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Kiwi of the Week
1940 Fighter ace Edgar ‘Cobber’ Kain killed
Known to others as ‘Killer Kain’, the Hastings-born pilot had become a household name in Britain due to his exploits flying Hurricanes for the RAF’s No. 73 Squadron in the opening year of the Second World War. He was the first RAF air ace of the war and the first to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross. During the Battle of France in 1940, he achieved 17 confirmed ‘kills’.
Given his experiences in battle Kain’s death seemed cruelly ironic. He had been rested from operations and in marking his departure decided to fly an aerobatic display over the aerodrome at Echimenes, France, on 7 June. He completed two low-level rolls and was attempting a third when he crashed onto the airfield and was thrown from the aircraft. He was 21 years old.
Kain was buried in Troyes cemetery. His remains were moved to the Allied section of the Choloy war cemetery in France after the war.
See 'Against the odds' a documentary about Cobber Kain by Wolf in 2007:
Image: Edgar Kain (DNZB)
Internal links
The invasion threat - The Battle of BritainOverview: 1913-1945 - Royal New Zealand Air Force
External links
- Edgar Kain (DNZB)
- Edgar ‘Cobber’ Kain (Wikipedia)
- Against the Odds documentary (You Tube)
This Week in History
Cobber also posted a package containing, a RAF handerchief and a tin of RAF chocolate to my late mother in South Africa which we still have
My late mother, “Rosalind Florence Bell” was a pen Pell of Cobber Kain during WW2. My family have letters from Cobber to my late mother, and also the letter from Cobber’s mother to my late mother informing her of his death.
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