Allied – Hurricane V6627

On the 6th of November, 1941, Hurricanes from 145 Squadron were engaged in combat over the island with a horde of ME Bf109s that were serving as the fighter escort for a bomber force consisting of 75 or more Bf110s from EGR210 group. The pilot of Hurricane V6627, Flight Sergeant Haire, was the first person to lose their life that day.

While he was flying above Newport and heading towards Arreton, a Bf109 opened up with heavy fire on him. While Haire furiously tried to prevent the plane from plummeting into the buildings below, the aircraft lost altitude and caught fire. As a result of this, he remained inside his craft for a much longer period of time than necessary and bailed out at an inappropriate height. However, despite his efforts, they were not in vain since he was able to guide his disabled vessel to a grassy grave at Perreton Farm, which is located quite near to Hasley Manor. The title of “Flt Sgt.”

On this particular occasion, Haire’s parachute was unable to open all the way, causing him to fall violently onto a field nearby, where he sustained fatal injuries. Eleven days before, he had narrowly avoided dying when the Hurricane plane he was piloting plunged into the water off the coast of Forelands.

Note: All images are merely representative of the aircraft and not specific.

• All images are of similar aircraft and not the specific plane in question
• Wight Air Wrecks – A T Gilliam ISBN 0-7524-2376-2
• Battle in the Skies – H J Leal (IWCP)