The Airmen’s Stories – Sgt. H H Adair
Hubert Hastings Adair, from Norwich, was born in 1917 and educated at the City school there. He joined the RAF as an Airman u/t Pilot in January 1936. Posted to 88 Squadron, he flew Fairey Battles with them in France. Answering the call for volunteers for Fighter Command, he joined 151 Squadron at Digby on September 4th 1940, moving to Tangmere on the 21st.
After being involved in a night landing accident at Tangmere on November 5th Adair was in action the following afternoon and did not return from combat over the Southampton area. He was posted as ‘Missing’ and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial (panel 11 below).
All photographs courtesy of Dean Sumner
Recent research indicates that the Hurricane, V7602, which crashed and burned out at Pigeon House Farm, Widley, Hampshire was Adair’s. When it was excavated on October 6th 1979 (the crash site being marked, below), partial remains of the pilot were found and later sent to Porchester Crematorium for cremation and scattering in the garden. This aircraft was almost certainly shot down by Major Helmut Wick of JG2.