"I suddenly saw a Hurricane near Folkestone on his own. He was being attacked by four 109s. Before I could do any good he went down and he actually crashed near Sittingborne and was killed. The four 109s then devoted their attention to myself. They were no doubt experts because two got above me and two below me. And I was in a circle. I thought, realised I was in a tight corner, did a lot of firing which was I think was more to boost my own morale and perhaps frighten them than any chance of hitting them, and then eventually there was a loud bang in my cockpit and I momentarily sort of was dazed. 

When I came to, the aircraft was going straight down and I thought, "Oh this is it". Then decided suddenly it wasn't, and grabbed the control column and shot straight up again, and as I slowed down, I opened the hood, turned the aircraft over and baled out. It was very cold and obviously I was suffering from shock and then I suddenly noticed that my right leg, that there was blood seeping through my flying boots . . . Subsequently it appeared that I had nine pieces of cannon shell in my right leg and I was taken to an emergency hospital near there, and that was the end of the battle of Britain for me."

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