On, again over Dunkirk, the crew were involved in 264 Squadron's major success when they went into combat at about 1515 hours, shooting down a Junkers Ju 87 dive bomber and a Messerschmitt Bf 110 twin-engined fighter at about 1515 hours. On, just north of Dunkirk, their flight was attacked by a formation of Bf 109 fighters handling his aircraft skillfully Thorn enabled Barker to shoot down three of them very quickly. On Thorn and Barker are reported to have shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 near Dunkirk, but this is not mentioned in other records. In early operations the Defiant was often mistaken for the similarly-shaped Hawker Hurricane by German pilots who dived to attack from above and behind, the blind spot for a Hurricane pilot, but directly into the fire from the gunnerвЂ™s turret on a Defiant. They formed part of the flight commanded by Nicholas Gresham Cooke. Thorn had teamed up with leading aircraftman Frederick James Barker from Bow in London. 303 machine guns in a rear turret operated by an air gunner.ДЄs the squadron began to take shape, its new commanding officer, Squadron Leader Philip Hunter, arrived. 264 Squadron RAF at RAF Sutton Bridge to fly the Boulton Paul Defiant An unusual fighter for its era, the Defiant had a single engine but was armed with four. War broke out in September 1939 and one month later Thorne was posted to the newly formed No. He trained to be a non-commissioned officer pilot and by the early 1930s had earned his pilotвЂ™s aircrew brevet. 1 School of Technical Training RAF based at RAF Halton. Thorn joined the Royal Air Force as an aircraft apprentice with the service number 562610 in 1928 and passed out from the No. The couple set up home in BishopвЂ™s Waltham, Hampshire.

In August 1939 he married to Marion McAlpine, in Droxford, Hampshire. At home he was known as Roland, although in later life in the RAF he was known as Ted. The two children were educated at local council schools in North End. In 1916, when Rowland was three, his father was killed in the First World War.

Edward Rowland (or Roland ) Thorn was born at North End, Hampshire on 15 April 1913, the son of Thomas Thorn, a chef from Newport, and his wife Ellen Maria.

Commander thorn