Kent church remembers its Battle of Britain Ace

Wing Commander Bob Stanford-Tuck DSO DFC** AFC died in 1987 but now his link with the Kent community he retired to more than a decade after defending the skies above them against the Luftwaffe has been commemorated at his local church in Sandwich.

He joined the RAF in 1935 after a spell in the Merchant Navy, but did not master the technique of flying immediately. But once it clicked he never looked back. He first flew Spitfires in 1939 with 65 Squadron and at the start of the Battle of Britain was posted to Croydon. He gained the first of his aerial victories over Dunkirk and in one day alone shot down three enemy aircraft. His long association with Kent continued when he was posted to command the Biggin Hill Wing of four Spitfire squadrons.

Air Commodore Mike Jenkins OBE of RAF Air Command unveiled the plaque at the Parish Church of St Clement, Sandwich, in his honour more than 20 years following his death after the family was contacted by the Biggin Hill Battle of Britain Supporters' Club over Bob's links to the famous RAF station.

The service of dedication was performed by the Reverend Canon Mark Roberts, Rector of Sandwich and the Reverend Group Captain Richard Lee, Chaplain of the Central Church of the RAF, St Clement Danes in London. The Lord Lieutenant of Kent was represented by Deputy Lieutenant, Group Captain (Retd) Patrick Tootal OBE. The Guard of Honour was provided by the 225 (Deal) Sqn Air Training Corps and branches of the South-East and Eastern Area RAF Association were present with their Standards.

During the service Wg Cdr Stanford-Tuck's younger son Simon delivered a reading from the bible and his elder son Michael read extracts from the wartime speeches of Winston Churchill to the House of Commons that referred to the RAF and "The Few".

After the service the congregation moved to the banks of the River Stour to watch a flypast by the Spitfire and Hurricane of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

In June 1940 Wg Cdr Stanford-Tuck was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by King George VI and the Distinguished Service Order was awarded the following year as well as a bar to his DFC; a second bar was added the same year. In 1941 he was in command of the Duxford Fighter wing, and the next year was shot down in his Spitfire whilst carrying out a low-level attack near Boulogne. By that time his tally of air victories had reached 29.

After he was shot down he was captured and imprisoned in Stalag Luft III for three years, eventually escaping as his captors moved their prisoners westwards to escape the advancing Russian army. He and a Polish RAF pilot made their way eastwards and met the liberating Russian forces and finally found passage back to the UK from Odessa.

He married Joyce in 1945 and was posted to command the RAF station at Changi in Singapore before retiring in 1949. Shortly afterwards he joined English Electric's P1 Project, which became the RAF's highly successful Lightning interceptor aircraft.

In 1953 he and Joyce moved with their two sons to Eastry near Sandwich in Kent and retired to Sandwich Bay. Joyce died in 1985 and Bob died two years later.

The plaque reads: "In memory of Wing Commander Roland Robert Stanford-Tuck DSO DFC** DFC(USA) AFC RAF. 1916-1987. A courageous officer who defended this nation in the skies above Kent during the Battle of Britain in 1940 and whose remains are interred with those of his beloved wife Joyce in the Churchyard".

Son Simon said:

"My father had a less than stellar school career, but he was a good shot and his love of shooting led him to compete at national level. Once he had mastered flying he combined the two and became a very effective fighter pilot in Spitfire and Hurricanes."

Unveiling the plaque, Air Cdre Mike Jenkins said:

"The Battle of Britain was an intense and terrifying time for pilots. Bob symbolised the courage and nerve needed to fight and face danger each day, be shot down, rally round, fly again, get shot down again and so on until the Battle was won. Even in capture he did not rest but escaped as soon as he could.

"Bob and the rest of "The Few" never once saw themselves as heroes, but as just doing their best to save the nation from tyranny. But he was a gentleman too, and when after the war he met up with the German fighter ace Adolf Gallant, who had treated him honourably and with kindness after being captured, their families became friends.

"Bob and those who fought alongside him have been an inspiration to this generation of RAF personnel - his legacy carries on today as we carry on serving the nation and being a force for good in the world," he added.

Son Michael said:

"Our father would have been immensely proud of the subsequent generation of young men and women of our armed forces, who are continuing to make such valiant sacrifice today."

Gp Capt Andy Bowen of the RAF's Public Relations Branch aded:

"Bob Stanford-Tuck epitomised the spirit of the RAF in those dark days when bets were off whether Britain would be able to withstand the might of Germany. The same qualities of bravery and selfless duty to the nation carry forward to today's RAF as we continue to preserve and protect the UK's airspace as well as providing air power to the bringing about of peace and stability to Iraq and Afghanistan."