S/L William E Coope arrived at RAF Debden on 25 August 1940, the day S/L Cedric W Williams was killed by an Me 110. The supernumerary squadron leader wrote a personal tribute to the 30-year-old CO that was published in The Times on 8 October, touching on both sitting and chatting on the day until the latter was scrambled. It appears that he decided to fly operationally with No 17 Squadron RAF between 26 and 31 August only to avenge his friend in combat.
