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Leading fighter pilot remembered - Crawley Observer

One of Britain's leading fighter pilots during the First World War was today remembered in the city where he grew up on the 90th anniversary of his death.

Major Edward "Mick" Mannock is reputed to have shot down between 50 and 73 planes to earn him a reputation as one of the greatest fighter pilots of the war.

The son of a Scots professional soldier, Mannock, who grew up in Canterbury, Kent, overcame partial blindness in his left eye to become an unlikely candidate as an RAF fighter pilot.

In February 1917, he was made a flying officer with the Joyce Green Reserve Squadron, and during his first solo in an Airco DH.2 biplane he got into a spin at 1,000ft but managed to recover.

Mannock was honoured with the Military Cross in 1917 to which a bar was later added, and the following year he earned the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and a further two bars.

He was fatally shot by machine gun fire from German ground troops on July 26 1918, and following representations from his former comrades he was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross (VC) in 1919.

A wreath-laying ceremony was held today at Canterbury Cathedral where a plaque is dedicated to his memory, while visitors to West Gate Towers in the city learned more about Mannock's life.

Pictures of his planes, the pocket watch he carried in action and a replica of the VC he won posthumously were displayed. West Gate Towers attendant Bob Collins said Mannock was a private man who was highly regarded by his comrades.

Mr Collins said: "They were in awe of him. Away from flying, we knew from a biography of him in the 1930s that he was a passionate person who cared quite a lot about politics."