WARTIME pilots who put their lives on the line in the skies above Britain have been honoured by their former college in North Yorkshire.

A plaque commemorating eight ex-students at Ampleforth College has been unveiled to ensure the legacy of their bravery during the Battle Of Britain lives on.

The tribute is the result of painstaking research carried out by one of the college’s current upper-sixth students, Holly Wilson, and was marked in style by a flypast by the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight.

As well as holding the title of senior NCO in the Ampleforth College Combined Cadet Force, Holly was recently awarded a gliding scholarship to RAF Linton-on-Ouse, and during this course she was approached by Squadron Leader Simon Johnston about his connection with the college.

His company, Airfield Aviation, is currently building the Jurca Spitfire, based on an aircraft flown by Flight Lieutenant Tony Lovell, a former Ampleforth student who was a Battle Of Britain pilot.

“Holly coincidentally met up with contacts of the Lovell family while working on the annual Ampleforth Lourdes Pilgrimage last year,” said a spokesman for the college. “Following on from this, she carried out further research on Tony Lovell and discovered that he had been a Battle of Britain pilot. She then contacted the Battle Of Britain Historical Society, who advised her that if they had the name of a confirmed pilot, it was possible to erect a plaque in the school.

“Further extensive research revealed there were a total of eight former students who participated in the Battle Of Britain.

The headmaster, Fr Gabriel Everitt, was approached and gave his support to the project.”

Family members of some of the pilots Holly’s work identified attended the unveiling of the plaque which was designed to incorporate the insignias of the squadrons they were once part of – with the ceremony being led by Fr Everitt and 93-year-old Lindsay Walter, an Old Amplefordian who was at the school with Tony Lovell and his brother, Stuart. College students and local primary schools pupils watched the flypast.