The Airmen's Stories - P/O M R Mudie

Michael Robert Mudie joined the RAF on a short service commission in March 1939. With training completed, he arrived at 11 Group Pool on 20th November 1939. With conversion to Hurricanes completed he was transferred to 2 Ferry Pilot Pool on 21st December as a reserve for France. He later joined 615 Squadron there.

He was shot down by Me109's in combat over a convoy off Dover on 14th July in Hurricane L1584. He baled out, badly wounded, and was rescued from the sea by the Navy and admitted to Dover Hospital.

Mudie died the next day, aged 24. He is buried in Esher Cemetery, East Molesey, Surrey.

Regrettably Mudie’s loss was witnessed by BBC commentator Charles Gardner who was recording the scene from a vantage point on the cliffs outside Dover. He mistook Mudie’s Hurricane for a German aircraft. His understandably breathless commentary included:

“There’s one going down in flames! Somebody’s hit a German and he’s coming down with a long streak - coming down completely out of control - a long streak of smoke. And now a man’s baled out by parachute! The pilot’s baled out by parachute! He’s a Junkers eighty-seven and he’s going slap into the sea. And there he goes - SMASH! A terrific column of water and there was a Junkers eight-seven. Only one man got out by parachute, so presumably there was only a crew of one in it!”

Above photographs courtesy of Dean Sumner