Youngest Battle Of Britain Spitfire Pilot Dies

Geoffrey Wellum enjoys a joke with the Prince of Walesduring a reception at Church House in 2015 (Picture: PA).

The youngest Battle of Britain Spitfire pilot has died, aged 96.

Geoffrey Wellum, who was just 18 when he joined the RAF in August 1939, died at his home in Cornwall on Wednesday evening, the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust said.

The former squadron leader served with 92 Squadron and some of his first combat missions included the "dogfights" above London and the Home Counties during the Battle of Britain.

He was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and was promoted to Flight Commander with 65 Squadron.

Sqn Ldr Wellum went on to lead eight Spitifres from HMS Furious to relieve Malta.

Speaking in 2013, Sqn Ldr Wellum spoke about how he was sent out to fly while still in his teens.

"Somebody said: 'Here's a Spitfire - fly it, and if you break it there will be bloody hell to pay'," he said.

"I ended with 146 hours of flying time.

"Looking at my life now, I had peaked at about 21 or 22.

"It was just lovely blokes, all together in Fighter Squadron."

During the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe lost almost 2,000 aircraft in the battle which raged throughout the summer, while the RAF lost more than 900.

Sqn Ldr Wellum flew between 50 and 60 flights over the period, and once said the most terrifying aspect of the conflict was being engaged in a dogfight.

In an interview in 2010, Sqn Ldr Wellum said: "If you were in one-on-one combat and you could see the man behind you trying to shoot you down, you knew the meaning of the word fear.

"In fact I found myself on one occasion fairly calmly saying to myself, 'I'm going to die'."

Sqn Ldr Wellum stayed with the RAF until 1960 and went on to write a memoir on his experiences in the war. 

The book, 'First Light', was later adapted into a film.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust's secretary Patrick Tootal said members of the charity's staff and volunteers had been "much saddened by the news".