Nick Black explores the events of the Battle of Barking Creek which offers an insight into both the RAF’s preparations for war, and the minds of young, eager fighter pilots in their first taste of aerial combat.

Circumstances permitting, this lecture will be live-streamed from the RAF Museum, London. For a  Free ticket to attend in person visit: https://royalairforcemuseum.digitickets.co.uk/category/32533?_ga=2.125567498.1269074024.1615293060-626818121.1603820471

This free lecture is part of the RAF Museum's Research Lecture Programme. If you'd like to support the RAF Museum, you can make a donation at: https://support.rafmuseum.org/Donate-Now

On 6 September 1939, three days after Britain declared war with Nazi Germany, Montagu Hulton-Harrop became the first Royal Air Force fighter pilot to be shot down during the Second World War.

The tragic tale of Hulton-Harrop is worsened by the fact that he was shot down by his own side. Two RAF spitfire pilots faced a court martial and the resulting investigation shed light on many frailties in the famed “Dowding System”.

The Battle of Barking Creek, as it was labelled by RAF personnel, was shrouded in strict secrecy at the time. Throughout the years that followed it became a folk-lore like short anecdote, retold over and over again by historians, journalists, and in the memoires of the pilots involved. Recollections of the incident differed greatly from story to story and details were often completely wrong.

This talk presents the results of the first forensic investigation into the Battle of Barking Creek and the exact series of events that caused the incident. Using previously restricted documents that have recently been released by the National Archives Nick Black will re-construct the incident in its entirety, controverting the popular narrative and giving a thorough analysis of who, or what, was to blame for Hulton-Harrop’s death, and what the RAF learned that helped them in the Battle of Britain less than a year later.

The events surrounding the Battle of Barking Creek offers an insight into the RAF’s preparations for war with Germany and allows a glimpse inside the minds of young, eager and sometimes inexperienced fighter pilots in their first taste of aerial combat. The episode also adds extra context to the lives of some legendary fighter aces including “Sailor” Malan, John Freeborn, and Roger Bushell.

Revisiting the Battle of Barking Creek, 6 September 1939