On 5th October 1943, Polish pilot Sergeant Henryk Andrzej Flegier died as a result of the crash of Supermarine Spitfire BL922 at RAF Ballyhalbert, Co. Down.
Sergeant Henryk Andrzej Flegier was born in Okuniew near Mińsk Mazowiecki in Poland on 21st December 1921. He began his ambitious career with the Polish Air Force in 1933 when he was serving as a ground mechanic in 217 Bomb Squadron. After reaching the UK, he received his elementary pilot training at the Elementary Training School and later at the 16 Polish Elementary Pilot School. He then gained his fighter pilot certificate when joining the RAF in its 58 Operational Training Unit.
In September 1942, Flegier was sent to join the Polish No. 315 Squadron. One month before the tragic accident he crashed W3937 PK-N fighter aircraft, escaping with no injuries. On 5th October 1943, Sergeant Flegier crashed his Supermarine Spitfire BL922 PK-I while on a daytime training exercise. The Mark V fighter plane came down around half a mile north-west of RAF Ballyhalbert after losing power on a low-altitude flight performing practise interceptions.
His loss was the last that the Polish No. 315 Squadron faced while based in RAF Ballyhalbert in Northern Ireland. Sergeant Flegier is buried in the Movilla Cemetery in Newtownards.
Crash Sites