Ft Lt Richard Hillary (20/04/1919 – 08/01/1943) was a Battle of Britain pilot who died in a flying accident at RAF Charterhall
Hillary was called up to the RAF in Oct 1939 and in Jul 1940, having completed his training, was posted to B Flt, 603 Squadron RAF, at RAF Montrose flying Spitfires. 603 moved south to RAF Hornchurch on 27 Aug1940 and immediately saw combat. In one week of combat Hillary claimed five Bf109’s shot down, two more probably destroyed and one damaged. Richard Hillary wrote about his experiences in 'The Last Enemy' I saw what I had been praying for – a Messerschmitt climbing and away from the sun. I closed in to 200 yards, and from slightly to one side gave him a two-second burst: fabric ripped off the wing and black smoke poured from the engine, but he did not go down. Like a fool, I did not break away, but put in another three-second burst. Red flames shot upwards and he spiralled out of sight. At that moment, I felt a terrific explosion which knocked the control stick from my hand, and the whole machine quivered like a stricken animal. In a second, the cockpit was a mass of flames: instinctively, I reached up to open the hood. It would not move. I tore off my straps and managed to force it back; but this took time, and when I dropped back into the seat and reached for the stick in an effort to turn the plane on its back, the heat was so intense that I could feel myself going. I remember a second of sharp agony, remember thinking "So this is it!" and putting both hands to my eyes. Then I passed out. Hillary managed to bully himself back into a flying position even though, as it was noted in the officers' mess, he could barely handle a knife and fork. He returned to service with No 54 Operational Training Unit at RAF Charterhall after recovering from his injuries. He died on 8 January 1943 with his radio operator observer Sgt. Wilfred Fison when he crashed his Bristol Blenheim during a night training flight, the aircraft coming to rest on Crunklaw Farm. It has been alleged that the burn damage to his hands rendered Hillary unfit for active service
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Photo credit: © James R Gibson / Alamy / Afripics
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Keywords: 603, ace, berwickshire, borders, charterhall, fighter, hillary, hope, memorial, raf, richard, scottish, sqn, squadron, stone
