Battle of Britain deaths remembered

Eric Doutrepont unveiled the plaque in memory of his father

Two casualties of the Battle of Britain have been remembered in a special service 63 years to the day after they died.

People from both sides of the English Channel gathered in the village of Staplehurst on Monday to remember a Belgian pilot and a local man who worked in the railway station.

They were both killed when the fighter pilot's plane crashed into the station on Sunday 15 September 1940.

The pilot's son and colleagues of the station ticket office clerk were at the ceremony, as were surviving pilots.

'Proud and moved'

The Battle of Britain, which took place in the skies over south-east England in the summer of 1940, is seen as one of the most decisive moments in World War II.

It's unbelievable and I still can't believe to this day that I'm still here because of a toss of a coin Jack Wood

About 1,700 Luftwaffe bombers and fighters were shot down in a few months while Britain lost more than 900 fighter planes.

Nearly 500 Allied pilots and aircrew were killed.

Among the pilots to die was Georges Doutrepont, the Belgian whose plane crashed onto Staplehurst station.

His son Eric Doutrepont, who was just one when his father died, came to Kent for Monday's service and was asked to unveil a new plaque at the station.

He said: "I'm proud and moved. I didn't know my father because I was just one year old, but my mother has some memories and some letters.

The plane exploded as it landed on the station 63 years ago

"She cannot come because she is ill but she asked me to tell how it is."

It was by chance that 18-year-old ticket clerk Charles Ashdown was at work when the plane hit the station.

His colleague at the time, Jack Wood, was also at the service and said they had tossed a coin to decide who was working that day.

He explained: "I said to Charlie 'there's one thing to do with it - there's no trains to get us here, we'll have to toss a coin'.

"'Yeah, fair enough, Jack' he said, so we tossed a coin and I won the toss.

"It's unbelievable and I still can't believe to this day that I'm still here because of a toss of a coin."

Planes from the Belgian air force performed a fly-past during the ceremony, which also saw Mr Doutrepont unveil a plaque commemorating the deaths of his father and Mr Ashdown.