Campaign launched to commemorate two Banbury RAF men who died while taking on 'highly dangerous and secretive photography'

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A campaign has been launched to commemorate two brave Banbury men who lost their lives while serving in the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit during the Second World War.

The Spitfire AA810 Project campaign has been launched to establish a memorial to all of those who served with the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (PRU).

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Considered one of the most dangerous roles in the RAF during the war, men serving in the PRU typically had a life expectancy of around two and a half months.

Formed on September 24, 1939, the PRU operated highly dangerous and secretive photographic reconnaissance operations over all the theatres of the conflict.

An original picture of spitfires used by the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit, taken at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire in November 1941.  Credit Gunn family via Spitfire AA810.An original picture of spitfires used by the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit, taken at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire in November 1941.  Credit Gunn family via Spitfire AA810.
An original picture of spitfires used by the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit, taken at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire in November 1941. Credit Gunn family via Spitfire AA810.

Throughout the war, the PRU were responsible for taking more than 26 million photographs of enemy operations and installations.

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The photographic intelligence provided by the PRU was pivotal in the planning of major operations like D-Day and the Dambusters Raid.

Pilots in the unit typically flew solo in unarmed and unarmoured Spitfires and Mosquitos due to the clandestine nature of the operations.

This resulted in the unit having an extremely high death rate of nearly fifty per cent, one of the lowest survival rates of the war.

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Despite the fact that their role was incredibly dangerous and intelligence gathered on PRU missions had great significance, there is no national memorial to the PRU pilots and navigators.

Two of the men who sadly lost their lives whilst serving in the PRU were Banbury-born Arthur Delehaunt and Ronald Hewison.

Son of Egbert and Eleanor Delehaunt, Arthur worked for an insurance company before joining the RAF and training as an aerial observer.

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Rising to the ranks of Sergeant, Arthur was posted to the 69 Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, where he flew Martin Maryland aircraft from a base on Malta.

On March 18, 1942, Arthur and his crew were tasked with a reconnaissance operation in North Africa.

On their way back to Malta, Arthur’s plane was intercepted by German fighters and shot down into the sea just six miles from home.

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Tragically, no trace of 26-year-old Sergeant Arthur Delehaunt or the rest of his crew was ever found.

The son of James and Frances Hewison, Pilot Officer Ronald Hewison joined the RAF at the outbreak of the war.

Ronald trained as a Spitfire pilot and was posted to 680 Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron operating mostly in the Mediterranean.

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On September 26, 1943, he took off in his Spitfire PR.IV for an operational sortie but crashed over Egypt in unknown circumstances.

Ronald Hewison sadly died at the age of 23 and was buried in the Heliopolis cemetery in Egypt.

Banbury MP Sean Woodcock is championing the campaign to commemorate Arthur and Ronald with a permanent memorial site.

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Sean said: “I am delighted to support the campaign to commemorate those who served in the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit.

“This includes Arthur Delehaunt and Ronald Hewison, who served under exceptionally difficult conditions, and I would urge anyone who might have any more information on them to get in touch.

“I look forward to working with the Spitfire AA810 Project to establish this memorial and to being able to pay my respects there once it is completed.”

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Anyone who may have further information about Arthur Delehaunt and Ronald Hewison is asked to contact Tony Hoskins of the Spitfire AA810 Project campaign at [email protected]

For more information, visit: www.spitfireaa810.co.uk

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