Battle of Britain pilot's grave identified 85 years later
The lost grave of a Battle of Britain hero has been identified 85 years after he was shot down over the English Channel.
Flying Officer Philip Cox was killed when his Hurricane was attacked by German fighters in July 1940.
RAF colleagues said they saw his aircraft plunge into the sea off Dover.
Cox was listed as missing in action and his name was later added to the Runnymede Memorial in Surrey.
Weeks after his death, an airman's body washed up on a beach in Holland and was recovered by the Germans. It was then buried in a cemetery at Bergen-op-Zoom under a headstone with the words 'Known unto God'.
Earlier this year, a historian in Holland researching Second World War records kept by the occupying Germans found clues that pointed to the unmarked grave being that of Flying Officer Cox.
The records for the grave plot gave a partial service number recovered from the body, which matched that of Cox.
On Wednesday, a rededication ceremony took place at the gravesite, with a new Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone with his name placed.
The service was conducted by Reverend Squadron Leader Jonathan Stewart and attended by relatives of Flying Officer Cox as well as the Dutch historian who made it happen.
Andy Saunders, a Battle of Britain historian and author, said: 'The identification and marking of the grave site of Flying Officer Philip Cox highlights the fact that, 85 years after the Battle of Britain, a full one-third of the casualties of that battle remain officially unaccounted for.'
Flying Officer Cox was born in Brighton in July 1915.
During the Battle of Britain, he claimed a Me109 and shared in the destruction of another on July 20.
On July 27, he led a squadron into a dog fight over Dover Harbour when he was shot down in Hurricane P3808. He was 25 years old.
His mother, Winifred, a widow by this time, wrote a letter to the mother of a colleague of her son.
She wrote: 'I have bad news. Philip lost his life last Saturday July 27th while leading the squadron into an engagement off the Southeast coast during the squadron leader's absence.
'The squadron had moved to Gravesend two days previously. Phil phoned me to meet him at Shoreham on Sunday the 21st – his birthday – after tea which I did and I took him back on Tuesday midday and saw him take off.
'[His brother] Bob also turned up unexpectedly on Monday, so for the last time here we had the children all together.
'I had a very nice letter from his Squadron Leader this morning. I feel he is with my husband who was very devoted to him. Phil always enjoyed himself so much at your house.
'Thank you for being so nice to him.'
Her other son, Robert, was killed four years later when the minesweeper he was on was sunk in the English Channel.
During the Battle of Britain, 179 RAF airmen were lost at sea and not recovered.
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