and now, half-way through September, there were not many left of those who had started the summer’s fighting. I think the death of one experienced pilot was a bigger loss to a squadron in those days than ten Spitfires or Hurricanes, because however many fighters we lost or damaged, replacements always turned up immediately. This must have demanded the most terrific efforts from both the factories and the ground crews, and though we couldn’t see the efforts we did appreciate the results.
