Global Aviator April 2018 / Vol. 10 / No. 4 75
during 1940 and early 1941 they
pioneered an early version of AI radar.
They performed reasonably well and
were a factor in night interception until
the advent of more effective types,
such as the Beaufighter and Mosquito.
By all accounts the Defiant would
appear to have failed in its intended
operational role. But its basic design
was extremely sound, which saw it
perform a host of duties, including
air sea rescue, army co-operation and
target towing. By 1945 it had largely
disappeared from RAF service and
today just one example remains;
appropriately it is a Mk1 night fighter,
on display at the RAF museum at
Hendon. The lone Defiant is in good
company; for under the same roof are
two stable mates from the Battle, the
esteemed Hurricane and Spitfire. •
Flight Sergeant E R Thorn (pilot, left) and Sergeant F J Barker (air gunner) pose with their
Boulton Paul Defiant turret fighter at RAF Biggin Hill, Kent after destroying their 13th Axis
aircraft. Note the teddy-bear mascot - P.H.F. Tovey, Royal Air Force official photographer. This is from the
collections of the Imperial War Museums.