Hastings-born Edgar 'Cobber' Kain’s exploits flying Hawker Hurricane fighters for the Royal Air Force’s No. 73 Squadron over France in the first year of the Second World War made him a household name in Britain and the Dominions. In March 1940 he shot down his fifth German aircraft to became the first RAF air 'ace' of the war, and he was the first to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was credited with 16 ‘kills’ between November 1939 and June 1940.
Given his experiences in battle, how Kain died was cruelly ironic. He had been rested from operations and decided to mark his departure with an aerobatic display over the aerodrome at Échemines, south-east of Paris, on 7 June. He completed two low-level rolls and was attempting a third when he crashed onto the airfield and was thrown from the aircraft. He was 21 years old.
Kain was buried in Troyes cemetery. After the war his remains were moved to the Allied section of the Choloy war cemetery.
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The invasion threat – The Battle of BritainOverview: 1913-1945 – Royal New Zealand Air Force
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'Fighter ace Edgar ‘Cobber’ Kain killed', URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/fighter-ace-edgar-cobber-kain-killed, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 3-Jul-2023
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