WHEN Mrs Phyllis Fullarton, of Helensburgh, places a remembrance poppy at the war memorial at Kidston Park it will have added significance.

For her late husband, Donald Fullarton of Helensburgh Heritage Trust and former Advertiser editor, was instrumental in getting the memorial stone erected in 2017.

It remembers those who served and died at RAF Helensburgh. RAF Helensburgh was a secret WW2 flying boat base devoted to finding and sinking U-Boats between 1939 and 1945.

Its operations, run by the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment, were ‘hush hush’ and became wider known following my [retired journalist Robin Bird's] research.

His late father was RAF Helensburgh's official photographer of the wartime trials conducted by MAEE.

These included the Barnes Wallis Highball bouncing bomb. MAEE fatalities were recorded as ‘flying accidents’, the worst suffered was the crash of Saro Lerwick L7248 on October 21, 1941.

READ MORE: Rare wartime painting depicting flying boat near RAF Helensburgh revealed

All seven occupants of the flying boat were killed during handling trials of experimental fins.

This tragedy has been documented in the Helensburgh Advertiser and by Helensburgh Heritage Trust. A photograph of the pilot was not then available.

Now, before remembrance, we publish a photograph of the the pilot of Lerwick L7248; the face of Flt. Lt. John Alexander, who is buried in Helensburgh Cemetery with members of his crew.

In the same cemetery row are RAF men William Gianella, Raymond Bullocke and William McLaughlin.

John Alexander was a young married man, aged 22, a graduate of Cranwell. Just before his death he was mentioned in despatches for his flying skills as a test pilot.

Paintings of flying boats were made by Alfred Nixon Moores who served in RAF Helensburgh’s drawing office.One of Alfred Nixon Moores' rare wartime paintingsOne of Alfred Nixon Moores' rare wartime paintings (Image: Bristol 1904) An artist, he painted during off duty time at RAF Helensburgh. Only government approved photographers were allowed to take pictures of the flying boats at RAF Helensburgh.

His paintings of flying boats are an interesting insight into what took place at Helensburgh.