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| Nottinghamshire pilot who found Bismarck is remembered | Nottinghamshire pilot who found Bismarck is remembered |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A pilot who took what Winston Churchill called "the pictures that sank the Bismarck" is being commemorated. | |
| Michael Suckling located the battleship, which was the pride of Nazi Germany's navy and a threat to allied shipping during World War Two. | |
| His images, taken from a long-range Spitfire and returned to commanders in a daredevil night-time dash, led to a major propaganda coup for Britain. | |
| A Bramley apple tree is being planted at the National Memorial Arboretum. | A Bramley apple tree is being planted at the National Memorial Arboretum. |
| PO Suckling's unheated, unarmed and unpressurised Spitfire took off from RAF Wick in Caithness just before noon on 18 May 1941. | |
| Twenty years old and with boyish looks, "Babe" Suckling, from Southwell in Nottinghamshire, was a relative veteran, having completed 19 such missions. | |
| Battling the Bismarck | Battling the Bismarck |
| In the run-up to World War Two, Britain was acutely aware of its dependence on imported food and raw materials to survive. | |
| Newly built German battleships Bismarck and her sister ship Tirpitz and their terrorisation of vital shipping routes obsessed the naval-minded Winston Churchill. | Newly built German battleships Bismarck and her sister ship Tirpitz and their terrorisation of vital shipping routes obsessed the naval-minded Winston Churchill. |
| A giant game of hide and seek began in May 1941 when Bismarck left port in Poland and sailed north. | A giant game of hide and seek began in May 1941 when Bismarck left port in Poland and sailed north. |
| After being discovered in the Norwegian fjord, Bismarck blasted two Royal Navy ships out of the way before being damaged by torpedoes. | After being discovered in the Norwegian fjord, Bismarck blasted two Royal Navy ships out of the way before being damaged by torpedoes. |
| Unable to manoeuvre, it was surrounded by enemy ships and battered into a flaming wreck before its crew scuttled it. | |
| His plane groped through the skies above Norway, photographing ports, fjords and secluded inlets but finding little of interest. | His plane groped through the skies above Norway, photographing ports, fjords and secluded inlets but finding little of interest. |
| Nearing the end of its fuel range, he took an unauthorised detour and at Grimstadfjord, near Bergen, finally spotted the huge ship with a cluster of support vessels. | Nearing the end of its fuel range, he took an unauthorised detour and at Grimstadfjord, near Bergen, finally spotted the huge ship with a cluster of support vessels. |
| His nephew, Mike Yates, described the story which followed PO Suckling's return to Wick with the highly coveted pictures. | His nephew, Mike Yates, described the story which followed PO Suckling's return to Wick with the highly coveted pictures. |
| "He burst into the officers' mess and told everyone what had happened - a terrible breach of security. | "He burst into the officers' mess and told everyone what had happened - a terrible breach of security. |
| "Coastal Command in Northwood, north London, told him in no uncertain terms they wanted to see the pictures yesterday as Bismarck could sail at any minute. | "Coastal Command in Northwood, north London, told him in no uncertain terms they wanted to see the pictures yesterday as Bismarck could sail at any minute. |
| "So despite his long mission, he got back into his plane and flew south. | "So despite his long mission, he got back into his plane and flew south. |
| "But with daylight fading he realised he was close to home in Nottinghamshire and thought of another option. | "But with daylight fading he realised he was close to home in Nottinghamshire and thought of another option. |
| "He put the Spitfire down in a field, tucked the pictures under his arm and ran to a friend's house. He owned a garage and with one of the cars, they roared down to London." | "He put the Spitfire down in a field, tucked the pictures under his arm and ran to a friend's house. He owned a garage and with one of the cars, they roared down to London." |
| The images prompted a massive naval operation which culminated in Bismarck being destroyed on 27 May. | The images prompted a massive naval operation which culminated in Bismarck being destroyed on 27 May. |
| Churchill ordered the photographs taken by Pilot Officer Suckling to be published under the title: "The pictures that sank the Bismarck." | Churchill ordered the photographs taken by Pilot Officer Suckling to be published under the title: "The pictures that sank the Bismarck." |
| PO Suckling did not get to enjoy his success for long. | PO Suckling did not get to enjoy his success for long. |
| On 21 July his plane went missing while he was on a mission to photograph another ship in a French port. | On 21 July his plane went missing while he was on a mission to photograph another ship in a French port. |
| Mr Yates said: "Mike Suckling's great-grandfather, Henry Merryweather, first marketed the Bramley apple and the firm stayed in the family for generations. | Mr Yates said: "Mike Suckling's great-grandfather, Henry Merryweather, first marketed the Bramley apple and the firm stayed in the family for generations. |
| "So it is immensely appropriate to commemorate him in this way." | "So it is immensely appropriate to commemorate him in this way." |