Kenneth Herbert Gatward

Wing Commander Ken Gatward performed one of the most audacious low-level flights of the war. On 12 June 1942, he flew his Bristol Beaufighter across the English Channel at wave-top height, up the Seine, and over Paris, machine-gunning the Gestapo headquarters at the Palais de Justice and dropping a French tricolour over the Arc de Triomphe. The flight, intended to boost French morale on the second anniversary of the fall of Paris, was a stunning propaganda coup. Gatward returned safely to England despite intense anti-aircraft fire. Based at RAF Chivenor near Bristol for much of the war, he flew maritime strike missions against German shipping and U-boats. His daring Paris raid made him a hero in both Britain and occupied France. Bristol's aviation heritage features his remarkable story.