Hurricane sweeps in to York

8:50am Wednesday 2nd May 2012 in News

The Hurricane in St Sampsons Square, York The Hurricane in St Sampsons Square, York

A PIECE of military history has returned to York City Centre.

A Hawker Hurricane fighter is in St Sampson’s Square as part of an exhibition recalling a deadly air raid on York.

The Second World War fighter aircraft carries the emblem of 341 Squadron, a Free French RAF squadron which fought in the Battle of Britain, and has been placed alongside an exhibition detailing the damage suffered by York during the Baedeker Raid on April 29, 1942.

That night, York was saved from further damage by lone French fighter pilot Yves Mahe in a 253 Squadron Hawker Hurricane.

He chased off enemy bombers and saved the city from further damage.

The Lord Mayor of York, Coun David Horton, and the city’s Sheriff, Alan Deller, officially welcomed the Hurricane and the exhibition to the city. The plane will be on display until Sunday, stewarded by staff from the engineering department of the Yorkshire Air Museum.

Comments(8)

sheps lad says...
9:14am Wed 2 May 12

It's a bit breezy this morning but hardly a hurricane!

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heworth.28 says...
9:48am Wed 2 May 12

"He chased off enemy bombers and saved the city from further damage."
Hate to nit-pick but he actually caught up with them after they had bombed the city

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xtc says...
10:26am Wed 2 May 12

And its a model! if our air museum cant have a real one quite sure they woud nt leave a real un in york due to what they re worth.

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lowbeam says...
12:24pm Wed 2 May 12

As there are only 40ish hurricanes left (and fewer than that still flying) I think we are lucky to even have a model on display

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sunnysteve says...
4:44pm Wed 2 May 12

Sorry,Heworth 28,stop "nit picking",at least he got them.Maybe you should have been the squadron leader.Bet you go in the "Nags Head"as well.

Also Mr xtc,Of course its a model,how do you think they get a real Hurricane up Parliament St.Sorry can't do your text writing.

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resident43 says...
5:09pm Wed 2 May 12

It's not a model... see this page of the Yorkshire Air Museum website: http://www.yorkshire
airmuseum.org/exhibi
ts/aircraft-exhibits
/world-war-two-aircr
aft/hawker-hurricane

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Caecilius says...
6:28pm Wed 2 May 12

Warrant Officer Mahe's achievement surely speaks for itself, without the misrepresentation in this article. He didn't "chase off enemy bombers and save the city from further damage". About half way through the raid, at 0315, he shot down a Junkers 88 which, as heworth.28 says, had already bombed York and was flying away. He later came across a Heinkel, and attacked it unsuccessfully before landing at 0340. The bombing continued until 0400. Not sure what's being implied by "lone French pilot". If it means he was the only Frenchman on the scene, then possibly he was. If it means that he was taking on the Luftwaffe singlehanded, it's not so. 8 other fighters from W/O Mahe's squadron were also in action, along with 17 more British aircraft, and two other pilots each shot down a bomber that night.

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heworth.28 says...
8:56pm Wed 2 May 12

sunnysteve wrote:
Sorry,Heworth 28,stop "nit picking",at least he got them.Maybe you should have been the squadron leader.Bet you go in the "Nags Head"as well.

Also Mr xtc,Of course its a model,how do you think they get a real Hurricane up Parliament St.Sorry can't do your text writing.
I sincerely apologise for encouraging journalistic accuracy, and as for the Nags, no thanks!

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