Plaques unveiled for Battle of Britain brothers

Plaques have been installed for John (left) and Hugh Dundas at their childhood home

Blue plaques to honour two brothers who fought in the Battle of Britain have been unveiled at their former home in Barnsley.

John and Hugh Dundas joined the Royal Auxiliary Air Force in 1938, aged 23 and 18 respectively, and became Spitfire pilots, but only Hugh survived World War Two.

The elder brother was killed in 1940 off the Isle of Wight, aged 25, moments after he is believed to have shot down a Luftwaffe plane.

Canon Keith Farrow said the addition of blue plaques to the wall of Dale House in Cawthorne "ensures their heroism inspires future generations".

"They were not just pilots, they were guardians of liberty, sons of Yorkshire and eternal symbols of the RAF's motto, 'per ardua ad astra': through adversity to the stars," he added.

"We remember them, a family remembers, a village remembers and a nation remembers."

Sharon Pitt, who organised the plaques' installation, said the village was "proud" of the brothers

After retiring from active service in 1947, Hugh went on to become a senior broadcasting executive.

He was appointed a CBE in 1977 and was knighted in 1987, before his death in 1995, aged 74.

Eight of the brothers' relatives attended the plaques' unveiling on Monday, including Hugh's grandson, David Dundas.

"For them to be honoured here in Cawthorne, where they grew up, is really special," he said.

The plaques were each covered with the Royal Air Force flag before the unveiling

David was only six years old when his grandfather died, but said he learned his story from reading his book and from speaking to his grandmother, who died in 2023.

"It's a real proud moment for the family, to be here and to be part of it," he added.

The installation of the plaques was organised by Sharon Pitt, who has lived in Cawthorne for 25 years, and heard the Dundas brothers' story from a friend.

"He said, 'they were heroic spitfire pilots, don't they have blue plaques?', and I thought perhaps they should," she said.

She said Cawthorne was "proud" of the duo and added: "It's good for the village to remember people like that."

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