Ron Meadows (1920 - 2016) joined the RAF in 1940 and eventually became a Spitfire pilot. He went on to serve in a variety of locations around Europe and the Mediterranean. In June 1944, he was flying in 130 Squadron in support of the D-Day invasion, but was forced to crash-land his Spitfire when its engine failed. Several months before his death in 2016, he was awarded the Legion d'Honneur for his role in the liberation of France:
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This is unedited version of our filmed interview from February 2012.
Here are the timestamps for various stories:
0:00 - Early life and joining the RAF
8:54 - First flights
14:45 - Flying a Spitfire
25:01 - Flights over the English Channel in 1944
28:00 - Life in the RAF
30:21 - Process for bailing out
32:20 - Spitfire's combat performance
34:41 - Reconnaissance flights over the English Channel before D-Day
38:20 - Service in the Mediterranean, including Malta
1:07:38 - Service in western Europe, including D-Day
1:29:14 - End of the war and eventually leaving the RAF
![](https://s2.save4k.ru/pic/c5yf6fyo35Q/mqdefault.jpg)