Hello and welcome to Family Stories, the podcast written by you, Our Listeners.

This week's Family Stories take us from two sporting stars turned men of war through

a Navy Commando, a family service on land, CN Air, to market garden with 30 core and the

art of mapping the war.

We begin this week with this from Robert Blackhada.

The story of my great uncle Francis is told on the Battle of Britain Monument.

William Francis Blackhada was born on the 23rd January 1913 in Edinburgh and joined 607 Squadron

or Xillary Air Force in early 1936.

He was captain of the Northern Rugby Club and played for Scotland against England in the

Calcutta Cup of 1938.

He was called for full-time service at the outbreak of war and flew to France with the Squadron

on the 15th of November 1939.

On the 11th of May, the day after the Blitzkrieg started, Blackhada shared in destroying a

Uncle 111 and claimed another unconfirmed.

On the 18th he claimed Adornia 17 destroyed but returned fire forced him to crash land near

Dene.

607 Squadron suffered heavy losses and was withdrawn to England on the 22nd of May.

Blackhada was awarded the DSO, the citation stating that he had shot down three enemy

aircraft and carried out several very important reconnaissance of bridges and roads at a time

when information was hard to come by.

When the Battle of Britain began, 607 Squadron was stationed in the north of England at

Osworth and on the 14th of August intercepted German raids coming in over the North Sea,

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