AIR force historian Danny Burt is searching for any information on Second World War pilot John Sinclair Bucknall Jones, from Marlborough, who took part in the Battle of Britain in 1940.

The Spitfire ace met his death very early on in the war on August 11 1940 when he was shot down during a dogfight with German Bf109 fighters.

He was flying Spitfire R6614 and was able to bail out of his stricken aeroplane but was later found dead.

His name is recorded on the RAF memorial at Runnymede by the River Thames.

Mr Burt is writing a book on the 152 Hyderabad Squadron that Bucknall Jones served with.

He said: "I would like to ask any members of his family or friends who might remember him to come forward and assist me with my research into this brave pilot."

He has been able to establish that Bucknall Jones was the son of a senior serviceman, probably army, and that the family lived in or near Marlborough before the war.

He was commissioned as a pilot officer on October 1 in 1939. He was posted to 152 Hyderabad Squadron at RAF Acklington. The squadron moved south to RAF Warmwell in Dorset.

Bucknall Jones bravery and flying skills played an important part in the Battle of Britain in 1940 and he shared the credit for shooting down a German Heinkel He111 bomber on February 27.

Mr Burt can be contacted at 36 Walcheren Place, Poole, Dorset BH15 4NE, or on (01202) 681596.