Battle of Britain pilots share tales of lives as 'The Few' at Bridgnorth cinema

But at a special function at The Majestic Cinema in Bridgnorth, two of those pilots relived their wartime experiences to an enthralled audience.

Squadron Leader Tony Pickering and Flying Officer Ken Wilkinson were guests of honour at a special screening of the 1969 film Battle of Britain.

'Survivors didn't dwell on the loss of friends'

Tony Pickering was born in Foxton, Leicestershire, on August 25, 1920.

"Pick" Pickering, as he was know in the RAF, was just 19 and had only a few completed a few practice flights, when he was sent into battle as a Hurricane pilot.

Two months into his combat career he was shot down.

He said: "I was soon over the side when the flames appeared.

"I pulled the pin holding me in, lifted my head up into the slipstream and was pulled out."

He parachuted from 18,000 feet, amazingly didn't suffer a scratch and was back in action 24 hours later.

He was based at Gravesend with 501 Squadron and was often on 15-minute stand-by waiting to repel enemy attacks. Tony lost friends in the Battle of Britain, but said those who survived did not dwell on the losses.

He said: "It was terrible when friends died, but at 19 you just think 'there another one gone' and don't let it get to you."

After the Battle of Britain Tony became a Spitfire pilot and in February 1943 was posted to 131 Squadron, in Castletown, Scotland.

He carried out 75 Spitfire missions, including escorting US and British bombers on missions over Belgium and France.

After the war, Tony returned to his birthplace of Rugby and worked there as a steam turbine designer until his retirement in 1985.

'We were cocky. We just didn't envisage defeat.'

Flying Officer Ken Wilkinson is now 95 and flew Spitfires with 616 Squadron under the command of legendary RAF ace Sir Douglas Bader, who lost both his legs in a crash but was accepted as a pilot at the start of the war.

He said: "I was in the Duxford Wing, which was led by Bader. He was a Squadron Leader and I was a Sergeant. I didn't speak to him much and even with my own legs I couldn't fly like him."

He added: "We were cocky. Stupidly cocky, if you like. We just didn't envisage defeat.

"Some people may have been killed, but we knew we were going to win."

He also served with 19 Squadron and said the Spitfire squadrons provided cover while the Hurricane squadrons attacked the bombers. He said: "Our job was to keep the German fighters away from the Hurricanes.

"As far as I was concerned they were bombing England, they wanted to invade and we didn't want it to happen."

Ken said that the first time he saw a large flight of German aircraft heading towards him it did put a lump in his throat.

It also made him think: "what on earth are we going to about that lot?"

Mr Wilkinson's wife Josephine died in 1979. He has one daughter Penny, 68, and one grandson, Piers, 39.

His first grandson, James, died aged 42.

He lives in Solihull. After the war ended Ken became a quantity surveyor.

The event, which took place on Saturday night, began with Holly Robinson, 33, from Battlefield, singing classic songs from the 40s as the audience arrived and took their seats.

Then the pilots arrived and were given a guard of honour by members of 63 Squadron (Bridgnorth) Air Cadets.

Also present to greet the pilots was Winston Churchill, as played by Stan Streather.

The two pilots were given a standing ovation as they entered the cinema, and before the film began they talked about their experiences during the war.

Ken Wilkinson told the audience: "The amazing thing about the Battle of Britain is that it related to so much of what had gone on before.

"In the middle ages we beat the French with the longbow, then we defeated the Spanish Armada with small, lightly armed boats.

"The same spirit carried the pilots forward to defeat the Germans; they all thought they could defeat the British, but they couldn't could they?"

After the screening of the film, members of the audience had the opportunity to ask the pilots questions about their experiences.

One asked how the German Messerschmitt ME109 compared to the Spitfire, with Ken responding that the British plane could turn inside the ME109.

He said: "You could pull round him in a steep turn, and I mean steep, you were almost stalling, the plane was juddering and you were on the edge of blacking out."

Another question concerned the life expectancy of pilots in the Battle of Britain, to which Ken replied that it was better than in World War One.

Tony added: "The big difference was that in WW1, the RAF were fighting over France. We we were fighting over our own country and knew that we would be looked after if we were shot down."

While many of the questions and answers drew attention to the horror and destructiveness of war, one question brought laughter from the audience.

The question put to the pilots was how the film compared to what had happened in the real Battle of Britain. Ken looked up at the screen, then back to the questioner: "Well, I never met any girl as attractive as Susannah York in the real war."

After the questions, the two pilots signed memorabilia and books, the queue to meet them stretching to the back of auditorium, with some people just wanting to shake the hand of a veteran pilot.

As for the film showing itself, manager James Frizzell, believes it might have been the first screening of the film in a cinema since its original release.

He said: "There is a 35mm print of the film in existence, but we showed a digital copy, because the quality is so much better. It's great that this event coincided with the Severn Valley 40s weekend and it has been a very successful evening, we have had more people in than on the opening night for Jurassic World."

The event was organised by Neil Phillips, of Phillips Chartered Accountants, and Terry Le Long, Will & Trust Services to raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund.

Afterwards, Terry said: "It has been a fantastic event, the public response to it has been tremendous and it really feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet these brave pilots."