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Header image: Maurice Mounsdon in the cockpit of his 56 Sqn Hurricane ‘US-C’ in 1940.

Maurice Mounsdon, one of the last four surviving members of ‘The Few’, has died aged 101. Mounsdon began his flying training in August 1939 and subsequently joined 56 Squadron at Digby on 3rd June 1940. He shared in the destruction of a Dornier Do-17 on 3rd July and during the Battle of Britain he claimed two more enemy aircraft destroyed, two probably destroyed and two damaged.

Header image: Inside the Avro Heritage Museum, Woodford. (Photo: Clive Rowley)

The editor recently had the opportunity to visit the AVRO Heritage Museum at the former Woodford airfield. The aerodrome closed in 2011 and is now being redeveloped as the Woodford Garden Village housing estate. The museum is located in the former airfield fire station, which was extended and renovated to host the museum with funding from BAE Systems as part of the deal to sell Woodford aerodrome for redevelopment. It has now been open for four years and is working towards full museum accreditation; it also has further expansion plans, including the loan of additional aircraft from the RAF Museum collection.

Header image: Vickers Wellington Mk 1 medium bombers from IX Sqn took part in the disastrous raid.

The first named air battle of the Second World War– the Battle of the Heligoland Bight – took place 80 years ago this month, on 18th December 1939. The largest air engagement of the war so far, it was a disaster for RAF Bomber Command and became a turning point of the war.