Contact made!

Pierre,

It’s fine to use them; give credit to ‘601 Squadron Re-created’ and to the family of Norman Taylor who provided those images.

Very Best,

John

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601 Squadron Re-created

Norman Taylor’s family private collection

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601 Squadron Re-created

Norman Taylor’s family private collection

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‘601 Squadron Re-created

Norman Taylor’s family private collection

two pages

Source: Internet

http://www.the-battle-of-britain.co.uk/pilots/Ta-pilots.html
Sgt R.N.Taylor joined No 601 Squadron flying in Hurricane’s on the 7th of August 1940. Taylor scored his first victory on the 18th of August and two more during the Battle of Britain. He baled out of his Hurricane(P3735) on the 31st of August 1940 at 13:30hrs. He had been in combat with a Bf 109 over Gravesend. Taylor was awarded the D.F.M. on the 29th of July 1941and the D.F.C. on the 15th of December 1942 for shooting down a Foke-Wulf 200 Condor as a “Hurricat” pilot in 1942. In 1943 he became a test pilot.

8 thoughts on “Contact made!

  1. From the Website
    Norman Taylor

    Norman Taylor was born in Chellaston near Derby and his early years were spent in South Derbyshire. He attended schools in Melbourne, Ashby and finished his education at Bablake College in Coventry.

    He joined the Standard Motor Company in Coventry as an apprentice and then the RAF in January 1939 as the war clouds were forming over Europe. Following pilot training at Prestwick he joined 601 the ‘City of London’ squadron in early August 1940. This was based at Tangmere and as a Sergeant pilot he flew throughout the Battle of Britain scoring several kills over the Luftwaffe bomber and fighter force. He was shot down twice and awarded the caterpillar badge from the Irving parachute company.

    After the battle he made further kills flying missions over France and Belgium.

    In 1941 he volunteered for the Merchant ship fighter unit based at Speke Liverpool. This unit operated catapult launched sea Hurricanes from specially converted merchant ships called Camships; these were deployed to counter long distance four engine Focke-Wolf Fw 200 Condor bombers that threatened Allied convoys. In November 1941 he catapulted from the Camship ‘Empire Heath’ and shot down a Condor after which he parachuted into the sea where he was rescued by a British Corvette. After this incident he admitted that he needed to learn to swim.

    For this action he was made an officer and awarded a DFC to join the DFM he received during the Battle of Britain. This brought his tally of German planes shot down to 10.

    Norman then joined Rolls Royce Ltd at Derby as a test pilot and also instructed staff on the famous Merlin Engine. He flew many types of planes on test for the company.

    Next he joined 222 ‘Natal’ squadron, who were flying twin engine Meteor jet fighters and took part in the 1946 Victory fly past over Buckingham palace.

    Norman died in 1948 at the age of 27 when the Harvard aircraft he was flying crashed near Wunsdorf in Germany. He is buried in a commonwealth war grave near Munster. He is honoured on the memorial to the Battle of Britain pilots located on the embankment in London and at the National Arboretum at Alrewas Staffordshire.

  2. Interesting to note that another Derby born ‘Ace of Aces’ Arthur ‘Darkie’ Clowe was CO with 301 from August to November 1942. Previously he also flew in combat with 1 squadron in France where he received the DFM. He survived the war but died of cancer in 1949

    1. I found a picture with that pilot on a forum…

      From the L to R; “Hilly” Brown, the Czech Sgt A. Zavoral, the P/O Hancock, the Czech, Sgt J. Stefan, “Darkie” Clowes, “Moses” Demozay, P/O JFD Elkington and the P/O Chetham.

      I can’t post it in the comment section.

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