Earlier this month a Battle of Britain commemoration ceremony took place for the brave pilot, Sergeant John Keatinge Haire who guided his burning plane away from an Isle of Wight village to save the residents (follow link to read the background).
The ceremony was coordinated locally by Graham Drucker of Commonwealth Family History Research (CFHR), along with The Wight Aviation Museum, for the national organisation Battle of Britain Historical Society – who fundraised and instigated the plans for the Memorial at Arreton.
Over 150 people took part in the ceremony on the A9 Bridleway, Arreton.
Those attending included Bembridge coastguard David Rowe, who as a child in 1940 rescued the pilot when he crashed at Bembridge the first time.
Thanks to the work of Graham from CFHR, the cousins of Sgt Haire were able to witness the memorable event and be united with Mr Rowe 79 years after the plane crash.
The pilot’s cousins were also hosted in Ventnor and visited the Wight Aviation Museum.
Future events
Graham tells OnTheWight that in future, CFHR and the Wight Aviation Museum hope to remember all 50 or so airmen who were killed over the Isle of Wight during the Battle of Britain.
There were even ten Isle of Wight men who took part in the Battle.
