Want the best Coventry and Warwickshire news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here! Sign up here! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

One of Britain's last surviving Spitfire pilots has died shortly after his 99th birthday.

Battle of Britain hero Ken Wilkinson, from Solihull, died late last month, according to the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust (BBMT).

He was among those famously dubbed “The Few” by Winston Churchill, for his bravery during the famous battle in 1940.

In a statement, the BBMT said that it had learned “with great sadness” of Mr Wilkinson’s death, describing him as a “true gentleman who we shall miss dearly”.

Born in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, the son of an aircraft manufacturer found his love for flying while watching aircraft tests at Farnborough.

At the outbreak of the war he was selected for the Royal Air Force and chosen to fly a Spitfire.

Known for his humour, Mr Wilkinson said in a 2015 interview: “I didn’t carry any lucky charms, but I did wear a pair of my wife’s knickers around my neck.

“And I was one of the lucky ones. I saw friends fall out of the sky, aircraft go up in flames...terrible things.”

That same year he met the Duke of Cambridge during celebrations for the centenary of 29 (Reserve) Squadron at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

Mr Wilkinson said he was “under instruction not to tell dirty stories”, prompting William to request a tale.

He recounted his story about a man called Joe who becomes the captain of his golf club and insists on only being referred to by his new title at a dinner where he receives his honour.

Mr Wilkinson said at the end of the event the man goes home, gets undressed and, as he gets into bed with his wife, announces himself as the “captain”, and she replies “You have to be quick, Joe will be home soon”.

Mr Wilkinson told the BBC he had also given the Duke a ticking-off for his choice of aircraft.

“He doesn’t fly proper aeroplanes - he flies choppers,” he said.

Mr Wilkinson is survived by his daughter, Penny, and grandson, Piers.

Download our all-new mobile app to get the latest news, sport and what's on.

One quick sync and you can read our content on the move without being online. Get regular news alerts straight to your mobile and keep up with the latest traffic and travel or breaking events as they happen via our daily live blogs.

It's completely customisable to your own specific interests - Download it today by clicking here for iPhone and here for Android .