Wings and a prayer

RAF Pilot Officer W. H. (Bill) Hodgson (DFC), of Dunedin, was hailed as a hero for his wartime flying skills. Tony Eyre tells his story.

St Peter's Anglican Church in Caversham features some beautiful stained-glass windows, but two in particular catch the eye.

One of them depicts a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot in blue uniform, with head raised, kneeling before the figure of a beckoning Christ whose hand gently rests on his shoulder. The pilot was 19-year-old Bill Hodgson, from Macandrew Rd, Dunedin.

As a child growing up in Auckland in the 1960s, I quite clearly remember Hodgson's framed photograph sitting on top of the piano in my grandmother's sitting room. His presence was always there, this formal portrait of my second cousin, in RAF uniform, smiling proudly back at me.

I was too young to know who he was, but looking back now, this picture among the ornaments on the piano was like a shrine, an image imbedded in the memories of my childhood.

Educated at Macandrew Rd School and King Edward Technical College, Hodgson worked as a radio technician at 4YA radio station before setting his sights on an air force career.

After some initial flying experience with the Otago Aero Club at Taieri Aerodrome and basic training at RNZAF Wigram, Hodgson left New Zealand in February 1940 to serve in Britain with the RAF.

Among those at the Dunedin Railway Station to farewell Hodgson was Betty Brough (nee Brown), a friend who was to keep in letter contact with him for much of his time overseas. Now 87 and living in Owaka, South Otago, she recalls two mementos sent to her by Hodgson - a gold lapel badge of air force wings and a cannon shell fragment, a souvenir from one of his many aerial escapades.

After receiving further flying instruction at the RAF stations based at Meir and Sutton Bridge, Hodgson was finally posted to RAF No 85 Squadron at Debden in Essex in May 1940.

This squadron of Hawker Hurricanes had suffered heavy casualties during the Battle of France and Hodgson was one of a number of replacement pilots brought into service in preparation for what was to become the Battle of Britain.

His squadron leader, Peter Townsend - who, in postwar Britain was to become royal equerry to King George VI and romantically attached to Princess Margaret - was soon to have good reason to nickname his young pilot officer "Ace" Hodgson.

As German raids over the English Channel continued to escalate, Bill Hodgson saw action for the first time on August 18th, 1940, while stationed at Debden. His No 85 Squadron was scrambled to attack a formation of about 200 Messerschmitts and Dornier 17s.

In the fierce frenzy of combat, Hodgson was credited with shooting down two enemy aircraft and damaging another. Of that skirmish, he recorded in his flying log, "Ruddy huns won't stay and scrap. Out of ammo, chased home by thirty Me.110s. My little heart went pitter-pat."

During the morning of August 31, the Luftwaffe launched a number of successful raids against airfields in the south of England. In the afternoon, attacks were made against airfields at Biggin Hill, Hornchurch and at Croydon, where 85 Squadron was now based.

Hodgson's Hurricane was one of 10 from No 85 Squadron doing interception control over the south coast when they were ordered to intercept an enemy formation of 30 bombers and 100 Messerschmitt fighters heading for the Thames estuary.

Despite being hugely outnumbered, the 10 Hurricanes dived to attack the German contingent and Hodgson was soon in the thickest of the fighting. He was soon to destroy a Messerschmitt 109 fighter and damage a Dornier 215 bomber in a head-on attack.

Earlier in the day, his squadron leader, Peter Townsend, had been shot down but was able to bail out with severe injuries to his left foot. Now it was Hodgson's turn. His Hurricane was hit at close range by an explosive cannon shell which blew up his oil lines and glycol tank.

At 20,000ft he unstrapped and prepared to bail out, but changed his mind when he saw to his horror the risk of his plane crashing into oil tanks at Thameshaven or the surrounding populated area.

Switching off his engine and keeping the flames away from the fuselage by a series of right sidesteps, he eventually got the flames under control even though glycol fumes and black smoke were pouring into the cockpit.