| Admitted to: RAF Hospital Torquay |
Date of Injury: 12/08/1940 |
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|---|---|---|---|
| D.O.B/Age when admitted: 16/05/1920 (21) |
Cause of Incident: Enemy Action. Shot down in Spitfire. |
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| Transferred to QVH: 29/11/1940 |
Injuries: Burns to face and hands. |
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| No. of Operations at East Grinstead: 17 |
IDENTITY CARD
This is to certify that the patient mentioned below and whose description is stated hereon is the authorised holder of this Identity card.
| Forename: Alan Geoffrey |
Surname: Page |
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| Service No: 74709 |
Nationality: British |
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| Awards/Honours: DSO, OBE, DFC and bar |
Patient Unit: 56 Sqn |
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| Profession: Pilot |
Patient Rank: Fg Off |
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| Death: 03/08/2000 |
Age at Death: 80yrs |
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| Dr Rank: |
Dr Unit: |
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Page started flying through the London University Squadron, and joined the RAF in 1939. He was posted to 66 Spitfire Sqn, then 56 Hurricane Sqn. In 1940, he baled out suffering from extensive burns and gunshot wound when his plane was shot down over the English Channel. Despite continuing pain from his fingers, Page returned to flying in a non-operational capacity after his treatment at QVH, later passing as fit and joining a Spitfire Sqn. On one operation his plane was hit but Page managed to return to base and land with shrapnel pieces in his leg. In September 1944, his war ended when he crashed during the Battle of Arnhem and fractured his back.
Page was awarded an OBE as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours List in June 1995, for founding the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust and his work to provide a monument to commemorate the Battle of Britain on the White Cliffs of Dover.
We've been looking through our collections, and discovered this 1972 photograph from the East Grinstead Observer, o…