WINSTON Churchill called them 'the few' - the men who fought so bravely over the skies of Britain 60 years ago to ensure their sons and daughters could enjoy a life free from the jackboot of fascism...

Now one of the fearless young men who patrolled high above Dorset during the Battle of Britain, keeping watch over Weymouth and the naval base at Portland, has been honoured by author Geoff Simpson.

Geoff has immortalised in print a Warmwell-based fighter pilot, Richard or 'Dick' Hogg, shot down by a German squadron in his Spitfire near Portland on Sunday, August 25, 1940.

Geoff's booklet A Good and Aggressive Fighter Pilot aims to tell the story of one of the extra-ordinary men who gave their lives for their country between July 10 and October 31, 1940. Nearly 3,000 airmen were involved in the Battle of Britain, one of the key turning points in World War Two.

Adolf Hitler had planned to destroy the British air force to clear the way for the invasion that would have given Germany and the Nazis complete domination over Western Europe. But the allied airmen had different ideas and by the end of 1940, despite heavy losses, they had seen off the threat.

The new book gets its title from a tribute paid to Dick Hogg by one of his fellow pilots, 'Jumbo' Deansley, who remembered him as "a good and aggressive fighter pilot". It tells the story of his childhood in Jersey and his arrival at Cranwell RAF College just before the outbreak of war. He was soon thrust into the action and the booklet goes on to describe his exploits as an RAF pilot in Norway and then during the Battle of Britain.

The central episode in the book is a fierce aerial battle fought over Dorset on Sunday, August 25, 1940. At about four o'clock on that fateful day, a radar station on the Isle of Wight reported German aircraft approaching. Their number was estimated at around 100, but was actually closer to 300. Several RAF squadrons were called into action, including Hogg's at Warmwell.

The German aircraft split into three groups, with one each heading for the naval base at Portland, the RAF base at Warmwell and Weymouth. Dick's squadron, 152, was attacked west of Portland by a crack German squadron known as the 'Ace of Spades' and two Spitfires were shot down.

When 152 returned to base, Dick Hogg was one of the missing pilots. He was last seen pursuing German aircraft out to sea. He was just 21.

The booklet was the brainchild of journalist and PR consultant Geoff Simpson, 53, who has become an expert on the Battle of Britain. Geoff has written many articles on the period and regularly lectures on it, but this is his first attempt to write a book on the subject.

"My research on Dick Hogg began a few years ago when I was booked to do a lecture in Jersey - I thought it would be a good idea to include some local people. I went back to listen to another lecture last year and it occurred to me that with the anniversary of the Battle of Britain coming up, it would be a good idea to turn my research into a booklet."

Proceeds from sales of the booklet will go towards mainten-ance of the memorial to Battle of Britain airmen at Capel-le-Ferne near Folkestone. Dick Hogg's name is recorded on war memorials at Runnymede, St Peter's Church on Jersey and at the Battle of Britain Museum at Hendon.

The 60th anniversary of this crucial moment in Britain's history may have passed many people by unnoticed, but men like Geoff Simpson are fighting to make sure that we never forget 'the few'. He said: "It is important that we main-tain war memorials so that future generations will know about the sacrifice these men made. There was a weekend of events at Capel-le-Ferne in July to mark the anniv-ersary of the Battle of Britain. More than 60 veterans of the battle were there, and it is very moving to think that it could be the last time these men are together."

*A Good and Aggressive Fighter Pilot is available for £2.50, plus 35p p&p, from Geoff Simpson, Tamar, 26 Sandown Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire, SK7 4SH.