The Battle of Britain Five Months That Changed History, May—October 1940 by James Holland (z-lib.org).epub

was the loss of nearly 300 pilots in France – pilots who had considerably
more flying experience than the new boys now coming through.
Still, most of the fifty-five fighter squadrons had been able to build up
their strength and make good earlier losses. Now back up at Leconfield in
Yorkshire, 616 Squadron had returned to the old routine of readiness and
convoy patrols along the north-east coast. Cocky Dundas felt no anticlimax,
however. Rather, he was filled with a renewed sense of purpose in
the knowledge that the Germans would launch their offensive at any
moment. However, while 616 had not suffered too many losses over
Dunkirk, in other squadrons the atmosphere now seemed very different.
Tony Bartley and Allan Wright had been posted to Pembrey, in South
Wales, where, with a new CO, 92 Squadron was resting and rebuilding after
its baptism over Dunkirk. ‘We were really glad to get our rest,’ Tony wrote
to his father. ‘Some of us couldn’t eat or sleep much after Dunkirk.’ David
Crook had noticed that quite a change had come over 609 Squadron. He
finally rejoined them on 29 June, although unlike 92 Squadron, they were
still at Northolt, in the front line of 11 Group. There was also a new CO as
well as a number of new faces. ‘The old easy-going outlook on life had
vanished,’ noted David, ‘and everybody now seemed to realize that war was
not the fairly pleasant affair that it had always seemed hitherto.’
Meanwhile, Pete Brothers and 32 Squadron were still based at Biggin
Hill in 11 Group and on front-line duties, although those were little more
than occasional combat sorties. One day, he and the squadron escorted
Blenheim bombers over France and on another occasion some photo
reconnaissance Blenheims, but in between there had been a chance to
practise and to operate at a slightly less hectic pace. In Pete’s case, it meant
a chance to see his wife, who was still living in their little bungalow in
Westerham, a few miles from Biggin.
Bee Beamont and the rest of 87 Squadron had been sent north, out of
the fray, to Church Fenton near York. It took a while for the squadron to
congregate again after the chaos of France. There were new faces and also
new Hurricanes – the squadron had to be almost entirely re-equipped with
new aircraft, but within a week they were operational once more. Bee found
it took a little while to get accustomed to life on a normal RAF station
having been abroad for eight months, and also to a calmer pace of life, but
eased his way back by heading off with one of his squadron mates, Jimmy
Dunn, in an old Avro Tutor biplane looking for possible invasion landing