Remembering the Few with Wing Commander Tom Neil
20th Century
•
1h 58m
Last summer, we were lucky enough to interview Wing Commander Tom Neil, one of the last of 'the Few' who fought in the Battle of Britain. During the Battle he shot down at least 13 enemy aircraft; he saw over half his squadron shot down within 5 minutes; he is also credited with the longest flight ever recorded in a Hurricane (5 hours and 45 minutes). Tom continued to serve in the RAF throughout the rest of the war. In this interview, the Wing Commander talks through his remarkable experience of the Second World War and what it was like to battle in the skies. Tom passed away on 11 July 2018.
Up Next in 20th Century
-
🎧 Gassed: The Toxic Legacy of World W...
Dan explores the birth and development of chemical warfare during the First World War.
-
Searching for My Father: The Story of...
80 years ago Wing Commander Joseph Watts was killed when his RAF Hampden Bomber crashed, as it returned from a bombing raid in Occupied Europe. He left behind a daughter, and also an unborn son. John Watts, born 8 months later, would never meet his father. But recently he discovered that at the R...
-
Snow in a Spitfire
The Spitfire is the most famous piston engine fighter plane. It played a vital part in the summer of 1940, keeping the Luftwaffe from gaining air superiority over Britain. Now Dan Snow, whose lifelong dream is has been to fly in this beautiful plane, gets the chance to go up in a two-seater versi...