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Battle of Britain: Hawkinge airmen honoured with statues

Battle of Britain Museum The seven men from 32 Squadron were snapped relaxing in between the battlesBattle of Britain Museum
The seven men from 32 Squadron were snapped relaxing in between the battles

Battle of Britain airmen are being honoured with bronze sculptures recreating a photograph from 1940.

Seven men from No. 32 Squadron were snapped relaxing on the grass at Hawkinge, Kent, on the 29 July that year in between the dogfights of the three-month military campaign.

The Spirit of the Few by Stephen Melton will be unveiled in July next year at the Battle of Britain Museum.

The museum is trying to trace the family of one of the airmen.

Battle of Britain Museum An artist's impression of the bronze statuesBattle of Britain Museum
An artist's impression shows how the bronze statues will look once in place

The airmen being featured are Rupert Smythe, Keith Gillman, John Proctor, Peter Brothers, Douglas Grice, Peter Gardner and Alan Eckford.

Flt Lt Peter Brothers' daughter, Hilary Cairn, visited an art studio in Ramsgate to check the progress of the artworks.

She said her father would have been "really honoured and very touched" and was glad to see the history of the Battle of Britain being kept alive.

The clay statue of Flt Lt Peter Brothers in progress
The clay statue of Flt Lt Peter Brothers is in progress

It is costing the museum £150,000, which has been collected through donations and fundraising.

The museum's chairman, Dave Brocklehurst MBE, said: "We need to create things that are lasting and commemorate our heroes. It's a dream coming true."

It takes Mr Melton a month to model the men in clay before being casting them into bronze.

He said: "I start with the photographs and see the posture, and then I have to get a model of a similar build and age to adopt that pose so I can see anatomically what is happening."

Battle of Britain Museum That family of Rupert Smythe (far left) are being sought for the unveilingBattle of Britain Museum
That family of Rupert Smythe (far left) are being sought for the unveiling

Rupert Smythe is the final airman in the picture whose family the museum is yet to trace.

It is believed he ran a pub in Norfolk after being released by the RAF.

The museum hopes all the airmen will be represented by their family at the unveiling.

The clay statue of Flt Lt Peter Brothers with sculptor Stephen Melton, Hilary Cairn and Dave Brocklehurst
Flt Lt Peter Brothers' daughter Hilary Cairn (centre) said her father would have been "honoured"
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