartime career in the Middle East, 127 Squadron was moved back to the UK in 1944 to prepare for the invasion of Europe. Having re-assembled at North Weald in the spring of 1944, it was equipped with a new compliment of Spitfire Mk. IXs prior to being sent to France in August the same year. Based in France as part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force, 127 Squadron flew fighter-bomber sweeps over Belgium and the Netherlands. Flt Lt Peter Hillwood was awarded the DFC in 1944 and survived the War to become the Deputy Chief Test Pilot for English Electric. Sadly he was killed in 1966 when his BN-2 prototype G-ATCT crashed in Holland.