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My Grandparents were Hubert & Win Jones and they lived at 140 Wainbody Avenue in Coventry. Their close friends were the Marston family who lived at Number 144. The Marston's had a son Ken, he was older than the Jones' two girls and had left Bablake Grammar School to work for Coventry Council in the Transport Department where he'd passed his certification in Transport Management.

In 1939 Ken joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve and trained as a Pilot, he gained his wings and was commissioned in 1940 as a Pilot Officer. My Grandfather took photos with his box brownie camera for the Marston family as Ken's parents posed proudly with their son in his new uniform. Ken's father was an "Old Contemptible" and had served in France & Flanders from the outset of the Great War until he'd been invalided out after wounds.

Ken was posted to 56 Squadron flying Hurricane fighters from North Weald in Essex in July 1940 and by mid-August was flying operationally with the squadron against the huge Armadas of Goering's Luftwaffe. On his first or second day in combat he shot down a Messerschmitt 109 (24 Aug 1940) and this was confirmed when the wreckage was found in Kent. Two days later he shot down two more (26 Aug 40) and again the wreckage was found. One of his "kills" crashed just behind the church at Bobbing near the Isle of Sheppey. He was shot down in combat himself by a twin engined 2 seat fighter called the Bf110 but crash landed with slight injuries.

After heavy casualties the squadron was moved to the South West away from London but on 27 Sep 1940 they were in action again to face the German raiders and he shot down a Bf110 which was confirmed as a "kill".

On 12th December 1940 his flight were airborne on a training exercise when his Hurricane was accidentally hit by the propeller of the Hurricane of a fellow flight member. Ken's aircraft flipped over and he tried to bale out but he was too low for his parachute to open and he was killed.

There was a funeral at St.James Church, Styvechale, Coventry and he was buried with full RAF honours. Ken's Mum died not too long after him and his father only 10 years or so ago. He left Ken's log book to the RAF Museum at Hendon.

Ken Marston was "One of the Few", he is mentioned in many of the modern Battle of Britain books particularly since one of the German's he shot down on 26 Aug 1940 was only given a proper burial in the 1980's when his wrecked aircraft was dug up in a farmers field near Canterbury and his remains were found (Fritz Buchner).

My Grandfathers account of his life and death was my introduction to the Battle of Britain.

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