CALLS have been made to establish a national memorial to commemorate a Bradford war hero and his comrades.
Bierley-born John Kenneth Astin was one of the brave pilots and navigators of the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (PRU) during the Second World War.
The PRU was formed on September 24, 1939, and throughout the Second World War it operated highly dangerous, clandestine photographic reconnaissance operations over all theatres of operation, capturing more than 26 million images of enemy operations and installations during the conflict.
The purpose of the PRU was to provide up-to-date intelligence to strategically plan the allied actions in the war.
Born in 1919, Mr Astin joined the RAF before the war.
Qualifying as a pilot, he first flew Lysander aircraft - narrowly escaping death when he was involved in a mid-air collision while formation flying with other members of his squadron.
He married Vera Coverdale in Knaresborough in 1941 and later went on to fly with the photographic reconnaissance squadrons.
He survived the war and passed away in 1995.
Due to the clandestine nature of the PRU's operations - the unit flew solo operations, unarmed and unarmoured - the death rate was nearly 50 per cent.
But despite having one of the lowest survival rates of the war, there is no national memorial to the PRU.
The Spitfire AA810 Project is now leading a campaign to establish such a memorial to the PRU pilots and navigators, including Mr Astin, and this is backed by Bradford South Labour MP Judith Cummins.
She said: "I am delighted to support the campaign to commemorate those who served in the PRU.
"This includes Mr Astin, who served under exceptionally difficult conditions, and I would urge anyone who might have any more information on him to get in touch.
"I look forward to working with the Spitfire AA810 Project to establish this memorial and to being able to pay my respects there once it is completed."
Flying Spitfires and Mosquitos, the intelligence the PRU gathered was used by all the armed forces, giving same-day intelligence on enemy activity.
The intelligence provided by the unit was considered in the Cabinet War Rooms - now called the Churchill War Rooms, located underneath the Treasury - and was instrumental in the planning of major operations, including D-Day and the Dambusters Raid.
Any relatives of Mr Astin, or anyone who knows someone who served in the PRU during the war, can visit the Spitfire AA810 Project website via www.spitfireaa810.co.uk or contact Tony Hoskins by emailing Tony@spitfireaa810.co.uk
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