One of our Own- The Remarkable Story of Battle of Britain pilot Squadron Leader Victor Ekins MBE DFC

This is the story of a young man who found himself at the epicentre of one of the biggest turning points in recent history, The Battle of Britain. Guided by the diaries that he meticulously kept throughout his wartime experience and that lay unread for over 80 years, Victor Howard Ekins’ story is one of duty, loss, friendship and love. He would meet his wife Kim, a ‘plotter’ serving at RAF Kenley, during the intensity of the Battle of Britain. He also rose through the ranks to become a Squadron Leader who was admired and respected by those who served with him. As an inexperienced Sergeant pilot, Victor was posted to 111 Squadron three weeks into the Battle of Britain. The baptism of fire that he went on to experience would stay with him for a lifetime as his squadron was decimated after relentlessly pursuing the tactic of the head-on attack. He was caught on the ground during the bombing of RAF Croydon and would fight in the skies above RAF Kenley during ‘The Hardest Day’.