14 Sep 1941. F/O Buchwald's relation:
    Early morning I took off with my section - P/O Dec, Sgt Gadus and Sgt Sumara - for Bolt Head. Once there, we had to wait a little until somebody actually herded away a bunch of sheep from a pasture, which we shared with them. One after another we landed and taxied to the end of the strip, where we parked and waited for a signal to scramble. After about an hour we warmed up engines of ours Hurricanes, and as we were doing this, a red flare appeared. We took off instantly. Our controller gave us a 225 course.  We were still climbing in a right turn when we all saw them: two Messerschmitt 109s, on top of waves, flying north. I barked a quick order to Dec to cut off their retreat. Myself, with Sgt Sumara as my wingman, I dived straight at them. At that moment they saw us. After all, it was easier for them see us against blue sky, than for us spot them on a background of gray water. They just made smooth about-face at full speed and got away. We had no chance to catch them. Should had we scrambled twenty seconds earlier, we would have had them.
    As we were about to go home, we were order to patrol around convoy some 20 miles away. Since the task was for a pair of aircraft, I ordered P/O Dec and his wingman for a patrol, and together with Sgt Sumara we turned for Bolt Head. After landing I had a chat with the crew of a mobile radar station at the airstrip. Soon I had a full picture: for a certain period of time none of three guys there was watching the radar screen. One was making a phone call, other busied himself with a tea and the third one was taking piss. Myself, I was mighty pissed off with the lost chance for a kill. The radar crew charged with "neglecting their duties in face of enemy" were detained for three month.

P/O Bernard Buchwald.

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