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By the beginning of July
the squadron was fully operational again, now under the command of the legendary
Peter Townsend. The squadron would go onto win further glory during The
Battle Of Britain, with it's 'Ace' pilot Allard. On the 8th of July he
shot down a HE 111, the sqn was then moved to Croydon to help reinforce
no 11 sqn. In just a few days the sqn destroyed over forty enemy
aeroplanes, Allard accounting for 10 and another 3 probable. On the 1st
of September he attacked a formation of 12 ME 109's, accounting for one
destroyed after he sent it crashing into the sea, also on the same day,
the sqn went up against a huge formation of over 200 bombers and 109's,
three times he took his Hurricane down in scorching attacks out of the
sun, breaking up an enemy formation and taking down a DO 17, an ME 109
shot away most of his starboard aileron and he was forced to make an emergency
landing at Lympne, whilst the mechanics were looking at it, an ME
110 dived out of the clouds, dropping to bombs, they killed one mechanic
and shredded Allards Hurricane with shrapnel. Shortly after this
Allard's sqn became an advanced training unit and Allard was promoted to
Acting Flight Lieutenant. In October 1940 the sqn was moved again to
start training in night fighter operations, after exchanging their
Hurricanes for American Havoc's it was here that Allard and two collages
were killed in a tragic accident after their plane stalled and smashed
into the ground, at the time of his death Allard had accounted for 21
aircraft destroyed and three shared. |
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