Today say the death of Pilot Officer Billy Fiske of No 601 Squadron, one of the American volunteers to fly with the RAF in the Battle.

Fiske’s Hurricane had been hit by return fire from a Ju 87 over Bognor Regis the day before and had forced-landed back at Tangmere on fire. At the time the airfield was being bombed, but groundcrew carried him clear. He had appeared to be recovering in hospital before his death from burns and shock.

In 1941 a memorial plaque was unveiled in the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral, praising Billy Fiske as, “An American Citizen Who Died That England Might Live”.

Luftwaffe activity was limited to scattered raids and reconnaissance.