This board was originally a black out screen placed in front of the doors to the het White Hart pub in Brasted, near Sevenoaks, Kent. The board was intended to prevent light from escaping during the night and alerting enemy aircraft from identifying and bombing targets during the war. At night Battle of Britain fighter pilots from nearby Biggin Hill would descend upon the White Hart for a few welcome hours of relief from combat. The Commanding Officer of Biggin Hill, 'Dickie' Grice was the first to sign his name during a leaving party and others followed his example. These include many pilots from 92 squadron - Anthony Bartley, Brian Kingcombe, Robert Stanford-Tuck and John Kent - as well as other notable pilots such as 'Sailor' Malan, Al Deere, Jamie Rankin and Neville Duke (see Duke in photo above).
After the war, the board was framed and unveiled by Group Capt 'Sailor' Malan and presented to the owners of the White Hart, Kath and Teddy Preston.
If you would like to hear more about the lives of fighter pilots in the Battle of Britain, please contact Dr Anthony Medhurst on info@thebattleofbritaintours.co.uk or 07852 765901.
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