A VETERAN of the Battle of Britain has recalled taking the controls of a Spitfire exactly 70 years ago to the day.

On average, pilots who flew in the pivotal Second World War battle had a life expectancy of a week.

But, seven decades on, Richard Jones, of Jacobs Close, Witney, recalled how he survived the conflict, which lasted from July to October 1940.

The RAF won the battle and ensured Hitler was not able to invade the UK.

Last night, the 91-year-old recalled the camaraderie with fellow pilots.

He said: “We did not ever want to show emotion as we would lower morale, so we just got on and did it. We were all fairly young. Some were old enough to fly, but not old enough to vote.”

Mr Jones joined the RAF as an airman in 1938 and was selected to join 19 Squadron in Cambridgeshire.

And, with just 17 hours’ experience of flying a Spitfire, he joined the Battle of Britain on September 16, 1940.

He said: “We knew we were in a pretty grave situation as nobody else was available at the time.

“We had a pretty good idea we were in for it. We knuckled down and accepted it.”

Flight Lieutenant Jones flew up to four raids a day, from dawn to dusk. The Spitfires were charged with taking down the German aircraft.

The great-grandfather said: “When we were in the air, we had to keep moving and those that didn’t keep moving got picked up by the Germans.”

Mr Jones, who has lived in Witney for almost 60 years, was shot down by the Luftwaffe while flying over Kent, but was not injured.

He recalled: “I had just been told to relax as there were no aircraft when I was shot on the wing. I started to spin and it looked like I would crash.

“Then at 10,000ft I got out of the spin, but I had no engine, nothing at all, so I had to do a forced landing.”

In 1941, Mr Jones was posted to the De Havilland Aircraft Company, based in Witney.

He was awarded the Air Efficiency Award and in 1944 was given the King’s Commendation for valuable services in the air.

Following this, widow Mr Jones – who has three children – worked as the sales director of Hartford Motors, in Oxford, and as an usher at Witney Magistrates’ Court.

Mr Jones has lent his RAF uniform to the Helen & Douglas House charity shop, in Market Square, Witney, which is displaying it in the shop window to commemorate the battle.

  • AN RAF airman travelled seven decades back in time to pay tribute to the sacrifice made by pilots in the Battle of Britain.

Sgt Alex Ford yesterday marked the 70th anniversary of the battle by ‘tweeting’ in the style of a 1940 airman.

By returning to the language of the day — complete with plenty of ‘spiffings’, ‘crikeys’ and ‘tally-ho’s’ — the 38-year-old said he wanted to show his respect to the men who sacrificed their lives.

Sgt Ford, who has been based at RAF Benson for two years, used social network site Twitter to post a series of comments inspired by the battle. Follow him at twitter.com/rafairman