it took part in the Battle of Britain, becoming one of the most successful fighter squadrons to take part in that action. By the end of the war 610 Squadron had destroyed 132 enemy aircraft and 50 flying bombs. One of its pilots (Sgt. Ray Hamlyn) accounted for five enemy aircraft in one day. In February 1945, another 610 pilot (F/Lt Tony Gaze) flying a Spitfire XIV destroyed a Messerschmitt 262 jet fighter-bomber over Germany. At this time, Martin Hearn obtained a contract from the Ministry of Aircraft Production to repair large numbers of Avro Ansons, and later de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers. As No. 7 Aircraft Assembly Unit, the company's work also included the assembly of various types of US-built aircraft that arrived by ship at the Mersey docks. Aircraft included the North American Mustang, Lockheed P-38 Lightning and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters, plus Douglas Boston and Canadian-built Handley Page Hampden bombers, and North American Harvard trainers. The first Sikorsky helicopters used by the RAF were also assembled and tested at Hooton towards the end of the war. During the war years, Hooton assembled and repaired thousands of aircraft. The RAF operated a flight of Coastal Command Avro Ansons, de Havilland Tiger Moths and de Havilland Hornet Moths on anti-submarine patrols during 1939 and 1940. No. 11 Radio School and No. 1 School of General Reconnaissance flew from the airfield. In 1941 the grass airfield was transformed to include a 6,000-foot concrete runway – one of the longest in Europe at that time. As aircraft became redundant, they were sent from all over the country to No. 100 Sub Storage Site at Hooton to be scrapped. The end of the Second World War brought a decline in work to Martin Hearn. The company then had to seek peacetime work. To this end, buses were repaired, armoured cars overhauled and around 70 gliders were built under contract to Slingsby. Post-war operations In 1947 Martin Hearn Ltd was renamed Aero-Engineering and Marine (Merseyside), and Martin Hearn was no longer connected to it. Martin Hearn went into partnership with Lily Belcher, and ran the Glider Club, adjacent to the airfield at its north western corner, as a successful and popular hotel for 25 years. The engineering company survived until 1955, latterly servicing Canadair Sabre jet fighters for the RAF and RCAF. Wing Commander 'Wilbur' Wright opened a flying school at Hooton, and later