A SPITFIRE pilot has been posthumously added to the ranks of The Few in a rare occasion nearly 80 years after the Battle of Britain.

Sergeant James Eric William Ballard has now been added to the famed number of people who fought in the air battle in 1940.

So desperate was the need for fighter pilots as German planes attacked the UK in the Second World War that Sgt Ballard had only nine hours of flying time before joining 610 (County of Chester) Squadron.

Now, eight decades later, The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust has welcomed new recognition of his role in the air battle.

It follows the discovery of his logbook, which shows an operational sortie flown on October 8, 1940.

This flight was confirmed by the signatures of his commanding officer and flight commander.

Group Captain Patrick Tootal, OBE, Secretary of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, said: “Sergeant Ballard’s contribution to the battle was relatively small but without him and men like him, the RAF could not have achieved its victory.”