A Tribute to all who served at RAF Exeter 1940-1945
The Battle of Britain July – October 1940
RAF SQUADRONS ROLL OF HONOUR
ATKINSON H. D. DFC P/O 213 Sqn August 25th Aged 22
BUCHIN M.S.H.C. (Bel.) P/O 213 Sqn August 15th Aged 34
BUTTERFIELD S.L. DFM Sgt 213 Sqn August 11th Aged 27
COMELY P.W. P/O 87 Sqn August 15th Aged 19
CULVERWELL J.H. Sgt 87 Sqn July 25th Aged 25
DEWAR J.H. DSO DFC W/Cdr (C.O, 87 & 213 Sqn’s) Sept 12th Aged 33
GLYDE R.L. DFC (Aus) F/O 87 Sqn August 13th Aged 26
JAY D.T. DFC P/O 87 Sqn October 24th Aged 19
JEFF R.V. DFC & BAR F/Lt 87 Sqn August 11th Aged 27
LARICHELIERE J.E.P, (Can) P/O 87 Sqn August 16th Aged 27
LOVELL- GREGG T.G. (NZ) S/Ldr 87 Sqn August 15th Aged 27
MAY L.D. Sgt 601 Sqn October 25th Aged 21
MILLS-SMITH F/Sgt 601 Sqn October 25th Aged 22
MOSS W.J.M. Fleet Air arm Sub/Lt 213 Sqn August 27th Aged 23
NORRIS P.P. Sgt 213 Sqn August 13th Aged 22
PHILIPART J.A.L. (Bel) P/O 213 Sqn August 25th Aged 31
STUCKEY S.G. Sgt 213 Sqn August 12th Aged 26
TOPOLNICKI J. (POL) F/O 601 Sqn September 21st Aged 30
WAKELING S.R.E. Sgt 87 Sqn August 25th Aged 21
WIGHT R.D.G. DFC F/Lt 213 Sqn August 11th Aged 24
WILKES G.N. Sgt 213 Sqn August 12th Aged 21
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POLISH SQUADRONS ROLL OF HONOUR
ANTONOWICZ Jerzy Major 307 Sqn 25.03.1907 – 23.10.1941
BUKOWIECKI Gregorz Jerzy F/O 307 Sqn 09.11.1916 – 03.04.1942
GAJEK Waclaw William P/O 307 Sqn 14.10.1921 – 08.11.1942
GAYZLER Witold Jozef P/O 307 Sqn 02.01.1915 – 27.09.1941
ILLASZEWICZ Wladyslaw P/O 307 Sqn 28.03.1916 – 18.07.1942
JARZEMBOWSKI Stanislaw Sgt 307 Sqn 20.03.1917 – 01.08.1942
KARWOWSKI Lech Teodor P/O 307 Sqn 21.10.1913 – 23.10.1941
KUREK Zdislaw F/O 307 Sqn 20.09.1919 – 13.02.1942
LICHMIRA Hipolit Aircraftsman 307 Sqn 14.08.1915 – 06.04.1943
LISSOWSKI Zbyszko Maciej P/O 307 Sqn 09.10.1920 – 18.07.1942
MAKSYMOWICZ-RACZYNSKI Stefan P/O 307 Sqn 27.06.1918 – 14.02.1942
MICHALOWSKI Jan Major (Wing Commander) 307 Sqn 29.08.1909 – 21.03.1943
PFLEGER Wlodzimierz Stanislaw F/O 307 Sqn 05.11.1916 – 27.09.1941
PODGAJNY Edward Sgt 307 Sqn 05.10.1916 – 11.02.1942
PUZYNA Stanislaw F/O 307 Sqn 11.11.1917 – 03.04.1942
SKROUBA Jozef F/O 307 Sqn 07.04.1912 – 13.02.1942
SMOK Roman P/O 307 Sqn 1907 – 12.04.1942
STACHNIK Kazimierz Stanislaw Private 307 Sqn 19.01.1911 – 24.05.1941
SWIERZ Mieczyslaw F/O 307 Sqn 03.08.1918 – 12.04.1942
SZKOP Stanislaw Bogdan F/O 307 Sqn 29.03.1909 – 21.03.1943
THIESLER Kazimierz Alfons Sgt 307 Sqn 14.10.1915 – 11.02.1942
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"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them".
This bronze airman welcomes staff and passengers at the entrance to Exeter Airport, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom. Robin Gilbert & Frances Margaret.
Clyst Honiton Church
Honouring RAF Exeter – A Memorial at Clyst Honiton Church
The nearest church to Exeter Airport is Clyst Honiton Church, nestled just beyond the end of the main runway in the village. As part of my work with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, I tend to war graves across several local sites — including Clyst St Mary, Clyst St George, Pinhoe, Broadclyst, Topsham, and the Higher Cemetery at Heavitree, Exeter.
It was during a visit to Clyst Honiton Church that I noticed something striking: while memorials to the Great War were present both outside and inside the church, there was no reference whatsoever to the Second World War — despite the airfield’s vital wartime role just next door.
Curious and concerned, I spoke with the local church warden, who confirmed that no memorial existed to honour those who served at RAF Exeter during 1940–1945. I felt compelled to act.
Using my own funds, I began designing a wooden wall plaque to commemorate all who served at RAF Exeter during the Second World War. The legal process was lengthy and complex, involving the Parish Council and the Exeter Diocese. Even for an interior wall installation, formal permission had to be granted through the Diocese. I began the application in 2017, covering the full cost of £450 — which included diocesan fees and the plaque’s design and production via an online company.
After much patience and perseverance, the memorial plaque was finally installed on the interior wall of Clyst Honiton Church on Wednesday, 6 November 2019. The local vicar conducted a short blessing ahead of the Remembrance Sunday service, which I was honoured to attend.
“I think it is so important to recognise all who served at our airport during the Second World War — especially in a church that is situated on the airfield boundary.”
This bronze airman welcomes staff and passengers at the entrance to Exeter Airport, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom. Robin Gilbert & Frances Margaret.
Reflective Words by Chris Wiseman and Others
"From Towers to Horizons"
Exeter’s towers stood through flame,
The Blitz had scarred, yet not defamed,
Above the runways, courage soared,
Defenders rose, their duty roared.
Through Hurricanes and Mosquito flight,
The city braved its darkest night,
Dakotas carried hope afar,
Guided by freedom’s steadfast star.
But dawn returned, the sirens stilled,
The streets rebuilt, with promise filled,
From shattered stone new life was cast,
A future rising from the past.
Now peace resides where war once lay,
The Cathedral greets each quiet day,
And Exeter’s skies, serene, renew,
Hold memories proud, and visions true.
Chris Wiseman
Tribute Poem: Defenders of the South West
"Many Flags, One Sky"
From Devon’s fields to Cornwall’s shore,
The world’s brave voices joined the war,
Poles and Czechs with steadfast aim,
Canadians, Aussies — all the same.
Americans crossed the ocean wide,
Beside the RAF they flew with pride,
New Zealand’s wings, so far from home,
Guarded England’s skies they’d roam.
Each nation’s sons, with courage true,
Together forged a brotherhood new,
Bound not by birth but by the fight,
For freedom’s cause, for what was right.
Exeter’s towers watched them rise,
Allies soaring through stormy skies,
Their sacrifice, a timeless flame,
Different flags, but one acclaim.
So let remembrance always show,
That many nations chose to go,
To guard the South West, strong and free,
A legacy of unity.
Chris Wiseman
"Wings Over Exeter"
Beneath cathedral’s steadfast towers,
That watched through war’s relentless hours,
The airfield woke with engines’ roar,
Guardians rising to meet the war.
Hurricanes carved the dawn-lit sky,
Mosquitos whispered as they flew by,
Dakotas bore their burdened load,
Hope and courage along the road.
From Exeter’s fields, brave hearts took flight,
Defending freedom through endless night,
Each sortie etched in history’s page,
A testament to a nation’s rage.
Yet peace now rests where echoes fade,
On runways grassed, where memories stayed,
We honour those who gave their all,
Answering duty’s solemn call.
So let the skyline ever tell,
Of Exeter’s sons who fought so well,
Their spirit soaring, proud and free,
A legacy for eternity.
Chris Wiseman
To the Few:
Oh my, how these days seem so long,
my sturdy craft sits patiently waiting for the bell,
I'm more jumpy, nervous, when the phone rings out,
The thought of climbing high to a possible hell,
God please let me survive for my long distance loving family,
and thank goodness for my few good friends,
we share ale and admire the girls to end another day,
please give me more time to protect our mighty land,
oh how for peaceful loving times I pray,
I will not stand and let evil prevail.
I will do my duty come what may.
Chris Wiseman
To fly in peaceful skies:
To fly in peaceful skies,
To taste the freedom of flight,
We guard our backs with watchful eyes,
Through every day and night.
We do not seek the name of “hero,”
Our duty is plain and true:
For the freedom of our homeland,
We defend the skies of blue.
Our machines are swift and mighty,
Our ground crews tireless, bold;
Their labour envied by the Hun,
Their skill a sight to behold.
Our women forge with courage,
Crafting wings by day and night;
Though rest is rare, their steadfast hands
Keep England’s future bright.
May England be blessed with gentler days,
With hope our spirits cope;
That enemies may turn from hate,
And cast aside the rope.
We are fighter boys in blue,
We bless this noble land;
We fight for all, but most for you
Together we must stand.
Chris Wiseman
Battle of Britain Devon Memories:
The long hot summer of 1940,
Fields of green stretching on beyond hedgerows
Occasional farm buildings scattered amongst Devon land
The noise of an old tractor with billowing smoke
Wildlife abundance running free
Devon life was relaxed and air fresh
The perimeter fence of a once civil Aerodrome appears
RAF Exeter, an abundance of excited activity throughout
Suddenly the music of Merlin engines flying low overhead
As duty crews depart on another essential patrol
Uniformed WAAFs rushing through Country lanes on bicycles
Evenings with airmen enjoying an evening beer
singing loudly around the pub piano
Smiling at Devon young ladies who giggled and blushed
This was Summer 1940 when our Island braced itself
Came together with true British spirit
Yes Devon folk played their part for Winston Churchill
By welcoming the airmen with opened arms.
Lest We Forget.
Chris Wiseman
Our Wall:
Here inscribed the names of friends, we knew,
Young men with whom we often flew.
Scambled to many angels high,
They knew that they or friends might die.
Many were very scarcely trained,
And many badly burnt or maimed.
Behind each name a story lies
Of bravery in summer skies;
Though many brave unwritten tales
Were simply told in vapour trails.
Many now lie in sacred graves
And many rest beneath the waves.
Outnumbered every day they flew,
Remembered here as just 'The Few'.
Written by Battle of Britain pilot, Flt Lt. William Walker. The poem is inscribed on the
Memorial Wall at Capel-Le-Ferne near Dover.
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Echoes Over Exeter:
Upon the fields where runways lay,
The dawn once broke in shades of grey,
Engines roared, a nation’s plea,
Guardians rose to keep skies free.
From Exeter’s heart, the squadrons flew,
Fleet Air Arm and the chosen few,
Their shadows crossed the Devon skies,
A steadfast watch with solemn eyes.
The hangars whispered tales of might,
Of courage born in darkest night,
Each sortie carved in memory’s stone,
Each sacrifice a debt we own.
Now silence rests where thunder reigned,
Yet heritage and pride remain,
For every name, each story told,
Keeps Exeter’s flame forever bold.
So let the past in honour stay,
A beacon for the present day,
Where echoes rise, the airfield sings,
Of valour borne on freedom’s wings.
Anonymous.
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Across the Fields of Time:
Quiet voices from the tower
rise and fall like steady breath,
guiding metal wings through morning haze
as the Devon hills keep their distant view,
soft and unchanging on the horizon.
A windsock gently blowing in the breeze
marks the rhythm of the air,
its slow turning a reminder
that even the smallest movement can shape a journey.
Runway lights that light
a path glow like patient sentinels,
waiting for the next story
to lift into the sky
or return from far away places with salt,
sun, snow, or memory
still clinging to the fuselage.
And always — across the grass fields beyond the apron —
a wartime past lingers,
quiet but unforgotten.
Shadows of Hurricanes,
footsteps of ground crews,
the heartbeat of a young station
learning courage one sortie at a time.
Here, the present and the past
share the same wind,
the same sky,
the same enduring sense
that every arrival is a homecoming
and every departure
is a promise carried forward.
Anonymous.
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This page was last updated 19 March 2026