In the Autumn of 1940, Mark 1 Hurricanes of 229 Sqn. were involved in the final stages of the Battle of Britain. On this bright Autumnal Sunday, RE-Q, Airframe number V7245, was flown by Sergeant Frank Twitchett. "........Returning from sorties over south east Kent we would often make use of the Ashford to Redhill railway line as a useful 'pointer' to Northolt where the Squadron was based. Low flying was not forbidden in those days and only punished if it was reported as dangerous....."

Born in Woolwich in 1920, Frank joined 229 Sqn. in October 1940. Later, posted to 145 Sqn. he shared credit in downing a Ju88 in March 1941 and he destroyed a Bf109 over the Western Desert in June 1942. Further service in Burma followed before he returned to the U.K. where he trained as an instructor, finally leaving full time service in 1950 with the rank of Flight Lieutenant.

The Ashford to Redhill line, being exceptionally straight, had been used as a navigational aid since the earliest days of aviation - so much so that many of the stations along its route had their names painted on the roof for the benefit of pilots flying between Paris and London. Needless to say these were quickly obliterated at the onset of hostilities in 1939.

The painting is set just to the east of Headcorn and shows the crossing on the Smarden road. The old white gates have now been replaced, and the lane beyond is overgrown and no more than a footpath, but at least one local inhabitant I spoke to regularly drove down it in the 30's and 40's.

The H class 0-4-4 tank engine was built in 1905 at the Ashford Works and is seen pulling the typical three coach train used on this line. Between 1931 and nationalisation in 1948 the prefix 1 was added to these engine numbers. Bearing it's original number of 263 it is now in preservation on the Bluebell Line.

The girl waving so enthusiastically is the one dallying with the cricketer behind the pavilion in the print "Spitfire!" and is, no doubt, on her way to another match! In fact, 'Blondie' has become something of a mascot and appears in a great many of my aviation paintings.

The car is a 1935 Austin 7 Ruby. Wearing the standard headlight hoods, the vehicle would appear to be a prized possession judging by the owner's meticulous painting of the regulation white lines around the mudguards. I wonder if he would approve of my efforts.