Spitfire Mark I Windscreen

This armoured windscreen from a Spitfire Mk I was damaged by machine gun fire on 9 September 1940 during the Battle of Britain. The pilot was Sub Lieutenant Arthur Blake RN from No. 19 Squadron based at Fowlmere.

It is thought that a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fired on Blake’s Spitfire from behind and, after clipping his ear, hit the inside of the windscreen, causing it to shatter. Bulletproof windscreens gave pilots only a minimal amount of protection. In October 1940, Blake was shot and killed over south London while his aircraft continued to fly for some time before crash landing in Chelmsford.