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Philip Norris - Hurricane Pilot
 | Sergeant Pilot Philip Purchall NORRIS
Service Number: 740810
Age: 22
213 Squadron Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Killed in Action: 13th August 1940
Buried: Etaples Military Cemetery - Pas de Calais Plot 46 Row B Grave 22
Son of William and Florence Beatrice Norris of Burgess Hill.
Philip was born on 4th September 1917 into a large family of five brothers and two sisters. He was educated at Brighton Grammar School and, like his brothers, belonged to the Congregational Church Youth Club. The family remembers Philip having an interest in boxing.
Philip lived with his parents in Leylands Road, Burgess Hill in the house next to the Gas Works provided by the Gas Company for his father who worked their as the manager. Philip's brother Leslie served as a Lieutenant in The Royal Engineers in Northwest Europe with 52nd Lowland Division and was awarded a Military Cross for bravery. Another brother, Eric, served in The Royal Corps of Signals. The Norris family is related to three other Burgess Hillians who gave their lives during World War Two. Garnet and Roy Geen were brothers of Iris, Leslie's wife. Harry James Brownings was married to sister Bertha (Birdie).
Philip joined The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve before the war and learned to fly at Shoreham Aerodrome. During his short life Philip worked for Lloyds Bank in Brighton until volunteering for service at the outset of the war.
Philip was posted to A Flight, 213 Squadron who were part of the Tangmere Wing and were stationed at RAF Filton, Exeter. For a while during the Battle of France Philip was based at Biggin Hill and his brother Lew remembers Philip flying over Burgess Hill on his way back to the aerodrome after action if fuel allowed. The family remembers the local police making a complaint that Philip was flying too low and disturbing residents!
213 Squadron were actively involved in the Battle for Dunkirk where their Hurricanes were engaging German aircraft that more often than not outnumbered them. The young pilots accounted for a number of enemy aircraft with Philip shooting down a Messchersmitt Bf109e on 31st May. The Squadron lost a number of pilots during the last weeks of May and first weeks of June in 1940. Philip also damaged a He111, which was later destroyed by Wilf Sizer.
After the Battle of France, Philip and 213 were involved in the Battle of Britain. The Sergeant Pilots were billeted out in a residential area some four miles from RAF Filton. Sergeant Pilot Mike Croskell (later Flight Lieutenant) remembers being positioned up to a "forced landing ground" in July, which was literally a field with no facilities unless organised by the pilots, themselves. Phillip persuaded the Engineering Sergeant to drive them up in his car to a hotel in a small town where he talked the Hotelier to let them all have baths. The Hotelier charged them 6d each!
Mike Croskell also remembers 213 being used as a night-fighter unit for a period in July when they were patrolling in the Bristol area.
The German aircraft Philip engaged on his last action were twin-engined Junkers JU88 Bombers of Lehr Geschwader I from Orleans Bricy and Fliegerkorps VIII single-engined Junkers JU87 (Stuka) Dive bombers. The weather on 13th August was mainly fair with early morning mist and some drizzle with some cloud present over the Channel.
Heavy raids on Eastchurch had followed raids on Portland, Southampton and airfields in Hampshire and Kent. In the afternoon of 13th August, Adler Tag (Eagle Day) Number 10 Fighter Group prepared to put up strong forces to engage 20+, 50+, 30+ and 30+ formations, which showed up on radar screens coming from Jersey.
First on the scene was a heavy forward sweep of Me109's which became involved with 213 and 152 Squadrons while 238 Squadron Hurricanes fell in with a force Me110's who were supposedly escorting JU87's. Mike Croskell's logbook shows about 30+ Me109's and 30+ Me110's set them upon.
Most of the JU88's got through to Southampton where serious damage was done with large fires being started in warehouses and docks and a number of casualties being inflicted.
Philip failed to return from this action over Portland in his Hawker Hurricane I (P3348). His body was recovered along the French coast and interred in a local cemetery until being placed in a military cemetery after the War.
During the time Philip was killed the Squadron was flying up to 8 patrols a day, more often than not, losing one or two aircraft and pilots a day.
The Squadron received their Hurricane I's in January 1940 while based at Wittering. In May 1940 detachments were sent to Manston, Biggin Hill and Merville in France. On 9th June the Squadron all moved to Biggin Hill and on the 18th June they moved to Exeter.
Ken and Lew Norris later went on to be key members of Donald Campbell's Bluebird. Sadly the Bluebird crashed on Lake Coniston, Cumbria, killing Campbell as he tried to break the 300mph barrier in 1967.
My grateful thanks to Leslie and Lew Norris along with Mike Crosskell for their patience and kindness shown during my research.
Sources: CWGC, Battle of Britain Assoc, Flt-Lt Mike Crosskell, "213 Squadron The Hornet Strikes" by Frank Leeson, "The Narrow Margin" by Wood and Dempster, "Air Battle Dunkirk" by Norman Franks, "Men of the Battle of Britain" by Graham Wynn, "RAF Squadrons" by W/C Jefford and Messrs Les Norris M.C., & Lew Norris.
Copyright: Guy Voice September 2000
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60th Anniversary of the Battle
On Friday 15th September 2000 The Burgess Hill Royal British Legion and the Town Council held a memorial service for those who died during the Battle of Britain.
The service remembered not only the British aircrews of Fighter Command and the Fleet Air Arm but also all the Commonwealth and other allied pilots who flew in the Battle.
Ground Crews, Anti-Aircraft Artilley Units, Searchlight Crews, Parachute Packers, Aeroplane Manufacturers, Plotters, The Royal Observer Corps, Air Sea Rescue and RNLI Crews and many more were all invclved and remembered.
The day was dreadful with blowing winds and torrential downpours but the service was very well attended by ex-service organisations and some 300 members of the public.
Central to the service was remembering Philip Norris the Hurricane Pilot who lost his life on "Eagle Day", 13th August 1940, serving with 213 Squadron.
Many members of the Norris Family came to the service including the three surviving brothers - Leslie, Lew and Ken.
Despite great help from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight we were unable to obtain a Hurricane for a flypast.
Others who attended included:
H.M. The Queen's Representative Lord Lieutenant of Sussex Captain H Wyatt
The Reverend Andrew Fairchild
Chairman of Burgess Hill Town Council Mrs Gill Balsdon
Chairman of Mid-Sussex District Council Mrs Christine Field
Warrant Officer Bill Laws - Air Training Corps - Parade Marshall
Mr Duncan Yuill -Burma Star, Kohima Prayer
Mr Keith Baker - Chairman RBL Sussex County
Mr Julian Carr - President Burgess Hill Branch RBL
Mrs Nora Coles - President Burgess Hill RBL Women's Section
Mr Gary Cooper - Chairman Burgess Hill Branch RBL
Mr A Everest - Vice-Chair BHL RBL & Chair Mid Sussex Royal Sussex Regt Assoc.
Mrs Sarah Voce - Secretary Burgess Hill Branch RBL
Mr Roy Godsmark - Poppy Appeal Organiser
Mr Guy Voice - Poppy Appeal Secretary
The Mid Sussex Brass Band
Standards and Associations
Union Flag
Royal British Legion Branch Standard
The RBL Women's Section Standard
The Royal Naval Association Standard
The Royal Sussex Regimental Assoc. Standard
The Army Commando Assoc
The Royal Artillery Association
Special Air Service
The Parachute Regimental Association
The Normandy Veterans Association
The Burma Star Association
213 Squadron Royal Air Force Association
The Royal Air Force Association Haywards Heath Branch
The Royal Air Force Association Horsham Branch
The Aircrew Association
Sussex Vinditrix (Merchant Navy Association)
The Air Training Corps (Burgess Hill)
St. Dunstans
Lloyds TSB Plc
The Mid Sussex Times
The Mid Sussex Leader and Evening Argus
With thanks to Ron Haines for P.A and Music
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