Franciszek Gruszka Franciszek " Frank " Gruszka ( 21 January 1910 – 18 August 1940 ) , Polish soldier ( porucznik ) , Flying Officer ( F / O ) of the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain . He was one of the first Polish airmen flying the Spitfire and the last pilot of the Battle buried with honors . He was the second oldest son of a wealthy farmer ' s family : His father was able to let three of his sons gain higher education : Józef Gruszka ( he spent World War II as a Prisoner of war in a German camp ) was a lawyer , Piotr Gruszka a philologist ( during the War the AK soldier ) , and Franciszek the fighter pilot . Serving in the Army from 1931 , he graduated from the Polish Air Force Academy in Dęblin ( 8th honorary promotion of 15 August 1934 ) and was commissioned as a pilot instructor in 111 / 6 squadron based near Lwów . After the outbreak of World War II he reportedly shot down a He - 111 bomber . On 17 September he passed through Romania , Yugoslavia , and Italy to continue fighting in France , arriving in Paris on 7 October 1939 . In December 1939 he was one of the first Polish fighter pilots to arrive in Great Britain . He underwent training on the Supermarine Spitfire and was commissioned as Flying Officer ( F / O ) and posted to No . 65 " East India " Squadron based at RAF Hornchurch . In his memoirs ( in possession of the family in Poland ) he described his first flight against a German bomber formation ( presumably on 14 August 1940 ) : " " Battle of August . I am starting to fight . Many Germans above and just twelve of us ( only two Poles are me and Władzio Szulkowski ) . We attack bombers , German fighters attack us from behind . One of them is closer and closer . I make a sudden turn , get his tail , and send a series ( burst of shots ) . He is going down to the clouds , inertial . I can not go after him , because in the same moment two other ' Jerries ' attack me . Have no chance , I hide in clouds . . . " " On 18 August 1940 he took off in Spitfire R6713 to intercept a German bomber formation . He was seen dog - fighting over Canterbury and Manston and chasing a fleeing German fighter . He never returned to Hornchurch airfield . There were no reports regarding his fate , and his comrades assumed that he was — at best — a prisoner . No news was forthcoming however , and he was classified by the RAF as MIA . In the spring of 1975 a World War II aviation archeology group found the remnants of an airplane and its pilot in marshes between Preston Village and Stodmarsh , East Sussex . Because of the swampy nature of the ground , the uniform , Polish airman ' s emblem , and some personal possessions remained in good condition , even buried after 35 years ( these were displayed in the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum in London ) . Identification of the body was possible due to a golden fountain pen with an engraved dedication from his fellow pilots . F / O Franciszek Gruszka was buried with full British military honors at the Polish War Memorial on the outskirts of RAF Northolt , London ( grave no . H202 ) on 17 July 1975 . Present at the service were Jeffrey Quill , the former Spitfire test pilot , and Dave Glaser , both of whom had served with Gruszka in 65 Squadron during the Battle of Britain . He was awarded posthumously with 1939 – 45 Star with Battle of Britain clasp , Air Crew Europe Star , and War Medal 1939 – 1945 .