Remember when . . .

JAMES Douglas-Hamilton, the former Conservative politician, recently joined Bill Simpson to dedicate a memorial to Patrick Gifford, 70 years after his death in his hometown of Castle Douglas.

Here, he takes a look at the book and what it examines:

It was 16 October, 1939 and it was less than a month since Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain had told the British people they were now at war with Germany.

Early that morning, the Battle of the Firth of Forth was about to explode. The Luftwaffe had dispatched reconnaissance aircraft which were to be followed by four waves of Junkers 88 Bomber crews. Their orders were to sink HMS Hood and other naval warships in the estuary.

What happened next, and the fact that it was auxiliary civilian pilots who played key roles in shooting down the first German bombers, is revealed in detail in a new book by Bill Simpson, one of the official historians of 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron.

In retelling the dramatic events, he puts Patrick Gifford at the centre of the story, a young lawyer and auxiliary pilot.

He tells how early on that October morning, pilots of 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron were scrambled from Drem Aerodrome in East Lothian after two Heinkels had been detected nearby. The real battle began in the afternoon when the German bombers appeared over land and sea. At 2:30pm, Gifford entered the fray, taking off from Turnhouse and leading the Red Section of the Edinburgh Squadron.

He was followed by Flight Lieutenant George Denholm five minutes later. George fired at a Junkers 88 and Patrick joined in the attack. He then followed the German bomber over Cockenzie and was the last to fire at the German dive bomber just off Port Seton. It came down in the sea and Patrick Gifford landed back at Turnhouse at 2:55pm. Meanwhile, George Pinkerton and his section attacked another enemy aircraft and after a chase, with George firing the last shots, it was shot down off Crail.

After the war, it was discovered a third German bomber had come down in Holland but nobody knows for certain who was primarily responsible.

What is clear from Bill Simpson's book is that in the first air battle of the Second World War in British airspace, it was auxiliary pilots who were involved in bringing down the first three enemy aircraft – and many military historians believe that Gifford shot down the first one.

In total, a quarter of the Luftwaffe attacking aircraft were destroyed.

Gifford was also involved in a later air battle on 28 October with the Heinkel, which was the first enemy aircraft to be shot down on British soil near the village of Humbie, south east of Edinburgh and the credit was shared by both the Edinburgh and Glasgow Squadrons. Gifford's section had fired no fewer than 5,600 bullets.

His standing in the Auxiliary Air Force was so high, that in November 1939 he was promoted to command 3 Fighter Squadron, which took part in the Battle of France. In the same month he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his "skill, daring and determination".

Sadly, Gifford would not survive the war. He was killed when his Hurricane was shot down over Belgium on 16 May, 1940.

Simpson recounts the similarities between Patrick Gifford and his contemporary Roger Bushell. Each commanded squadrons at Croydon in 1940; Bushell, who was shot down a week after Gifford, became a PoW and masterminded the famous Great Escape from Stalag Luft 111. Bushell was amongst the 50 who were murdered on Hitler's orders.

Simpson's book is well illustrated and includes one memorable picture of Gifford minutes after shooting down the first enemy. The author does a good job in recounting the life of a young man of enormous promise, who has not been as well remembered as he deserved to be.

Spitfires Over Scotland: First Blood to the Auxiliaries, by Bill Simpson, is published by GC Books Ltd, priced 12.99.