Montague Hulton-Harrop

Pilot Officer M.L. Hulton-Harrop

On Wednesday 6 September 1939, just three days after war had been declared; RAF Fighter Command suffered its first pilot casualty of the Second World War in a tragic incident known as the 'Battle of Barking Creek'.
      After an early morning air raid alert six Hurricanes of No.56 Squadron were ordered to scramble from North Weald aerodrome to meet an enemy raid which had been spotted by searchlight battries. Instead of scrambling six aircraft the Squadron's Commanding Officer scrambled twelve Hurricanes to patrol in formation between Harwhich and Colchester at 11,000 feet.
      Two pilots that had been left behind at North Weald decided to join their colleagues on the patrol. One of these young men was Pilot Officer Montague Hulton-Harrop and the other was Flying Officer Frank Rose. Without orders, the two pilots climbed into the cockpits of two reserve Hurricanes and raced off after their Squadron. Hulton-Harrop and Rose eventually caught up with the  twelve Hurricanes over the coast and continued to fly about a mile behind and about 1,000 feet below the main formation (which was totally unaware of the two stragglers to its rear).
      At approximately 0645 hours Sailor Malan led Spitfires of No.74 Squadron off from Hornchurch to meet the enemy raid as instructed. Hurricanes of No.151 Squadron, led by Squadron Leader Donaldson, were also airborne at this time, having been scrambled from North Weald.
      When Malan's Spitfires arrived in the area they caught sight of No.56 Squadron's reserve aircraft and mistook them for enemy Bf 109s. Malan gave the order to attack and Flying Officer Vincent 'Paddy' Byrne and nineteen year old Pilot Officer John Freeborn of Yellow Section dived to engage the Hurricanes. Squadron Leader Donaldson recalled watching this tragic friendly-fire incident unfold from his own cockpit: "I saw two of the Spitfires turn in on two of the Hurricanes and open fire. I yelled over the R/T. 'Do not retaliate. They are friendly!' A frantic melee ensued, but not one of the North Weald wing fired, although there was a frantic manoeuvring by almost everyone."
       Freeborn's attack killed Montague Hulton-Harrop outright. His Hurricane was seen gliding down in a left-hand turn before it hit the ground. Frank Rose was also shot down by Byrne's attack but he survived after force-landing his aircraft in a sugar-beet field. Both Freeborn and Byrne broke away from the engagement under the impression that they had just shot down two enemy fighters.
      This incident known mysteriously as the 'Battle of Barking Creek' was made top secret at the time and discussions concerning the matter were strictly forbidden. This dreadful Wednesday would forever stay in John Freeborn's mind.

      In 2009 I spent a moving day with Wing Commander John Freeborn, DFC*, at North Weald, where he was interviewd by journalist and presenter Lucy Siegle about the 'Battle of Barking Creek' for a short feature made for the BBC'S 'The One Show'. This touching episode can be viewed by clicking HERE

Left - Hulton-Harrop circled, Frank Rose far right.
Right - John Freeborn at the grave of Hulton-Harrop in 2009

    
   

Tiger Cub

TIGER CUB: The Story of John Freeborn DFC* by Christopher Yeoman

Hardback 224 pages
ISBN: 9781848840232

Published: 18 June 2009 by Pen & Sword

Tiger Cub Reviews - 

"I've read a lot of books both by and about pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain and I rank Tiger Cub up there with the best of them. Yeoman captures the essence Freeborn the man. Honesty and integrity. In using Freeborn's words he doesn't shy away from the colourful language and controvertial opinions so you get to live through Freeborn's war. And what a war. From the tragedy of Barking Creek to Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain Freeborn, was at the centre of many things. Undoubtedly a Spifire ace with some 13 kills to his name, he flew more operational hours in the Battle of Britain than any other pilot. Freeborn is the real deal. This book comes highly recommended." -Amazon.co.uk customer

"An excellent read about a true hero. The story was both moving and exciting! The writing put me right in the seat of a Spitfire during the Battle of Britain." -WHSmith customer

 

"The story of John Freeborn is an amazing one! I will always be grateful to men like him who were willing to sacrifice everything, even unborn people like me. After having read this book it has sparked quite a keen interest in WWII & the Battle of Britain, which I have been exploring since, yet this is the best I have read so far. The book is so well written by the author Chris Yeoman, I understand that he had quite a close personal relationship with John Freeborn too, which for me brings the book to life even more. I would recommend it to anyone." -Tiger Cub's Facebook page 

  

"What an incredible story about a young fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain. John Freeborn was an amazing young man and Chris Yeoman made me feel like I now know him personally. Those boys in the RAF were unbelievable - true heroes. Having lived through WWll in England, it brought back so many memories. They were tough times but it has always made me so proud to be a Brit." -D.Hayes

"If you only read one book on a Battle of Britain pilot; this is it! I couldnt put it down!" -Rabbit Sqn customer

  

"Tiger Cub is truely an amazing account of WWII's 74 Squadron from one of its most amazingly brave fighter pilots, Mr. John Freeborn. A truely remarkable man. An incredible book to be treasured and passed down to future generations." -T.Powell 


"Tiger Cub is one of the best books that I have ever read. If you want to know what it was like flying a Spitfire in the Battle of Britain, then this is the book for you! I found it thrilling, exiting and at times very funny all the more because it is a true story about a real person, I hope that they make a flim of it." -Play.com customer

"The book is well written and the pages simply fly by. I would recommend Tiger Cub to anyone who wishes to revisit an era when morality was reduced to black and white, and young men met the challenge to stand in defense of civilization against the totalitarian Nazis. The humor and comraderie comes through, and next to a talk with John, this book allows us to revisit "The Few," and the early years of 74 Squadron." -LL (USA)

"A well written and heart stopping account of flying action in those desperate days. The best I have read." -  Amazon.co.uk customer