Bidspirit auction | WW2 Battle Britain P Morfill

WW2 Battle Britain P Morfill Capt George Burges DFC Malta ace signed RAF cover. RAF Over Malta 22 June 1940 Grp Capt George Burges OBE DFC personally signed G Burges and P F Morfill 501 sqn Hurricane 65 sqn Spitfire WW2 RAF FDC. Burges Burges ended the war with 3 biplane victories and a total of 7 victories. During January-September 1938 he was posted to HQ, Mediterranean, as ADC first to Air Commander Paul Maltby and then to Air Commander A. Leckie. He returned to 202 Squadron until October and was then posted to HQ, Malta, as ADC to Air Vice Marshal F. H. M. Maynard. After the war began, he was selected as one of the pilots forming the Fighter Flight with Sea Gladiators on Malta (the famous ”Faith”, ”Hope” and ”Charity”). During the first air raid on Malta shortly before 07:00 on 11 June 1940, three Gladiators (N5519, N5520 and N5531) were scrambled. Led by Flight Lieutenant Burges (in N5531), Squadron Leader Alan 'Jock' Martin (N5519) and Flying Officer Timber Woods (N5520) were ordered up to meet the attackers. There were so many targets over Valetta and Hal Far that the Gladiators became split up. Burges saw nine bombers turning in a wide circle south of the island, obviously preparing to head back to Sicily. Cutting across the circle, he and one of the other pilots (probably Squadron Leader A. C. Martin) gave chase, and he was able to fire most of his ammunition at one bomber without apparent result. These were some of 34o Stormo BT S.79s which had hit Hal Far, and the crews reported that the Gladiators fired from long range. One S.79 piloted by Capitano Rosario Di Blasi from 52o Gruppo was hit in the fuselage. On 13 June, Flight Lieutenant Burges flew four sorties, first two patrols in N5531, both during which he suffered engine troubles and two patrols in N5520. During the first of these last two sorties, he attacked five S.79s and two MC.200s and during the last sortie he attacked five more S.79s. Both engagements were inconclusive. Percy Frederick Morfill DFM (11 December 1914 - April 2004) was a British flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was credited with least six aerial victories. From Gosport, Morfill joined the RAF in 1933 as a metal rigger. He volunteered for pilot training three years later and on completion of his flight training was posted to No. 65 Squadron. A few months after the outbreak of the Second World War, he was posted to No. 501 Squadron. He flew in the Battle of France and in the subsequent Battle of Britain, during which he destroyed a number of aircraft. Commissioned in 1942, he spent most of the remainder of the war as an instructor in the United Kingdom and Southern Rhodesia. Remaining in the RAF in the postwar period, he continued to serve in instructing posts as well as staff roles. He left the RAF in 1958 and worked in the automotive industry until 1977, when he retired. In April 2004, he died at the age of 89. Good condition Est.