BAPCHILD Church was filled for a service in memory of a war hero who devoted decades of his life to the community.

Friends and family of Herbert Horatio Kitchener, who died last month aged 95, gathered to remember his bravery, gentle character, love of sport and service to the village.

Kitch, as he preferred to be known, was born in Crowborough, Sussex, on August 30, 1914. His patriotic family gave him the name of the Field Marshal whose face was seen on the First World War recruitment posters which proliferated at the time of his birth, a few days after the start of the First World War.

After education at Uckfield Grammar School, Kitch joined the RAF volunteer reserve in 1937 and was trained to fly biplanes.

It was while on a mission to Norway in the spring and early summer of 1940 that he took part in various fierce aerial battles with German planes, which earned him a Distinguished Flying Medal for "setting a high example of courage and determination".

He was also honoured by the King of Norway with the Norwegian War Cross, the equivalent to the Victoria Cross in this country.

On his return from Norway, as one of the few pilots to survive battles in a biplane during the Second World War, Kitch was issued with a Whirlwind fighter and sent on missions to track down E-boats and to escort convoys.

In March 1942 Kitch encountered a German Junkers 88 and was shot down. He crash-landed on one engine and was pulled from the cockpit just before the plane exploded.

His injuries – a fractured skull and broken arm – left him in hospital for months and his flying days were over. He spent the rest of the war in operations rooms.

On his return to civilian life, Kitch got a job in local government and moved to Kent, first working in Faversham for Swale Rural Council, and later in Sittingbourne. He lived in Bapchild for almost 60 years.

His widow Margaret, to whom he would have been married for 25 years on September 7, said: "He took early retirement, but remained an extremely active man. He loved cricket, playing tennis at Gore Court and sailing with the former Sittingbourne Sailing Club."

Mrs Kitchener said her husband was also devoted to life in Bapchild, singing in the church choir, serving as a parish councillor and as a governor for Fulston Manor School in Sittingbourne. He was a member of the village hall committee which successfully campaigned for a new building.

When he died on July 7, a private cremation at Charing was followed by a memorial service at Bapchild, which was filled with people who knew and admired Kitch.

Mrs Kitchener, who plans to lend various artefacts relating to her husband's wartime career to the museum at Manston Airport, added: "He was a lovely person, very reserved and never spoke ill of people.

"He was a true Christian and I have lovely memories of our time together."