We use essential cookies to make our site work. We'd also like to set analytics cookies that help us make improvements by measuring how you use the site. These will be set only if you accept.

For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our cookies page.

Essential Cookies

Essential cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. For example, the selections you make here about which cookies to accept are stored in a cookie.

You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.

Analytics Cookies

ON OFF

We'd like to set Google Analytics cookies to help us improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify you.

Third Party Cookies

ON OFF

Third party cookies are ones planted by other websites while using this site. This may occur (for example) where a Twitter or Facebook feed is embedded with a page. Selecting to turn these off will hide such content.

In Remembrance

Image of Birling War Memorial

Birling War Memorial Names:

Baker, Charles

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent

Bishop, Sydney

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Blackman, Russell

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Calder, Thomas

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Day, Arthur C

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Evans, Kenneth

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Gladdish, Edward

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Gladdish, William L

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Holmewood, Raymond

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Lane, Percival F

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Langridge, Robert A N

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Lodge, William

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Love, Reginald

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Nevill, Michael

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Ogilvy, Gilchrist (sir, Bart.)

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Rabjohn, Eric

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent
Waters, John W J

Memorial: Birling (WMR 145), Birling, Kent

Tommy Pinkham was the Squadron Leader of the Royal Air Force No. 19 Fighter Squadron, the youngest squadron leader in the RAF.

According to the Fighter Command Combat Report dated 5 September 1940, eleven members of the No. 19 Fighter Squadron, lead by Squadron Leader Pinkham, took off from RAF Duxford at 09:47 hours to patrol Hornchurch, an area of east London near the Thames Estuary. Forty Luftwaffe Dornier 215 bombers escorted by 40 Messerschmitt 109 fighters were spotted approaching from the west. At 10:15 hours, Tommy and five others attacked the bombers. The other five aircraft attacked the Luftwaffe fighters. Squadron Leader Pinkham was last seen engaging three Dornier 215 bombers and was a casualty.

Tommy’s Spitfire Mk1 crashed in the wood and a memorial is maintained in the spot to remember his endeavours.